Ranked and rated: The greatest British and Irish Masters champions

The year’s first major championship is one that, for the first 50 years of its existence, British and Irish golfers struggled to get an invitation to play in never mind try to win.

From the first Masters Tournament in 1934 to the 1980s wearing the famous Green Jacket was an alien concept to British and Irish golfers.

Then Spain’s Seve Ballesteros, twice, and Germany’s Bernhard Langer, once, showed the way and it inspired the Brits who then won four in a row from 1988.

There have now been five different British and Irish golfers to pull on a Green Jacket.

But how do they rank? Let’s find out.

1. Nick Faldo

Put simply: the only European three-time winner.

Faldo is England’s greatest-ever golfer, good enough to win three Claret Jugs and three Green Jackets – and it’s that trio of wins at Augusta National which makes him the undisputed number one among his compatriots in Georgia.

His first win came in 1989 when he carded a sensational final round 65 to tie Scott Hoch after 72 holes. The American then missed a tiddler for victory on the first extra hole and Faldo made him pay on the second.

A year later Faldo became just the second man to successfully defend the Green Jacket. The first was Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods has since joined that elite club.

And then there was 1996. Faldo trailed Greg Norman by six shots heading into the final round. The Englishman had overpowered the Aussie in a major once before – at the 1990 Open – and he did so again, proving himself the ultimate grinding machine as the Great White Shark floundered.

2. Rory McIlroy

Put simply: he completed the Career Grand Slam with his win last year.

The Northern Irishman had history at Augusta National.

It was the event he fell in love with as a kid. In 2011 he led by four heading into the final round and blew it with a Sunday 80. He played the final round in the final pairing alongside Patrick Reed in 2018 and once again failed to convert. And he was a fast finishing second in 2022 with a Sunday 64.

He had also gone over 10 years without adding to his tally of four major championships. He needed to win and he needed it soon.

Twelve months ago middle rounds of 66 in 2025 left him two shots clear of the field with 18 holes to play.

Sunday was not easy, however. By the third tee he trailed playing partner Bryson DeChambeau by one, but he led again on the fourth tee.

With a short pitch to the 13th green he was once again in control – only to plop it in the water.

And even after a career approach shot to 15 he was caught on the line by Justin Rose before triumphing at the first extra hole to finally visit the Butler Cabin and finally complete the full set of majors.

3. Sandy Lyle

Put simply: the first British or Irish winner.

Scotsman Lyle had played alongside Jack Nicklaus in the famous final round of 1986 and so he had a front row seat when it came to seeing how to win a Masters.

A year later he became the first British winner of the Players Championship. He had also become the first British winner of any major since 1970 when claiming the 1985 Open.

He was a powerhouse with an uncanny knack of breaking trends.

Now it was his turn to thrive at Augusta, doing so in style with one of the great 72nd hole shots – a 7-iron from the fairway bunker to 15 feet which he holed to clinch victory.

4. Ian Woosnam

Put simply: the first World No. 1 to win the Masters.

The fiery little Welshman was always at his best when faced with problems.

He’d spent his entire golf life in the shadow of Lyle (his county team mate) and by 1990 he knew some were muttering that he didn’t have it in him to win a major.

On arrival at Augusta he was told that no current World No. 1 had ever won the Masters. That irritated him.

So did watching his fellow Europeans Ballesteros, Langer, Lyle and Faldo go to the Champions Dinner.

And so did the final round heckling from the patrons.

Woosnam metaphorically stuck two fingers up to all of them, and beat his childhood hero and playing partner Tom Watson in the process.

5. Danny Willett

Put simply: the man who pounced.

Walking from the 15th green in the final round of the 2016 Masters the Englishman was disappointed to have only made par to stay 4-under while his playing partner Lee Westwood made an eagle to get to 3-under.

Both were aware that the tournament leader Jordan Spieth had opened his back nine with two bogeys to slip to 5-under.

By the time they hit the 16th tee, however, the two Englishman were leading the tournament because Spieth had dropped four shots after finding water at 12.

What happened next defined the event.

Westwood was first on the tee and left himself a long birdie putt (which he three-putted). Willett, in contrast, stiffed his approach and holed to extend his advantage.

Jack Nicklaus later tweeted his admiration of Willett’s chutzpah. He had the chance and he took it before parring his way home to win by three strokes.

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