25 Greatest Masters Moments

It is a tradition unlike any other: The Masters.

It is the only one of the four major championships in golf that is played at same course every year, Augusta National, and the winner receives a green jacket.

The Masters is considered the pinnacle of golf and has seen some of the greatest moments in the history of the sport occur at Augusta.

Since we are so close to the Masters, I have complied a list of what I think are the 25 Greatest Moments in Masters History

25. 1982-Stadler Survives

Craig Stadler seemed on his way to an easy victory as he held a six-shot lead over Dan Pohl with seven holes to play.

But Stadler would bogey four of those last seven holes, forcing him to a sudden death playoff with Pohl.

On the first hole of the playoff, Stadler would par the par-4 10th hole, then saw Pohl miss his six-foot putt to force a second hole giving Stadler the green jacket.

Craig Stadler celebrates after winning the 1982 Masters.

24. 1959-Off The Wall
Starting the final round six shots behind co-leaders Arnold Palmer and Stan Leonard, Art Wall Jr makes one of the greatest final round charges in Masters history as he birdies five out of the last six holes to win the only major of his career.

Arnold Palmer puts the green jacket on Art Wall Jr. following Wall's comeback win in the 1959 Masters.

23. 1979-The First Sudden Death

In 1976, the Masters ditched the 18-hole playoff format and went to the sudden-death format.

The first time that format was used was in 1979 when Ed Sneed, who held a three-shot lead with three holes to go, bogeyed the last three holes to force the playoff with Tom Watson and Fuzzy Zoeller.

Zoeller made a birdie from six feet out on the second hole of the playoff to give him the victory and the green jacket.

Fuzzy Zoeller puts on the green jacket after his win in the 1979 Masters.

22. 2020-DJ Dominates in November

Moved back seven months to November and played without fans because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dustin Johnson breaks the scoring record as he goes 20 under par as he crusies to a five-shot victory over Cameron Smith and Im Sung-Jae.

In a bizarre scene, Dustin Johnson hits his tee shot on the 18th hole during the patron-free 2020 Masters.

21. 2010-Phil’s Pine Straw Shot
Holding a two-shot lead as he prepared for his 2nd shot, it would have been easy for Phil Mickelson to play it conservatively as the ball laid on pine straw, 207 yards from the pin, and having to shoot through between two pine trees.

But liked he has done throughout his career, Mickelson attacked and went for the green with a 6-iron shot that landed four feet from the cup for a potential eagle.

Mickelson would end up with a birdie, but it ended up being the back-breaker as he would go on to win his third Masters by three strokes.

20. 1937-Nelson Gets A Bridge Named After Him
Byron Nelson makes up six strokes on just two holes as he birdies the par-3 12th and eagles the par-5 13th while leader Ralph Guldahl double bogeys the 12th and bogeys the 13th, giving Nelson the lead which he would hang on to as he wins by two strokes over Guldahl for the first of two Masters titles.

In 1958, the Augusta National Golf Club names the bridge that links the 13th tee and 13th hole in Nelson’s honor.

The Nelson Bridge which is named after 2-time Masters champion Byron Nelson.

19. 1956-Greatest Comeback in Masters History

Ken Venturi was poised to become the first amateur player to win the Masters as he held a four-shot lead going into the final round.

But gusty winds proved to be a problem for Venturi on Sunday as he shot a final round 80 as he bogeyed seven of the last 10 holes and shot a back nine 42(+6).

This allowed Jack Burke Jr, who started the day eight shots back of Venturi, to swipe in and win the green jacket as he was only one of two players to shoot below par in the final round as his 71(-1) was enough to defeat Venturi by one stroke as Burke pulled off the greatest comeback in the history of the Masters for the first of his two career majors(the other was the PGA Championship later that year).

Jack Burke gets his arm raised by his wife after his victory in the 1956 Masters.

18. 1988-Sandy From The Sand
Tied for the lead with Mark Calcavecchia(who was in the clubhouse), Sandy Lyle's first shot on the 18th hole finds the bunker on the left side of the fairway.

That is where Lyle took out his 7-iron and hit a shot which lands on  the green 30 feet from the hole, then spins back to within six feet of the hole to set up a birdie putt which Lyle made to become the first British man to win the Masters.

17. 2017-Sergio Surges To The Top

It looked like another meltdown for Sergio Garcia as his tee shot on the par-5 13th hole landed in an unplayable position, forcing him to take a penalty drop as he trailed leader Justin Rose by two shots.

But Garcia was able to save par on the hole, then birdie 14 and eagle 15 to tie Rose as the two went to a playoff, where Rose bogied after his tee shot landed in the pine straw while Garcia birdied the hole to win his first major in his 75th try.

16. 1968-Scorecard Error

It appeared that the 1968 Masters was going to be decided in a 18-hole playoff between Bob Goalby and Roberto De Vicenzo as they finished the 72 holes tied at -11 under par.

But De Vicenzo, who had birdied the par-4 17th hole, was scored with a par by his playing partner Tommy Aaron on the scorecard which was signed by De Vicenzo.

The rules dictated that the higher score that De Vicenzo signed for had to stand, resulting in a one-shot penalty and giving the green jacket to Goalby.

After the scorecard fiasco, De Vicenzo was quoted as saying “What a stupid I am”

Roberto De Vicenzo's scorecard with his score on the 17th hole circled, signfying his scoring error.

15. 2001-Completing The “Tiger Slam”

Tiger Woods becomes the first golfer win four consecutive major tournaments as he wins his 2nd career Masters, as he wins by two strokes over David Duval.

But since he did not win all four majors(Masters, US Open, British Open, PGA Championship) in the same calendar year, it is not considered the “Grand Slam” so writers dub Woods’ accomplishment as the “Tiger Slam”.

Vijay Singh puts the green jacket on Tiger Woods after Woods completed the "Tiger Slam" with his win in the 2001 Masters.

14. 1942-Nelson and Hogan’s Duel

Old-time rivals Byron Nelson and Ben Hogan staged perhaps the most memorable duel in Masters history in the last tournament before it was suspended for the next three years because of World War II.

It seemed Hogan was out of contention after 36 holes as he trailed the leader Nelson by eight shots, but was able shoot a 67(-5) in the third round to cut it to three shots, then shot a 70(-2) while Nelson shot a 73(+1) in the final round to force a 18-hole playoff on Monday.

It seemed Nelson was falling apart as the playoff began as he double bogeyed the first hole and fell behind by three shots after the first five holes.

But much like 1937(see moment 20), Nelson quickly made up the deficit as he birdied the par-3 6th and eagled the par-5 8th to take a one-shot lead as he went to shoot a 69 to Hogan’s 70 to win his 2nd Masters by one shot.

Ben Hogan with his arm around Byron Nelson after their classic duel in the 1942 Masters.

13. 1995-Crenshaw Wins For His Teacher

Just one day before the 1995 tournament began, 1984 Masters champion Ben Crenshaw was a pallbearer at Harvey Penick’s funeral, who was Crenshaw’s mentor throughout his career.

Crenshaw honored his fallen mentor by winning his second green jacket as he won by one stroke over Davis Love III.

After sinking the putt to clinch the victory, Crenshaw immediately broke into tears.

Ben Crenshaw bursts into tears after winning the 1995 Masters following the death of his mentor, Harvey Penick.

12. 1989-Hoch Rhymes with Choke
All Scott Hoch had to do was to tap in a putt from two foot out, that would earn him a par and give him the green jacket on the first hole of a sudden death playoff with Nick Faldo.

But Hoch’s putt went left of the hole, forcing him to settle for a bogey and having the playoff go to a second hole, where Faldo made a birdie from 25 feet out to give him the first of his three Masters titles.

11. 2012-Bubba’s Crazy Shot
It seemed that Bubba Watson was in trouble on the second hole of his playoff with Louis Oosthuizen as his tee shot on the par-4 10th landed in pine straw in the woods.

That is when the left-handed Watson took out his gap wedge and used a 52-degree swing that hooked around the trees and a TV tower for 40 yards, then landed on the green where it rolled to a stop 10 feet within the hole.

While Oosthuizen ended up bogeying the hole, Watson finished with a par to win the green jacket, thanks to what he described as a “crazy shot”.

10.2004-47th Time's the Charm
In his 47th appearance at a major tournament, Phil Mickelson finally won his first major, and he did it dramatic fashion as he shot a 31(-5) on the back nine as he birdied five of the last seven holes, including a 18-footer on the 18th hole that to give Phil the win by one stroke over Ernie Els.

9. 1978-Player’s Comeback
Tied for 10th place and seven shots behind leader Hubert Green, Gary Player birdies seven of the last 10 holes to finish the round with a then course record 64(-8) and 30 on the back nine.

Player has to wait 40 minutes for the rest of the field to finish before he can celebrate his third Masters title as Green misses a birdie putt from three feet out on the final hole that would have

forced a playoff.

The Sports Illustrated cover following Gary Player's win in the 1978 Masters.

8. 1996-Norman’s Collapse
After numerous close calls at Augusta, it seemed that Greg Norman was finally going to capture his first green jacket as he held a six-stroke lead over Nick Faldo, heading into the final round.

But after tying the course-record by shooting a 63(-9) on the first day, the “Shark” shot a 78(+6) while Nick Faldo shot a 67(-5) to win his third green jacket by five strokes over Norman, who had to settle for second place, the fourth time he finished 2nd at the Masters.

7. 1975-Nicklaus’ Putt
As Jack Nicklaus waited on his second shot at the par-3 16th, he heard the roar of the crowd as Tom Weiskopf birdies the par-5 15th, which tied him with Nicklaus for the lead.

Then, Nicklaus responded with maybe the greatest putt of his career as he holed in from 40 feet out for a birdie to retake the lead all by himself.

Nicklaus would par the last two holes, while Weiskopf bogeyed the 16th and then missed a putt from inside 10 feet on the 18th that would have forced a playoff, as well as Johnny Miller, giving the Golden Bear his fifth Masters title.

6. 2005-Tiger’s Chip
Holding a one-shot lead on Chris DiMarco, Tiger Woods’ first shot on the par-3 16th hole lands left off the green, 40 feet from the pin.

Woods decided to chip in and aim left of the hole, hoping that the ball would roll close to the pin to give a chance at saving par.

Woods’s chip landed 20 feet off the hole before rolling back to the pin where it looked like it was going to go in for an unlikely birdie, when the ball seemed to stop on the top of the cup before one last roll to go in the hole for the birdie to give Tiger a two-shot lead.

However, Woods would bogey the last two holes, forcing a playoff with DiMarco, which Tiger won with a 15-foot birdie on the 18th hole(1st hole of the playoff) to give him his fourth green jacket.

5. 1987-Mize’s Miracle
Augusta native Larry Mize was seen as the man least likely to win the three-man playoff between himself, Seve Ballesteros and Greg Norman.

But after Ballesteros bogeyed the first hole of the playoff (the par-4 10th) he was eliminated while Norman and Mize who both made par went on the par-4 11th for the second hole of the playoff.

Norman got on the green in two shots while Mize fell short as his second shot landed 140 from the hole.

Norman seemed to poise to win the green jacket when Mize, using a sand wedge, chipped in for a shocking birdie that brought a huge roar through the gallery.

And after Norman could not make his birdie putt from 50 feet away, Mize had the green jacket.

4. 1935-The Shot Heard Round The World

In just the second year of the tournament, when is still known as the “Augusta National Invitation Tournament”, Gene Sarazen hit the greatest shot in Masters history.

It happened at the par-5 15th with Sarazen trailing leader Craig Wood by two shots, who had just finished his final round with a birdie on the 18th hole.

235 yards away from the pin, Sarazen took out his 4-wood and smacked the ball that as written by Charles Price in A Golf Story “struck the far bank of the water hazard abutting the green, skipped onto the putting surface, and softly rolled into the cup for a two” or double eagle that tied him with Wood for the lead.

Sarazen would par the remaining the three holes to force a 36-hole playoff which Sarazen won by five strokes to win the tournament.

But his double eagle on 15th help make the Masters into the event that is today and become known as the “Shot Heard Round The World”.

Gene Sarazen's double eagle on the 15th hole propelled to victory in the 1935 Masters.

3. 1997-A Win For The Ages
44 million viewers, the largest audience ever for a golf tournament, watch the final round of 21-year-old Tiger Woods’ historic victory as he becomes the first non-white player to win the Masters as he does in dominating fashion by breaking the course record with by scoring 270(-18) and finishing 12 shots ahead of Tom Kite, the largest margin of victory ever in a Masters, as Woods becomes the youngest player to ever win the green jacket and begins a decade of dominance for Tiger as he becomes one of the most dominant and popular athletes on the planet.

Tiger Woods pumps his fist after sinking his putt on the 18th hole to complete his historic and dominant victory in the 1997 Masters.

2. 1986-Jack's Epic Comeback

It is the signature moment in the legendary career of the “Golden Bear” as Jack Nicklaus came from behind to pull out an incredible at age 46.

Nicklaus seemed to be making a charge at leader Seve Ballesteros as he the Golden Bear made birdies on the 9th, 10th, and 11th holes, before a bogey on the 12th hole, pushing him to back three shots behind Ballesteros.

But Jack came back with a birdie on the 13th, then made eagle on the par-5 15th to pull within two shots of Ballesteros which was followed by a great tee shot on the par-3 16th that landed three feet within the pin to give him an easy tap-in birdie that cut the deficit to one shot.

After Ballesteros found the water on 15, Nicklaus had a share of the lead which he would took sole possession of  when he sank a putt from 18 feet out for a birdie on the 17th.

Nicklaus would par the final hole to finish the back nine with a 30(-6) and the lead, but had to wait for the rest of the field to finish.

Ballesteros would three-putt on 17 for a bogey which knocked him out of contention while Tom Kite  barely missed a birdie from 12 feet out that would have had him tied with Nicklaus.

The last bullet Nicklaus had to dodge was Greg Norman who birdied holes 14 thru 17 to tie Nicklaus as he approached the 18th with a chance to snatch the green jacket away from Jack.

But after his second shot landed in the gallery and his 15-foot par putt that would have forced a playoff sailed left of the hole, Nicklaus had his record sixth Masters title and 18th major championship.

1. 2019-Tiger's Return To Glory

After years of injuries, off the course issues, and horrific play that saw him drop to as low as 1, 199th in the world rankings, Tiger Woods completes one of the greatest comebacks in sports history as he wins his fifth green jacket and 15th major championship, his first major since the 2008 U.S. Open.

Woods trailed leader Francesco Molinari by two strokes entering the par-3 12th hole when Molinari's tee shot landed in the water, leading to a double bogey while Woods parred the hole to take a share of the lead with Molinari.

Woods would go on to birdie three of the next four holes to take the lead outright and hold on for a one-shot victory to win his first green jacket in 14 years, the longest gap between victories for a player at the Masters.