Seven great Masters moments that have added to the Augusta aura

11/04/2024 12:30

The Masters has a special place in the golfing universe as the only Major played at a fixed venue.

That fixed venue makes Augusta that much more iconic due to all the history made on its fairways.

Here we look at seven great moments in The Masters.

Tiger’s fifth green jacket

We’ll allow recency bias to reign for just a second here with the most recent slice of Tiger Magic at Augusta.

There were plenty of pointers towards Woods ending a long Major drought as he showed glimpses of his best form in the lead up.

However, nothing could prepare us for the sheer drama of his tournament comeback and that magical final day that saw Woods win his fifth Green Jacket and 15th Major.

The Golden Bear sets the mark

Nicklaus wrapped up his Major tournament triumphs haul in 1986 by capturing his sixth Masters title in difficult conditions, shooting a six-under-par 30 on the back nine for a final round of seven-under-par 65.

At the age of 46, Nicklaus rolled back the years and got dialled in to the heartbeat of Augusta across a brilliant round.

As well as he played, he was not alone in making this iconic moment as he was pushed all the way although he basked in the glory while Greg Norman and Seve Ballesteros live with regret.

‘Have you ever seen anything like that’

There are few pieces of Masters commentary that live in the memory like Verne Lundquist’s famous utterance.

The circumstances created a great backdrop and Tiger produced a clutch shot to end all clutch shots to chip in on 16 after finding the greenside bunker.

The 2005 Masters saw Woods continue his incredible Augusta form but we will never forget this moment.

"In your 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 have you seen anything like that!"

17 years ago, @TigerWoods hit the shot heard round the world. pic.twitter.com/h47u2vj8j7

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 10, 2022

Sandy Lyle’s bunker beater

Sandy Lyle also found a remarkable shot from a bunker to set up a huge Masters win. Lyle had tried to leave his tee shot short of the bunker but overhit it and landed in serious trouble. Lyle admits that with his second shot he was thinking about the playoff, not pulling off a remarkable win.

"I knew that Arnold Palmer at the time was the only guy to make three up the last to win," Lyle recalls. "That really wasn't in my mind. I was playing for a play-off. It would be horrifying to go all that week then lose out with a bogey at the last.

"So the iron was the chosen weapon for the 18th tee; it was 245-250 yards uphill so that was supposed to be short of the bunker. As we all know, that didn't quite work out but since the bunker shot was executed and I made the putt I've had a lot of mileage out of it.

"People remember, even 30 years later, what they were doing. There isn't a week goes by out here in America where someone doesn't ask about it. They all remember it as an unusual, iconic shot."

Bubba Watson bends time and space

It looked like Louis Oosthuizen would pull on the green jacket in 2012 but Bubba Watson had other ideas.

Watson hung in there after a rare double eagle put Oosthuizen in the hunt.

Finding himself in the woods on the second playoff hole, Watson produced a great shaped save that rolled to within 15 feet of the hole.

That McIlroy meltdown

While the other remarkable moments on this list have to do with winning The Masters we couldn’t dive into glimpses at Augusta without touching on the collapse that still haunts Rory McIlroy.

In 2011, Rory McIlroy was still clear on the 10th tee as he pursued his first major win. However, a rash drive into the trees resulted in an iconic implosion from which he could not recover.

"I'm very disappointed at the minute, and I'm sure I will be for the next few days, but I'll get over it," he said at the time.

"I was leading this golf tournament with nine holes to go, and I just unraveled … It's a Sunday at a major, what it can do.

"This is my first experience at it, and hopefully the next time I'm in this position I'll be able to handle it a little better. I didn't handle it particularly well today obviously, but it was a character-building day … I'll come out stronger for it."

Seve ends Europe’s wait in ’80

Prior to 1980, a European had never won The Masters. However, Seve Ballesteros had other ideas.

Having turned 23 the day before the tournament, Ballesteros famously sunk 23 birdies on his way to claiming the Green jacket.

Those two marks were also records at the time as Ballesteros was then the youngest Masters champion and had also set a new record for birdies from a winner.

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