AUGUSTA, GA. Great shots at any Masters are identified by one simple measure – the roars of approval that emanates from the appreciative galleries following the players.
Conversely, golf shots failing to succeed are left with deafening silence as one’s standing on the leaderboard can quickly evaporate — akin to the opening sequence from the hit television shot “Mad Men” where a man plummets downward with no net to break the fall.
It’s been said countless times that the Masters only really begins when the players reach the back nine for Sunday’s final round.
The inward half of holes at Augusta National Golf Club squeezes the pressure point with numerous key decisions needing to be made. How bold does one play? Is caution the better choice?
Over the years stupendous shots have been played under the most intense pressure-packed conditions. It is those successes that have been heralded and the players who caused them to happen lauded as winners of The Masters.
But there is a flipside to that coin.
Situations in which players were agonizingly close to securing the famed green jacket only to have it quickly pulled away. In certain instances, the execution was flawed. In other cases, the lack of mental acuity was present.
Golfers in such pivotal moments only have their caddie to stand by their side. There are no teammates – no time outs – no way to escape the cauldron they are within.
The stakes are indeed high. Winners of the green jacket are forever seen in a different light. A lifetime exemption into the Masters and the praise of a public that elevates champions while turning a deaf ear and blind eye to those who come up short.
Golf, like any other sport, does not guarantee happy endings . Outlined below are ten Masters misfires. For a few the failure spurred on to future greatness – while for others the thought of losing might have become a permanent anchor to carry onward.
What seemed a certain fitting for a green jacket translated for some into a mental straight jacket lingering in the mind forever.
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Ben Hogan’s final hole three-putt / 1946 Masters
When the name Ben Hogan is mentioned the association with steely nerves and consummate shotmaking are often cited.
The 1946 Masters saw the return to Augusta following a three-year absence because of World War II. Hogan was making his way up the ladder of success but when the 33-year-old arrived in Augusta he had not yet won a major championship.
Hogan trailed by five shots behind relatively unknown Herman Keiser. He made up the difference upon reaching the 18th, a par-4 would mean a tie at the top of the leaderboard with Keiser.
Ben’s approach finished 12 feet away from the hole and it appeared a final birdie was in store for the victory. But golf can be a cruel sport. Hogan uncharacteristically three-putted on the slick surface and lost by a shot. Interestingly, Hogan’s failure was matched similarly by Keiser who played in the group in front of Ben.
Hogan would earn his first major title four months later in August at the PGA Championship at age 34. For many golfers the debilitating failure at Augusta could have been a major loss of confidence and a mental train wreck tone can never overcome.
Hogan’s will to win remained resolute even after a near fatal car accident that took place in 1949. His return in 1950 would mean capturing six major titles in a three-year period culminating with three such wins in 1953.
Arnie’s mental blank out / 1961 Masters
As he stood on the 18th tee during the final round of the 1961 Masters the intersection of history and Arnold Palmer was front and center. A final par-4 on the closing hole would make Arnie the first golfer to successfully defend his title in the storied event.
Palmer played his tee shot well into the fairway and after leaving the teeing area he noticed an acquaintance in the gallery who congratulated him on his pending victory. Palmer acknowledged the gesture and at that moment the resolute focus that had propelled him to that point was broken.
Palmer would hit six-iron into the right greenside bunker and his recovery flew the green. The resulting chip shot back onto the putting surface left him a 12-foot putt to secure a playoff spot with Gary Player who finished before him. Arnie would miss the putt and elevate Player in becoming the first foreign born golfer to win the green jacket.
In the years to follow Palmer would win two more Masters (1962 and 1964) but the lingering memories of that stinging defeat remained of when his focus shifted when he needed to be ever mindful that nothing is truly over until it is.
Green envy / 1978 Masters
Gary Player’s remarkable final round 64 in the 1978 Masters is noteworthy because the South African brilliantly made up a seven-shot deficit to capture his third green jacket and the final of nine major titles in his illustrious career.
Going into the final round the reigning U.S. Open champion Hubert Green had seized a three-shot lead courtesy of a seven-under-par 65 in the 3rd round.
Green’s sizzling play cooled off in the final round while Player turned up the pressure in scoring a record-tying 30 on the inward nine concluding with a 25-foot birdie putt at the last hole.
As he played the 18th, Green realized he would need a matching birdie at the final hole to tie Player. His approach was well-played to a distance of just over three feet. As Green steadied himself over the putt he backed away – disturbed by the CBS-radio voice of Jim Kelly. Green then settled back over the putt and inexplicably missed it.
All would not be lost for Hubert. Seven years later he would win his second major title at the PGA Championship at Cherry Hills for his 19th and final victory on the PGA TOUR.
One can only speculate what a Masters win would have done for the Alabama-born Green although he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2007.
How Seve Sunk Himself / 1986 Masters
Entering that year’s Masters Seve Ballesteros had every reason to believe a third green jacket was doable. His record included two earlier wins at Augusta to coincide with his stellar late round heroics in winning the 1984 Open Championship at The Old Course at St. Andrews.
Trailing by just one shot going into the final round, the 29-year-old Spaniard seized the lead with an eagle at the par-5 8th and expanded his margin to two shots with another at the par-5 13th.
Even with all the back nine excitement being created by Jack Nicklaus, the 1986 Masters was in the hands of Seve. His tee shot at the par-5 15th found the fairway but then what appeared to be another birdie opportunity turned into disaster.
Ballesteros badly pulled and mishit a 4-iron that found the frontal pond to the green. Was it the pressure being applied by Nicklaus or did the talented Seve simply make the absolute wrong swing at that most critical time?
The aura of Ballesteros had always been that of a fearless competitor. Seve sunk himself with that shot and what looked to be a crowning achievement of epic proportions became a stunning defeat.
To his credit Seve returned the next year to Augusta and made a three-way playoff with Greg Norman and Larry Mize. Unfortunately, Ballesteros blundered badly with a three-putt at the first playoff hole and lost again. The scene of the Spaniard marching slowly back up the hill to the clubhouse while Mize and Norman continued with the playoff is still telling.
The charismatic Ballesteros would go on to win the 1988 Open Championship with a superb final round 65 for his 5th and final major title. However, his days at the pinnacle of the sport would fade quickly afterwards and sadly he would succumb to a brain tumor at the age of 54.
Norman’s nightmare / 1986 Masters
Greg Norman became a part of the global golf scene with his initial appearance at the 1981 Masters where he ultimately finished 4th. Five years later the Shark had risen to the top of golf’s pecking order. His stellar play throughout 1986 had its start at Augusta where the talented Aussie had the solo lead going into the final round.
Norman made a late charge starting with birdies from the 14th through the 17th holes. A final birdie at the 18th would secure the first green jacket for a golfer from Australia. If he simply parred the hole he would go into a playoff with Jack Nicklaus.
All seemed fine after his tee shot found the fairway. But then facing a 190-yard approach the Shark flared a 4-iron way right and ultimately bogied the hole to lose by one.
Norman would return the next year and eventually worked himself into a playoff and then watched helplessly as Mize sunk a miraculous pitch shot into the hole.
Greg would eventually win his first major that year at The Open Championship in Turnberry and then add a second Claret Jug at Royal St. George’s in 1993. Norman would also bogey the final hole to miss a playoff in 1989 after making three straight birdies. But the cruelest of fates would take place a decade later at Augusta.
Part 2
