The Lowest Score in Masters History

Dustin Johnson holds the record for the lowest score in Masters history, a 72-hole total of 268, 20 under par, set at the pandemic-delayed November 2020 tournament. He broke the mark of 270, 18 under, which had been shared by Tiger Woods in 1997 and Jordan Spieth in 2015.

Augusta National is famous for punishing scoring, so the lowest totals in Masters history stand out as rare weeks when a great player and soft conditions align. Here is the full leaderboard of the lowest 72-hole scores at the Masters, plus the single-round record. All figures are through 2025.

The record holder: Dustin Johnson and 268

Johnson’s 268 came in a Masters unlike any other, played in November 2020 with soft greens and no patrons because of the pandemic. Those conditions took away some of Augusta’s usual teeth, and Johnson exploited them with relentless, mistake-free golf to win by five strokes. His 20-under total is the only time any player has reached 20 under at the Masters.

The record is a product of both talent and timing: Johnson is one of the finest ball-strikers of his generation, and the receptive course let him attack pins that are normally off-limits. Whether anyone matches 268 in a typical April, when Augusta plays firmer and faster, is an open question.

The full leaderboard of lowest Masters scores

The table below ranks the lowest 72-hole totals in Masters history.

Rank	Score	To par	Golfer	Year
1	268	-20	Dustin Johnson	2020
2	270	-18	Tiger Woods	1997
2	270	-18	Jordan Spieth	2015
4	271	-17	Jack Nicklaus	1965
4	271	-17	Raymond Floyd	1976
6	272	-16	Tiger Woods	2001
7	274	-14	Ben Hogan	1953

The list traces the tournament’s scoring history, from Ben Hogan’s 274 in 1953, a record for over a decade, through Nicklaus and Floyd, to the modern low totals of Woods, Spieth and Johnson.

Woods, Spieth and the old record

Tiger Woods first set the 18-under mark in 1997, when he won by a record 12 strokes at age 21, one of the most dominant performances in golf. Jordan Spieth matched 270 in 2015 with a wire-to-wire win. Both totals looked untouchable until Johnson lowered the bar in 2020. Before Woods, Jack Nicklaus (1965) and Raymond Floyd (1976) had shared the record at 271. For the full history of Augusta’s champions, see our most Masters wins leaderboard.

The single-round record

Over a single day, the lowest score at the Masters is 63, shot by Nick Price in 1986 and matched by Greg Norman in 1996. No one has ever broken it, and the number underscores how hard Augusta is to attack: even the tournament’s best rounds have stopped at nine under. That difficulty is part of what makes qualifying for the field so prized, as our explainer on how to qualify for the Masters lays out.

Why the record matters

Because the Masters is played on the same demanding course every year, the scoring record is a clean measure of how low Augusta can yield. Johnson’s 268 required a rare mix of elite play and gentle conditions, which is why it broke a mark that had stood, in one form, for more than 20 years. For how a Masters title fits into golf’s rarest feat, see our explainer on the career grand slam in golf.

The short version: Dustin Johnson holds the lowest score in Masters history at 268, 20 under par, set in 2020, ahead of the 270 shared by Tiger Woods (1997) and Jordan Spieth (2015). The single-round record is 63. As of 2025, Johnson’s total remains the only 20-under week Augusta has seen.