Over the course of the 84 previous Masters Tournaments held on the hallowed grounds of Augusta National there has been many iconic moments. From heartbreaks to unlikely comebacks, here are 50 of the best in Masters history.
50. Arnold Palmer wins again, 1960
Winning his first Masters in 1958, Palmer started the 1960 edition with a 67 and held the lead at the end of each round. On the last day, Ken Venturi edged in front, but Palmer wasn't done. He birdied the 17th to level and the 18th to beat Venturi by a stroke. Palmer's stellar career includes winning 23 times on the PGA Tour between 1960 and 1963.
49. Billy Casper shoots 106, 2005
Billy Casper, the 1970 champion, had an embarrassing time at Augusta in 2005. He lost five balls in the water on the way to a 14 at the par-three 16th, and dropped 34 strokes in all during a round of 106, the highest in Masters history. But Casper's score doesn't show up in the record books: he declined to hand in his scorecard afterwards and was disqualified.
48. Mike Weir is the first left-hander to win, 2003
No left-handed golfer had ever won the Masters before Mike Weir took the green jacket at Augusta in 2003. He managed a bogey-free 68 on the final day which put him into a play-off with Len Mattiace. Weir became the first Canadian to win a major after out-fumbling Mattiace to triumph with a bogey at the first play-off hole, the 10th.
47. Art Wall birdies the last to win, 1959
After losing a two-shot lead to the 1955 champion Cary Middlecoff at the 15th, Art Wall calmly continued a sequence of five birdies in the last six holes. His 12-foot putt on the 18th green was his fifth birdie and what turned out to be a one-shot victory. Wall claimed to have managed more than 40 holes-in-one in his life.
46. Ben Hogan three-putts the 18th, 1946
Missing out on a play-off in 1942, Ben Hogan was set to win his first Masters four years later when long-time leader Herman Keiser three-putted at the last. Having taken a five-shot lead into the final round, Keiser was exhausted having led since the first day. He recalled that as he waited for Hogan to play the 18th, "I hoped he'd make either a birdie three to win or a five to lose ... I didn't want any play-off." Hogan obliged and, with victory in sight, three-putted to lose by one.
45. Craig Wood wire-to-wire, 1941
Craig Wood had encountered terrible luck in the Masters: he nearly won the first one in 1934, lost a play-off the following year and seemed fated to never win a Major. In 1941, he led Augusta all the way, ensuring a three-shot victory. Only four men since have led the Masters from wire to wire: Arnold Palmer (1960), Jack Nicklaus (1972), Raymond Floyd (1976) and Jordan Spieth (2015).
44. Frank Stranahan finishes as runner-up, 1947
The Masters still sets aside five places for amateurs, but one has never won the Masters though three have finished second. The first was the powerful Frank Stranahan (he was also a noted weightlifter), who shot a final-round 68 in 1947 – the best of the day – to tie Byron Nelson for second.
RIGHT: Caddie Carl Jackson comforts Ben Crenshaw after his emotional win in 1995 following the death of mentor Harvey Penick. PHOTO: ROBERT SULLIVAN/AFP via Getty Images.
43. Jack Nicklaus wins his first Masters, 1963
Jack Nicklaus' first victory was a close-run thing. With the weather making scoring difficult, only two men ended up under par – Nicklaus at two under and ‘Champagne’ Tony Lema at one under. At 23, Nicklaus became the youngest winner. This was also the final Masters for the inaugural winner, Horton Smith. He died of Hodgkin's Disease later in the year.
42. Phil Mickelson at last, 2004
After 22 wins on the American Tour, and years of carrying the dreaded tag of "best golfer never to have won a Major", the big left-hander Phil Mickelson finally won one – at his 47th attempt. Thanks to birdies at five of the last seven holes, including the last, he edged out Ernie Els by a shot.
41. Kirk Triplett follows Harrington with hole in one, 2004
In 2004, Kirk Triplett stepped up to drive at the 177-yard 16th. A few minutes earlier, Padraig Harrington, playing in the previous group, sank a hole-in-one at the same hole. Triplett followed Harrington in selecting a six-iron and the crowd watched in disbelief as they saw a second ace in a matter of minutes. Triplett summed up how he felt when he fell to the ground in shock on the tee: "I didn't know how to react," he said, afterwards. "As I lay on the hallowed ground, I couldn't believe it."
40. Ben Crenshaw's tears and glory, 1995
Ben Crenshaw's 1995 win came days after the death of Harvey Penick, his mentor, who had taught him a smooth, effortless putting stroke. The American was a pallbearer at Penick's funeral on the Wednesday and teed off the next day. After his final putt won the championship, he collapsed in tears into the arms of his caddie, Carl Jackson.
39. Arnold Palmer and the double-ball mystery, 1958
Arnold Palmer's first Masters victory in 1958 was clouded by a double-ball controversy in the final round. On a wet day, his tee-shot at the 12th plugged into its own pitch-mark on the back fringe of the green. According to Palmer, "A local rule providing relief from an embedded ball was in effect. I should have been able to lift, clean and drop my ball without penalty to a spot as close as possible to the original position." But a rules official told Palmer he had to play the ball as it lay. Palmer told him: "I'm going to play two balls and appeal to the tournament committee." He took a five with his original ball, but a three with the second one. The appeal was eventually upheld, which saved Palmer two shots ... and he won by one.
38. Horton Smith wins first tournament, 1934
The Masters was first played in 1934. For its first five years it was called the Augusta National Invitational tournament as Bobby Jones, one of the co-founders, thought the name The Masters was just too presumptuous. The first winner was 25-year-old Horton Smith, who sealed victory with a 20-foot putt for a birdie at the 17th. Smith won again in 1936 when he was seemingly unaware that his caddie was storing a live rabbit down the golf bag.
RIGHT: Horton Smith was the winner of the first tournament held at Augusta National. PHOTO: General Photographic Agency/Getty Images
37. Dan Pohl's purple patch, 1982
Dan Pohl was not quite unknown when he teed off for the first time at Augusta in 1982, but it was nonetheless a surprise when he painted one of the more purple patches in Masters history during the third round, scoring eagle, eagle, birdie, birdie from the 13th to the 16th and thus picking up six shots. On the final day he forced his way into a play-off with Craig Stadler, but there was no fairy-tale ending for Pohl who missed a six-footer on the first extra hole to hand the title to his opponent.
36. Byron Nelson hits the flag, 1957
The great Byron Nelson was 45 at the 1957 Masters – the first to feature a halfway cut. Nelson finished 16th after hitting his first shot in the water at the 16th. He teed up again with a 7-iron and, to recall the words of his playing partner, Gary Player: "He hit the knob on the top of the flagstick and the ball bounced into the water."
35. Jack Nicklaus rolls back the years, 1998
In 1998 The Augusta National committee made a presentation before play started to mark Jack Nicklaus' 40th Masters. Chairman Jack Stephens, pointed out that they had left some room at the bottom of the plaque, “just in case”. Nicklaus said “Let's see if we can try to fill it.” He came close but didn't win, though he did break Sam Snead's record (54 in 1967) as the oldest top-ten finisher in Masters history.
RIGHT: Nicklaus wound back the clock in 1998 with son Steven acting as caddie for the week. PHOTO: ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images.
34. Nick Price almost gets to 62, 1986
Nick Price never won the Masters and his best performance was in 1986, when he finished sixth behind Jack Nicklaus. His third-round 63 became a new course record. Covering the back nine in 30 he nearly made it 62 when on a 30-foot birdie putt the ball rimmed round the cup but stayed out. “I didn't want to leave that putt short,” Price said. "I wanted to see if I could shoot 62."
33. Mark O'Meara wins at 15th attempt, 1988
By 1998 Mark O'Meara was 41 and had 20 tournament wins under his belt though none had come in a Major. This was O'Meara's 57th Major and his 15th Masters: no one had won their first one so late. His third round 68 put him two behind leader Fred Couples, and on the final day he birdied three of the final four holes to win the title by a stroke.
32. Lee Elder paves the way, 1975
The Augusta National was urged to invite Lee Elder who had won the previous season's Monsanto Open in Florida. Elder slammed his tee-shot down the middle of the first fairway but faded to rounds of 74 and 78 and missed the cut. He played the Masters five more times, with a best finish of 17th in 1979.
31. The "Tiger Slam", 2001
Woods' third Masters win meant he uniquely held all four major titles at the same time. At the final hole, Woods' monster drive ended up only 70 yards from the green, the following year the tee had moved back 60 yards as part of a "Tiger-proofing" of the course.
30. Craig Stadler wins, just, 1982
Craig Stadler squandered a six-stroke lead over the last six holes at the 1982 tournament, and was all square with Dan Pohl after four rounds. But Stadler had just enough left in the tank to take the play-off at the first extra hole, leaving the Augusta National committee hoping they had a green jacket big enough to accommodate "The Walrus".
29. Fuzzy Zoeller wins on debut, 1979
Apart from the inaugural 1934 winner Horton Smith, only two men have won the Masters at their first attempt: Gene Sarazen in 1935, and Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979, both of them after play-offs. Zoeller birdied the second extra hole to defeat Ed Sneed and Tom Watson in the Masters' first sudden-death playoff.
28. Ray Floyd’s watery grave, 1990
History almost repeated itself in 1990. Nick Faldo, who was seven behind at the start of the final round, forced himself into another play-off. Again he won it at the 11th, the second extra hole, after the long-time leader, Raymond Floyd, found the water. Floyd, who was 47, would have been the oldest winner of the Masters if he had held on.
27. Hoch’s Choke, 1989
A scorching 65 from Nick Faldo on the final day in 1989 put him into a play-off with the American Scott Hoch. It looked all over when Hoch was two feet from the cup at the first extra hole, but he knocked it four feet past before holing the return. The American's chance had gone and at the next, the 11th, a relieved Faldo holed a 25-footer for the first of his three Masters.
26. Tom Weiskopf's unlucky 13 at the 12th, 1990
Two players have carded a 13 at the Masters. Tom Weiskopf followed Japan's Tsuneyuki ‘Tommy’ Nakajima at the par-three 12th in the first round in 1980 when he dumped five balls into Rae's Creek. Weiskopf was always a bridesmaid at Augusta, finishing second four times – the most by anyone who never won a green jacket.
25. Gary Player the first international winner, 1961
In 1961, after three sub-70 rounds Gary Player led by four into the last day: he needed that cushion as he dipped to 74, just enough to beat the holder Arnold Palmer. In so doing the ‘Man in Black’ had become the first non-American to win the Masters. Player changed another tradition, too: to the chagrin of the Augusta National committee, he declined to return his winner's green jacket the following year.
24. Woosie wins, 1991
After the Scotsman (Lyle) and the Englishman (Faldo twice), what about the Welshman? Ian Woosnam took control in the middle rounds, carding a 66 and 67 to lead Tom Watson by a stroke before a nervous final-round shoot-out. With one to play, Woosnam, Watson and Jose-Maria Olazabal were all square. Olazabal dropped a shot at the last, Woosnam missed the green with his second but scrambled a par which was fine as Watson closed with a six.
23. Amateur Ken Venturi blows a big lead, 1956
One of the biggest Masters disasters belongs to Ken Venturi. Venturi led the final round four shots clear yet lost. Still an amateur and admitting his tactics were wrong he said of his final-day performance: "I hit 15 greens but three-putted six times. The mistake I made was consciously trying to two-putt every green and just coast home."
22. Olazabal’s emotional victory, 1999
In 1999, Jose Maria Olazabal was the most emotional of winners. Two years earlier his career was as good as over after being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis that reduced his mobility by the day and eventually rendered the Spaniard barely able to drag himself from his bed. A German doctor, Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt, suggested it could be more to do with his back than his feet. Olazabal went on to win his second Masters and paid tribute to the doctor in his winning speech.
21. Ben Hogan wins for the first time, 1951
After two near-misses in 1942 and 1946, Ben Hogan seemed destined never to win the Masters, particularly after a near-fatal car accident in 1949. But Hogan defied doctors who said he might not walk again and started concentrating on Majors. He went on to win six between 1950 and 1953, the Masters in 1951.
20. Jimmy Demaret does the hat-trick, 1950
The first man to win the Masters three times was Jimmy Demaret, completing his hat-trick in 1950. He had to make up seven shots on leader Jim Ferrier – seeking to become the first Australian to win the Masters – over six holes and ended up beating him by a stroke. According to a later Masters champion, Jack Burke, Demaret had "the strongest hands in the world, and his wrists were the size of most people's ankles”.
19. Spieth’s birdie blitz, 2015
In just his second Masters appearance, Jordan Spieth had the ball on a string in his four-stroke victory. He opened with an eight under 64 and went on to win by four strokes matching the scoring record of 270 set by Tiger Woods in 1997. The 21-year-old also set the mark for the most number of birdies at 28.
18. Tiger Woods’ miracle chip, 2005
Tiger Woods' fourth Masters was a come-from-behind affair following a first-round 74. Even a second-round 66 left him six shots behind leader Chris DiMarco, but his third round 65 resulted in DiMarco being left three behind. In the final round, DiMarco hung in there and looked likely to level as Woods' tee shot at the 16th went into long grass. As though being pulled by a string into the hole, Woods played “one of my more creative shots”, a 30-foot chip that rolled slowly towards the hole before dropping in. The pair ended level but Woods went on to shake off DiMarco at the first extra hole.
17. Seve's first win, 1980
Severiano Ballesteros dominated the Masters in 1980, with rounds of 66, 69 and 68 to take a seven-shot lead into the final day. He moved to 10 clear with nine to play and had a 25-footer to notch yet another birdie at the 10th. By then, people were almost taking it for granted that he would make it. Two holes later his lead had been severely cut with Jack Newton champing at the bit in second place. After the 13th, the lead was down to three but that's as close as it got. He eventually won by four and became the first European to win the Masters, and at 23, the youngest champion.
16. Byron Nelson wins the greatest play-off, 1942
There have been 17 play-offs in the Masters, but the best of the lot was probably in 1942 when Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson went head-to-head over 18 holes after finishing three ahead of the field. ‘Lord Byron’ finished on 69 edging Hogan out by a stroke. Fifteen years beforehand, when they were 14, Nelson had beaten Hogan in a nine-hole play-off to win the Glen Garden Caddie Tournament in Fort Worth in Texas.
15. Arnold Palmer plays his 50th Masters, 2004
Arnold Palmer took part in every Masters from 1955 to 2004, winning four times and enjoying an 11-year run during which he never finished outside the top 10. On his 50th tournament he was 74, and missed the cut. For Palmer it was unimportant, he was there to say good-bye to old friends, picking out familiar faces in the crowd at every hole, saying good-bye to 'Arnie's Army'.
14. Schwartzel denies Aussie trio, 2011
Half a century after Gary Player’s first Masters win, fellow South African Charl Schwartzel became the first player to birdie the final four holes to win the green jacket. His birdie rush saw him leap-frog Tiger Woods, Luke Donald and Aussie trio Geoff Ogilvy, Adam Scott and Jason Day. Both Day and Scott finished two strokes back.
13. Gary Player’s 52nd and last, 2009
Three-time champion Gary Player played in his 52nd and last Masters, aged 73. He missed the cut with rounds of 78-83. Through his career, he played 164 Masters rounds, 51 were under par and his scoring average was 73.54.
12. Spieth’s meltdown, 2016
Jordan Spieth looked set to join Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Nick Faldo as the only players to win back-to-back Masters titles. He led by five shots with nine holes to play. Bogies at 10 and 11 were followed by a quadruple 7 on the par-3 12th hole. The then 22-year-old trudged onto the 13th tee three strokes behind Englishman Danny Willett, who went on to win by the same number of shots.
11. Watson’s hook wedge, 2012
Bubba Watson and Louis Oosthuizen were locked at 10 under after 72 holes, with the South African making an albatross on the par-5 2nd earlier in the final round. On the second playoff hole, Watson hit his drive deep into the trees right of the 10th fairway and, with Oosthuizen in the fairway, he looked in dire straits. Watson then fashioned a high, hooking wedge shot, from 164 yards, through the overhanging trees to find the green. Two putts later he was the fifth left-handed Masters winner in a decade.
10. Sandy Lyle birdies the last to win, 1988
By 1988 there had never been a British winner of the Masters and, it looked like it would remain that way as Sandy Lyle found the fairway bunker with his tee-shot at the last. He had been four ahead with nine to play before catching trouble around Amen Corner, putting him level with Mark Calcavecchia. Remaining calm Lyle calmly hoisted a seven-iron that pitched past the flag and spun back 10 feet. It was a straight putt although Lyle admitted after that his knees were knocking.
9. Tiger’s comeback, 2019
After four back surgeries and a lengthy period of rehabilitation, Tiger Woods won his fifth green jacket at the age of 43. It was his 15th major victory and his first coming from behind a 54-hole leader.
RIGHT: Tiger Woods' win in 2019 following multiple back surgeries is among the best Masters moments in history. PHOTO: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images.
8. Larry Mize stuns Greg Norman, 1987
The three-man play-off in 1987 featured two golfing superstars in Seve Ballesteros and Greg Norman as well as one virtual unknown – Augusta native Larry Mize. Seve was eliminated at the first extra hole and when Mize missed the green on the second extra hole, victory seemed a certainty for Greg Norman. But Mize took a sand wedge and rifled his third shot into the hole from around 140 feet to snatch victory.
7. Gene Sarazen's "shot heard round the world", 1935
The first time this saying was applied to golf was during the second Masters. With four holes remaining, Gene Sarazen trailed Craig Wood by three. At 'Firethorn', the par-five 15th of 485 yards, Sarazen holed his second for an albatross – he made up three strokes in one go. They finished square, which resulted in a two-round play-off that Sarazen won and so became the first of only five players to win all four Majors.
6. Nick Faldo demolishes Greg Norman, 1996
Greg Norman had yet another chance to win in 1996, taking a six-stroke lead into the final day. After six holes his partner Nick Faldo had only made up one shot. Suddenly, Norman's lead started to dwindle and disappeared altogether when he took three putts at the 11th. Norman lost his nerve and Faldo took the lead finishing five ahead to collect his third green jacket.
5. Gary Player wins from seven behind, 1978
By 1978 Gary Player's Major-winning days were thought to be gone. He was also seven shots short of the leader going into the final round, but from there he dazzled with a majestic 64. It was his third Masters and his ninth and last Major. His terrific round included seven birdies in the last ten holes. He said: "I shot 30 on the back nine and I rimmed the hole three times. I thought to myself it was a good thing those putts didn't go in because if you shoot 27 around Augusta they'll never invite you back".
4. Roberto de Vicenzo’s scorecard gaffe, 1968
Distracted after dropping a shot at the last hole, the Argentinian Roberto de Vicenzo signed for the wrong score after his playing partner, Tommy Aaron, wrote a four for the previous hole instead of de Vicenzo's birdie three. The mistake cost de Vicenzo a shot, along with a play-off with Bob Goalby. "What a stupid I am," lamented the distraught de Vicenzo. Aaron was almost as upset.
3. Scott claims first Aussie green jacket, 2013
There Australians – Marc Leishman, Jason Day and Adam Scott – were well in contention to win the Masters in 2013. But it was Scott who grabbed his chance, holing vital putts in the closing stages to stay in the running. He finished tied with Argentina’s Angel Cabrera and on the second playoff hole he nailed a 12-foot birdie putt to win his first major championship.
2. Golden Bear out of hibernation, 1986
Going into the Masters in 1986 Jack Nicklaus had not finished higher than 39th in his previous seven tournaments. Greg Norman was leading the field and the 46-year-old Nicklaus was only four behind – but then the magic started. He birdied 10, 11 and 13, but his play on 15 was what made the impossible start to look possible. There Nicklaus knocked in an eagle and he then almost holed his tee shot on 16 – his play was met by roaring crowds as he took the lead. When Seve Ballesteros went in the water on 15 and Norman dropped a shot, Nicklaus went on to win his record sixth green jacket – he was 46 years 82 days old.
1. Tiger arrives, 1997
Tiger woods rewrote the record books in 1997 – his first major as a professional. He had a quiet first round of 70, then incredibly scored 66 and 65 in the second and third rounds, taking a lead of nine into the final day – by the end, his lead had extended to 12. "This seems to be the next generation," said Tom Kite, a distant second in his 24th Masters. "He seems to have leapfrogged the rest of the field." Woods established new Masters records for margin of victory and low aggregate (270). He was, at 21 years 104 days, the youngest Masters champion.
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