US Masters: Five greatest Masters shots

bet365 News Team Updated: 07 Dec 23 06:09 Published: 03 Apr 22 10:09

There have been a host of memorable moments at the US Masters that it is a difficult task to select what could be regarded as the five greatest ever.

Ahead of this year's Masters, which you can follow on our Live Golf Tracker, here is our list of the best among the great shots that will live long in every golf fan's memory.

Tiger Woods's chip (2005)

Tiger Woods had already collected three Green Jackets at Augusta National before he won in 2005 and he had to fight tooth and nail to get the better of Chris DiMarco to win his 10th Major that April.

But while few remember Woods bogeying the last two regulation holes and needing a playoff to come out on top, it is his chip shot on the par-three 16th that will live forever in Masters folklore.

Woods had taken a three-shot lead into the final round, but it was in danger of unravelling when he overhit his tee shot and left himself with a tricky up-and-down from 50 feet.

But Tiger managed to identify the exact spot where he needed to hit it 20 feet from the flag and then watched agonisingly as the ball trickled towards the hole.

It stopped and then completed the vital quarter-turn on the edge of the cup to provoke delirium among the assembled patrons and a huge high-five between Woods and his caddie Steve Williams.

It would be another 14 years before he emotionally won the US Masters again, but despite the tears, this is the archetypal Tiger Augusta moment.

Larry Mize's magnificent playoff moment (1987)

A playoff was also required in 1987 and while Augusta native Larry Mize had the local knowledge and had won once on the PGA Tour, he was given little chance against four-time Major champion Seve Ballesteros and world number one Greg Norman.

Mize had operated a scoreboard at the course when a teenager, so even playing in the tournament was a dream come true but he had earned his place in the playoff by birdieing the 72nd hole.

But the Spaniard had fallen out of contention on the first playoff hole, when Mize was unable to hole a long putt for glory, and he and Norman headed to the 11th.

Norman hit his approach to the edge of the green while Mize saw his five iron fly off to the right and leave him with a treacherous long chip towards the water.

However, he took the sand wedge from his bag and holed it, meaning he will forever be regarded as one of his home town's greatest sporting heroes.

Sandy Lyle's iron from the 18th bunker (1988)

Ballesteros was the first European winner in 1980 but it was another eight years before Britain was able to celebrate its first Green Jacket and it came in dramatic circumstances.

Sandy Lyle was full of beans after winning the Greensboro Open the previous weekend and took a two-shot lead into the final round.

Related Golf News

Where is Augusta National, can I play there and how much does it cost?

His world seemed to be imploding when he found the water on the par-three 12th to card a double bogey, but he got himself back in contention, needing a birdie on the final hole to win and pip Mark Calcavecchia to the big prize.

Things did not go to plan when he fired his one-iron into the fairway bunker, but the ball was sitting on an upslope and he hit the seven-iron of his life.

The ball landed 20 feet behind the pin and then spun back to within half that distance from the hole, and the Scot kept his cool to nail the putt.

Bubba Watson in the woods (2012)

One of the most spectacular shots ever seen at Augusta National came in the playoff that decided the 2012 Masters.

Bubba Watson had driven wildly into the trees to the right of the 10th fairway on the second extra hole against Louis Oosthuizen, who had earlier made an albatross - described as a double-eagle by the locals - on the second hole.

It looked as if Watson would only be able to chip out sideways but instead he hit his 52-degree wedge and ripped it 144 yards, hooking it 40 yards onto the green and to within ten feet of the pin.

Oosthuizen could only muster a bogey, which left Watson two putts for the title and he tapped in to gain the rewards for his inspirational approach.

Mickelson birdies to break his duck (2004)

Phil Mickelson spent the first 12 years of his professional career being told he was the best player to have never won a Major but that all changed in April 2004.

Lefty had posted 17 top-10 finishes in the game's four biggest tournaments before he birdied two of the last three holes to grab glory.

Much sympathy was had for his great rival Ernie Els, who had shot a closing 67 and held at least a share of the lead all day until Mickelson holed the vital putt.

The relief on Mickelson's face was there for all to see as he jumped in the air and he never looked back, collecting another five Majors, including his win at last year’s US PGA Championship at Kiawah Island.