Which Players Have Successfully Defended The Masters? The Back-To-Back Champions Rory McIlroy Is Hoping To Join...

Is it the weight of expectation? Is it the pressure players put on themselves? All the media duties cannot help. Whatever it is, successfully defending the Masters title is hard.

The inaugural Masters was played in 1934, with Horton Smith draining a 20-footer for birdie on the 17th hole (now the 8th) to beat Craig Wood to the title.

The next year, Smith finished T19 - and it wasn't until 1965-66 that a player would win the Masters in consecutive years.

So, who has won back-to-back Masters titles? Let's take a look at the very short list...

Jack Nicklaus: 1965-66

His name was Jack Nicklaus. The "Golden Bear" won six Green Jackets, the first one of which came in 1963.

Nicklaus missed the cut as an amateur on debut in 1959, but four years later, he secured his first title at Augusta National with a one-shot victory over Tony Lema.

The following year, he was a distant second (tied) to Arnold Palmer, but in 1965-66, he won successive Green Jackets.

In 1965, Nicklaus beat Palmer by nine strokes, a record that stood until 1997, and the following year, he won an 18-hole playoff against Tommy Jacobs and Gay Brewer.

How close did he come to making it three in a row? Not very.

With rounds on 72 and 79, Nicklaus became the first defending champion to miss the cut.

Nick Faldo: 1989-90

Nick Faldo became only the second Masters champion to win back-to-back titles, with the Englishman recording his double in 1989-90.

Sir Nick dodged a bullet in 1989, when Scott Hoch missed a two-foot par putt at the first playoff hole for victory.

Faldo made the most of the reprieve, holing a 25-footer for birdie on the second extra hole (11th) to deliver Hoch a cruel blow.

The following year, Faldo did it the hard way again, this time defeating Raymond Floyd in a playoff.

Faldo was four strokes down with six holes to play, but the defending champion reeled off crucial birdies at 13, 15 and 16.

1991 was Ian Woosnam's year. Faldo put in a valiant effort for the hat-trick, but he finished five shots adrift of the Welshman in T12.

Tiger Woods: 2001-02

When Tiger Woods won the Masters in 1997, he set records tumbling: the youngest winner, the lowest 72-hole score, and the largest victory margin.

In winning the Masters in 2001, he made it an unprecedented fourth consecutive professional Major title, holding off David Duval and Phil Mickelson by two and three shots, respectively, with a winning score of 16-under-par (272).

The following year, posting 12-under-par, Woods established the record for the lowest 72-hole score by a defending champion.

Woods' hat-trick effort came up short in 2003, with rounds of 76 and 75 bookending what was a disappointing tournament (T15) by his own very high standards.

Over two decades later, no champion has managed to successfully defend since.

To date, no one has ever won three Masters titles in a row.