The first non-American to win the Masters was Gary Player in 1961. The South African defeated defending champion Arnold Palmer by one stroke at Augusta National, becoming the tournament's first champion from outside the United States.
Player entered the final round four strokes behind Palmer but shot a closing evens-par 70 while Palmer struggled to a 75. Player finished at 8-under-par 280, one stroke ahead, and his victory helped establish the Masters as an increasingly international championship.
The win was the first of Player's three Masters titles; he also won in 1974 and 1978. It was also the first major championship victory by a non-American since the Masters had begun in 1934. The year is sometimes confused with 1963, when Jack Nicklaus won, or 1962, when Palmer captured the title, but neither was the first international breakthrough.