Usually The Masters is reserved for April when spring is upon us and warmer weather is right around the corner.
But because of the COVID-19 pandemic we saw the world’s most famous golf tournament moved to the second weekend of November in a year none of us will quickly forget.
With it being Masters weekend, why not take a minute to learn a bit more about Notre Dame’s holder of multiple records at the famed tournament?
Notre Dame may not have Tiger Woods or Dustin Johnson in their golf record books, but but they do have 1970 Masters Champion, Billy Casper.
Casper was one of the best golfers in the world as he won 51 times on the PGA Tour, the seventh most of any golfer ever. 27 of those victories came between 1964 and 1970 which were two more than Jack Nicklaus during that time and six more than Arnold Palmer and Gary Player combined to win in that window.
Casper was also a short-lived Notre Dame athlete, attending the University for one semester on a golf scholarship. He chose to leave college and pursue a career as a professional golfer and as you know by now, that certainly was a wise choice by him.
Casper won that 1970 Masters in a playoff over Gene Littler which led to his record performance at Augusta 35 years later.
How so?
Remember with The Masters, when you win you get a lifelong invitation to keep playing in the tournament regardless of your age of skill-set, even if some are encouraged to stop doing so on occasion.
Casper continued to play in the tournament up until 2005 when he played his final round of competitive golf at Augusta.
Let’s just say Casper was more than a little bit past his prime.
Related: Current leaderboard at The Masters 2020
You won’t find it in any record book because he never actually turned in his first round scorecard in 2005, but Casper shot what would be a record-high for a single round at The Masters with a first round score of 106.
His scorecard that round read as follows:
6-5-5-5-6-5-5-6-6-7-7-3-6-4-6-14-5-5=106
If you’re familiar with Augusta you’re aware that the 16th hole is a par 3 and you’ll notice his 14 on that hole alone and as you could probably guess, had it been an official round Casper would also hold the record for the highest score on a single hole. Since it wasn’t three other golfers are tied for the record high by scoring a 13 on various holes over the years.
Casper never turned in his scorecard on that April afternoon back in 2005 so you won’t find his score recorded in any official Masters record book.
Now who said Notre Dame didn’t have a rich history in golf that’s worthy of celebration?
Remember that when you’re watching the next champion get handed the green jacket on Sunday afternoon.