At the Masters, it has historically been a great sign to be in the final pairing on Sunday. Through a 20-year stretch ending in the mid-2000s, 19 of 20 Masters winners came from the final pairing.
However, the all-time Masters greats have no only led after the fourth round to win the green jacket, but they've also managed to hold the lead way more often than any other peers throughout the Masters Tournaments they played in their careers. And that wasn't longevity; rather, it was the dominance players showed in their Masters primes.
Jordan Spieth has now entered that pantheon of dominant players at Augusta National and in the Masters. By virtue of owning the lead after the first round of the 2018 Masters, Spieth now has led or had a share of the lead after eight Masters rounds. To that point, he had only played in 15 total Masters rounds.
Arnold Palmer led after the most rounds in Masters history. He had at least a share of the lead after 14 rounds in his Masters career, not including the four times he won in which he would have the 72-hole lead.
Jack Nicklaus led after the next-highest number of rounds, holding a share of the lead or the outright lead after 13 Masters rounds, not including his six victories.
Players who have led after the most rounds in Masters history
- Arnold Palmer - 14 (18 with wins) - 1958 (54, 72), 1959 (36), 1960 (18, 36, 54, 72), 1961 (18, 36), 1962 (36, 54, 72), 1964 (18, 36, 54, 72), 1965 (36)
- Jack Nicklaus - 13 (19 with wins) - 1963 (54, 72), 1965 (36, 54, 72), 1966 (18, 54, 72), 1971 (54), 1972 (18, 36, 54, 72), 1975 (36, 72), 1981 (36), 1982 (18), 1986(72), 1993 (18)
- Raymond Floyd - 8 (9 with win)
- Gary Player - 8 (11 with wins)
- Jordan Spieth - 7 (8 with win)
