With Wyndham Clark set to tee it up at Augusta National again, it’s worth noting that only 25 players who have lived in Colorado have ever competed at the Masters; here’s the rundown
By Gary Baines – 4/7/2026
The Masters has by far the smallest field for any of the major championships, so perhaps it shouldn’t come as any surprise that, relatively speaking, so few Colorado residents — past or present — have ever competed in it.
This year, for the third straight spring, just one current or former resident of the Centennial State will be in the field when the tournament gets underway on Thursday. That would be part-time Coloradan Wyndham Clark, the Denver native, Valor Christian alum and Colorado Golf Hall of Famer who earned a five-year exemption to the event at Augusta National when he won the 2023 U.S. Open.
Prior to Clark’s Masters debut in 2024, no players with strong Colorado ties had competed in the event since Kent Denver grad Kevin Stadler in 2015. Clark missed the cut at Augusta National two years ago, then finished 46th there in 2025. He’s competing in this Masters with a new caddie after he parted way with his longtime looper, John Ellis, last month. Dave Pelekoudas will be caddying for Clark for the third tournament since.
Wyndham Clark (left) and Kevin Stadler chatted briefly during a practice round for Clark at the 2024 Masters. The two are the most recent golfers with strong Colorado ties to compete in the tournament.
Clark is scheduled to tee off at 9:27 a.m. (MT) on Thursday and at 6:02 a.m. (MT) on Friday. He’s grouped with former Masters champion Mike Weir and amateur Mateo Pulcini for both rounds. For all the tee times, CLICK HERE.
Since the Masters started in 1934, only 25 residents of Colorado — at the time of the event or before or after — have teed it up in the tournament. That began with Paul Runyan, who finished third in the ’34 Masters — one of a dozen he played in until bowing out in the 1960 event. He went on to become a PGA professional at Green Gables Country Club in Lakewood and was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2011.
One Colorado Golf Hall of Famer won the Masters, as Craig Stadler defeated Dan Pohl in a sudden-death playoff to prevail in 1982. Stadler, who opened with a 75 that year as the round 1 stroke average was 77.3, held a six-stroke lead with nine holes left in regulation. He lived in Colorado for more than a quarter-century, starting in 1994.
Given that Masters champions receive a lifetime exemption into the tournament — as long as they remain competitive — it’s not surprising that Stadler also has competed in the event more than any other Colorado “local” — 38 times.
Stadler also made history in 2014 when he and son Kevin became the first father/son to tee it up in the same Masters.
Craig Stadler (right) received his green jacket in 1982 from Tom Watson.
Other than Craig Stadler, Hale Irwin was the player with significant Colorado connections to play in the most Masters as the three-time U.S. Open champion competed in 21 of them. And from 1974 through ’78, he posted five straight top-8 finishes there, going fourth, fourth, fifth, fifth and eighth.
In addition to Stadler winning the Masters, two other onetime Colorado residents have finished second: David Duval (2001) and Chris DiMarco (2005 — in a playoff with Tiger Woods). In that respect it should be noted that Dow Finsterwald lost in a three-man playoff in 1962, but since he had the worst score in the 18-hole extra round competing against eventual champion Arnold Palmer and Gary Player, Finsty is officially noted as finishing third rather than second.
Speaking of historical oddities, “Big Ed” Dudley had an impressive record at the Masters, with four top-five finishes and seven top-7s. Dudley preceded Finsterwald as the PGA director of golf at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, holding that post from 1941 until his death in 1963. But, relative to the subject matter here, Dudley was the first head professional at Augusta National, holding that post from 1932-57. (He had his Augusta National and Broadmoor jobs simultaneously because ANGC is closed from sometime in May until mid-October.
Hale Irwin posted five straight top-8 finishes in the Masters in the 1970s.
Without further ado, we’ve noted below the onetime Colorado residents who have competed in the Masters, and how they fared at Augusta National:
Onetime Residents of Colorado Who Have Competed in the Masters
Tommy Armour III — 1 Masters (1990), 0 made cuts.
Bob Byman — 1 Masters (1979), 1 made cut. Best finish: 34th (1979).
Wyndham Clark — 2 Masters (2024-25), 1 made cut. Best finish: 46th (2024).
Chris DiMarco — 7 Masters (2001-07). 4 made cuts. 1 top-3 finish, 3 top-10s. Best finish: Second (2005, in a playoff).
Dale Douglass — 3 Masters (1969-71). 3 made cuts. Best finish: 19th (1969).
Ed Dudley — 14 Masters (1934-50). 12 made cuts. 1 top-3 finish, 4 top-5s, 7 top-10s. Best finish: Third (1937).
David Duval — 11 Masters (1996-2010). 5 made cuts. 3 top-3 finishes, 4 top-10s. Best finish: Second (2001).
Dow Finsterwald — 14 Masters (1951-67). 9 made cuts. 2 top-3 finishes, 3 top-5s, 5 top-10s. Best finish: Third (1960 and ’62, the latter in a three-man 18-hole playoff).
Gary Hallberg — 6 Masters (1978-1993). 5 made cuts. 1 top-10 finish. Best finish: Sixth (1985).
Dave Hill — 12 Masters (1968-79). 10 made cuts. 1 top-5 finish, 2 top-10s. Best finish: Fifth (1970).
Hale Irwin — 21 Masters (1971-96). 17 made cuts. 4 top-5 finishes, 7 top 10s. Best finish: Fourth (1974 and ’75).
Brandt Jobe — 3 Masters (1999-2006). 3 made cuts. Best finish: 14th (1999).
Steve Jones — 9 Masters (1988-2001). 6 made cuts. Best finish: 20th (1990).
Jonathan Kaye — 3 Masters (2001-05). 2 made cuts. Best finish: 43rd (2001 and ’05).
Martin Laird — 4 Masters (2011-21). 3 made cuts. Best finish: 20th (2011).
Justin Leonard — 15 Masters (1993-2010). 11 made cuts. 2 top-10s. Best finish: Seventh (1997).
Babe Lind — 1 Masters (1947). 1 made cut. Best finish: 46th (1947).
Bill Loeffler — 1 Masters (1988). 0 made cuts.
Orville Moody — 5 Masters (1970-74). 3 made cuts. Best finish: 18th (1970).
Mike Reid — 4 Masters (1981-90). 1 made cut. 1 top 10. Best finish: Sixth (1989).
Paul Runyan — 12 Masters (1934-60). 10 cuts made. 2 top-3 finishes, 4 top 5s, 5 top-10s. Best finish: Third (1934 and ’42).
Craig Stadler — 38 Masters (1974-2014). 21 cuts made. Champion in 1982, 2 top-3 finishes, 5 top 10s. Best finish: Won (1982, in sudden-death playoff).
Kevin Stadler — 2 Masters (2014-15), 1 made cut. 1 top-10 finish. Best finish: Eighth (2014).
Jimmy Vickers — 1 Masters (1966). 0 cuts made.
Mark Wiebe — 3 Masters (1986-89), 1 cut made. Best finish: 35th (1987).
Note — The Masters didn’t have a cut until 1957, but for simplicity sake, we included prior years as made cuts if players completed 72 holes.
Colorado Golf Journal 