Part 1 – The 10 Memorable Masters Meltdowns
AUGUSTA, GA. Creating riveting drama is no easy feat. The exact circumstances in concert with how the specific personalities engage must be in alignment.
When Bob Jones and Alister MacKenzie designed Augusta National the thought process was quite straightforward — present shot making challenges in which ultimate risks and rewards are constantly faced.
Critical decisions are constant hurdles. Working through the ever-escalating pressure cauldron that lies at the epicenter of Augusta.
The ebb and flow of such epic events is seared into the memory banks. The Masters has been a consistent contributor to the annals of golf history. The champions who have donned the famed green jacket were able to do so in the most pressure packed of circumstances.
The ten outlined below showcase the ultimate joy. Attaining the fame green jacket and knowing one’s place in golf history is forever assured.
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The 10 Most Memorable Masters triumphs
Jack Nicklaus — 1986
Hollywood could not have created a more enduring script. The re-emergence of a 46-year-old champion giving one final epic performance.
Nicklaus stood four shots out of the lead going into the final round. Beyond his marvelous score of 65 was the quality names he overcame in garnering his record 6th green jacket. Among them included Greg Norman, Seve Ballesteros, Tom Kite, Tom Watson and Nick Price.
After bogeying the par-3 12th — Nicklaus went on a scoring blitz – birdieing three holes and eagling another. Upon leaving the 18th green father and son Jackie Nicklaus hugging one another is an indelible image and encapsulates what remains the most impactful Masters ever played.
Tiger Woods — 1997
The anticipation was huge for the new phenom. The beginning of his first Masters as a professional did not happen smoothly. Playing with defending champion Nick Faldo, Woods scored a four-over-par 40 for the outward nine.
And then the rocket exploded off the launch pad.
Tiger played the remaining 63 holes in twenty-two under par and secured the first of his five green jackets by a still record margin on 12 shots. In the process, he set the 72-hole tournament record at that time with a score of 270. He also became the youngest winner of the event at the age of 21 years / 104 days old and the first black champion.
The 1997 win was the definitive statement that golf’s superstar was just getting warmed up for more to come.
Tiger Woods — 2019
When Woods won his 14th major at the 2008 US Open it was believed he would surely win more and likely surpass the 18 total victories by Jack Nicklaus.
A series of injuries and a personal infidelity scandal created a significant detour.
After winning The Tour Championship in 2018, Woods was ready to reclaim his position at the epicenter of professional golf in 2019.
That April Woods secured his 5th Masters title. Part of the success came from his own efforts and some of it came about because of unrelenting pressure his competitors faced down the stretch of the event.
When he sunk his final putt, the 43-year-old embraced his son Charlie as he departed from the final hole. It had taken nearly 11 years but Woods had finally placed an exclamation point on his stellar career.
Rory McIlroy — 2025
Similar to Tiger was the major-less drought Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irishman had won four majors by the age of 25 and appeared on a pathway of ultimate greatness comparable to past legends such as Woods and Nicklaus.
Then the spigot went dry — bone dry.
McIlroy had several close encounters in the years that followed but the continuation of coming up empty seemed to be a permanent final tagline for him.
Last year Rory’s story had an ending of epic proportions when securing the prized green jacket at Augusta and becoming just the 6th member of the career Grand Slam club.
Upon sinking the final putt, the pouring out of emotions was visible. The expectations that McIlroy had set early on and then seeing him wait as long as he had to was finally over.
Jack Nicklaus — 1975
The quality of shotmaking was never higher than the three-way tussle between Nicklaus, Johnny Miller and Tom Weiskopf.
The Golden Bear’s 5th green jacket did not come easily.
His two main rivals each battled throughout and only concluded when both men missed makeable birdie putts at the final hole.
Phil Mickelson — 2004
No tagline can be more head-scratching than — “best player never to have won a major.”
Phil Mickelson had come into pro golf early on by winning a PGA Tour event even when still an amateur.
In the years to follow Mickelson would get himself into contention — 17 times in the top ten and in the three Masters prior to 2004 had finished third each time.
The 2004 Masters was a back nine battle royale between Lefty and Ernie Els. Phil sealed the deal with a tournament winning birdie at the final hole.
The heavy weight of never having won a major came to a glorious end at Augusta National that year.
Arnold Palmer — 1960
The career of Arnold Palmer took a big-time ascension when winning his first major and Masters in 1958.
The issue coming into 1960 was whether Palmer was ready to take his success and elevate it to a higher level.
Palmer was one behind Ken Venturi with two holes to play. Amazingly, Arnie charged to victory with a birdie at the penultimate hole and then one final one at the 18th when sinking a short putt to claim his second green jacket.
Palmer’s 1960 year was just getting started. A final round 65 would claim his only win in the US Open at Cherry Hills and he nearly captured the 100th version of The Open Championship at the Old Course at St. Andrews and finished as runner-up.
Gene Sarazen — 1935
The Masters was just in its second year and still called the Augusta National Invitational Tournament when Gene Sarazen struck a golf shot that resonates to this day.
The Squire trailed by three shots going into the final round.
Upon reaching the par-5 15th, Sarazen was still two behind leader Craig Wood. After reaching the fairway Sarazen proceeded to hole his 4-wood second shot and leave the hole in a tie for the lead.
Sarazen and Wood would end the 72-holes tied. In the 18-hole playoff that followed the next day, Sarazen would secure his lone Masters title.
Sarazen would win the 18-hole playoff the next day. Although few people were present to see the actual shot — tournament co-founder Bob Jones was one of the lucky few who witnessed it personally.
Larry Mize — 1987
After a bruising battle with Nicklaus the year prior, both Greg Norman and Seve Ballesteros returned to Augusta with one thing in mind – capturing the green jacket.
Norman trailed by one with 18 holes to play and the Aussie gamely battled in securing a birdie at the penultimate hole and for some unlucky reason saw his birdie putt at the final hole to win just slip to the left of the hole. Greg would finish the 72-holes with a score of 285.
Ballesteros was not be outdone — the Spaniard finishing with a two-under-par 70 and also a score of 285.
Joining the two of them in a three-way playoff was local Augusta resident Larry Mize who had slipped into the playoff with a closing birdie at the 18th.
For Ballesteros, the playoff would end on the first hole — the 10th. Mize and Norman then proceeded to the 11th. After Mize had missed to the far right with his approach, Norman’s approach was just off the green. What appeared likely to be a Norman win then turned dramatically as Mize sunk his pitch shot and the audience – both present and watching worldwide – were stunned.
Norman could not sink his birdie putt and the man who appeared as David against the two Goliaths took home the grandest of prizes.
Gary Player — 1978
The South African’s first green jacket was aided by a closing double-bogey by defending champion Arnold Palmer in 1961. That win made him the first non-US golfer to win at Augusta.
13 years later, Player made a clear statement regarding his golfing ability when scoring a course record tying 64 in the final round.
Player started his final round seven shots out of the lead and when he birdied the final hole from 25-feet he pumped the air with a clenched fist.
Even with the remarkable finish Player would need to watch from Butler Cabin and observe if third round leader Hubert Green could sink a four-foot putt at the 18th to tie. Green’s putt missed and Player would garner his third green jacket and ninth and final major championship title.
