The Masters is embellished with unbelievable photographs, all of that are made extra spectacular by their environment.
We’ve trawled the Augusta archives and picked out 10 of the very best Masters photographs of all time—nonetheless, with the proviso that most of the biggest photographs passed off earlier than the arrival of YouTube in 2005.
Sadly, for instance, there’s no precise footage of Gene Sarazen’s well-known albatross in 1935, although there are many different highlights to fill the void earlier than the yr’s first Main will get underway.
In no explicit order, take a look at our prime 10 greatest Masters photographs of all time beneath. Which one is your favorite?
The ten greatest Masters photographs of all time
1. Larry Mize chips in (1987)
The fantastic thing about miracle photographs like Larry Mize’s 140-foot chip-in is that they typically comply with one thing very forgettable. The American’s fanned strategy to the eleventh was so unhealthy {that a} 4 appeared extremely unlikely, not to mention what occurred subsequent.
Greg
Norman, who had seen Jack Nicklaus pinch the Inexperienced Jacket from below his nostril
the earlier yr when he led all 4 Majors on the Saturday evening, was the
one on the receiving finish once more. Seve Ballesteros would bogey the tenth to go away Norman and Mize to battle it out—and the native, who had labored on the
scoreboard on the third gap rising up, did the unthinkable—and Norman’s putt
by no means appeared like getting into.
“I
hit it, and I’m frozen watching it. It goes within the gap, and I throw my membership up,
and I ran round screaming like a madman—it was complete elation,” Mize recollects.
“I’ve by no means actually been near that spot once more—that I can keep in mind—and if I
hit it there in a follow spherical, I’d transfer it, I wouldn’t play it. It’s
simply such an excellent reminiscence, I don’t wish to smash it… I did it after I wanted to
and I wish to preserve that reminiscence pure.”
Mize performed his ultimate aggressive spherical at Augusta in 2023.
2. Bubba Watson’s marvel shot from the pine straw (2012)
Yearly, a group of savvy Augusta patrons will break off and head to a spot within the woods to the aspect of the tenth gap. It’s from right here, down within the pine straw, that Gerry Lester ‘Bubba’ Watson would snap hook a brief iron round a magnolia tree to only 12 toes from 155 yards—in a sudden-death play-off for the Masters in 2012.
Given
this was earlier than the times of any ball tracer, the largest giveaway of fairly how
ridiculous this shot was, got here through the response of the ball when it screwed
sideways upon touchdown on the placing floor.
On the opposite finish of this brilliance was Louis Oosthuizen, who had earlier made an albatross on the 2nd. The South African would bogey the opening, and Watson would two-putt for the primary of his two Inexperienced Jackets.
“The
platform that I’ve been given now hitting that shot, the flexibility to play the
Masters for the remainder of my life,” Watson stated. “There’s simply so many issues
that occur in these moments, and it simply means quite a bit to my household and me.”
Watson hasn’t replayed the shot however a tree now marks the spot.
3. Phil Mickelson, once more from the pine straw (2010)
Even Phil Mickelson recognises that his 6-iron restoration from the pine straw in 2010 might not have been as troublesome because it first appeared, but it surely was actually THE shot of the event that yr—and nonetheless, in our view, among the finest Masters photographs of all time.
The left-hander had a snug lead over Lee Westwood and 207 yards to the opening, however Phil being Phil, he took on the shot and hit it to a couple toes. And, Phil being Phil once more, missed the putt. He wouldn’t drop a shot all day and would signal for a 67, a three-shot win and a 3rd Inexperienced Jacket.
“I
needed to hit a shot between these two timber, whether or not I laid up or went for the
inexperienced, and I simply determined to hit it 90 yards farther than a lay-up. I simply felt
like a superb 6-iron was going to be loads. It was a shot the place I stored saying,
if I simply belief my swing, I’ll pull it off. And I made a superb swing, went proper
on the pin,” Mickelson defined after his spherical.
“Actually, it was important, and it was clutch, and it got here by at a good time, but it surely wasn’t anyplace close to as onerous as another photographs. It might have appeared onerous, however there was a fairly good-sized hole between these timber and a fairly good lie. It was only a 6-iron, plenty of inexperienced left.”
4. Sandy Lyle and that bunker shot (1988)
Two years earlier than hitting among the finest Masters photographs we’ve ever seen from the bunker, Sandy Lyle had the very best seat in the home when he performed in the identical two-ball as Jack Nicklaus. The Scot had gained The Open, however no Brit had but captured The Masters, and Lyle had endured a bumpy again 9 when he got here to the 18th.
“The iron was the chosen weapon for the 18th tee; it was 245-250 yards uphill, in order that was alleged to be in need of the bunker. As everyone knows, that didn’t fairly work out, however because the bunker shot was executed and I made the putt, I’ve had plenty of mileage out of it.”
Lyle
would hit a 7-iron restoration from a spot within the sand that now-retired chairman
Billy Payne at all times takes anybody enjoying the opening to. It will be a exceptional
second birdie within the final three holes to edge out Mark Calcavecchia.
“I knew that Arnold Palmer on the time was the one man to make three up the final to win. That basically wasn’t in my thoughts. I used to be enjoying for a play-off. It will be horrifying to go all that week after which lose out with a bogey on the final. Individuals keep in mind, even 30 years later, what they had been doing. There isn’t per week that goes by out right here in America the place somebody doesn’t ask about it. All of them keep in mind it as an uncommon, iconic shot.”
5. Jack Nicklaus eagles 15 (1986)
Skip to 1:37:58 to see the shot
It’s
virtually unimaginable to select a single second from Nicklaus’ iconic victory at
the age of 46. When the Golden Bear was stood in the midst of the fifteenth fairway, he was 4 photographs again, however by the point his ball had descended onto
the inexperienced, pin excessive and 12 toes away, the entire of Augusta Nationwide believed
that this might really occur.
Nicklaus would make the eagle putt, virtually gap out on the subsequent, and in addition birdie 17 en path to a again 9 of simply 30 strokes.
“I
hit a extremely good drive at 15. I turned to Jackie (his son and caddy), and
stated, ‘How far do you assume a 3 will go right here? And I don’t imply a membership.’ He
stated, ‘I feel it can go a good distance.’ I hit a 4-iron and knocked it in 12 toes
left of the opening. I made that putt.”
Seve
would fats his strategy to the identical gap into the water, Tom Kite would narrowly
miss his birdie on the final, and Greg Norman would make a horrible bogey.
Nicklaus would transfer to 18 Majors in maybe the largest stand-out victory of
all time.
“That’s the day the no-running rule was completely violated. I imply, girls with heels had been working. Individuals had been abandoning their pimento cheese stations. Since you needed to see it, you needed to be there,” stated Sports activities IIlustrated’s Rick Reilly.
6. Nick Faldo’s 2-iron to 13 (1996)
Skip to 1:30:26 to see the shot
Nick Faldo’s turnaround in 1996 was exceptional for a lot of causes—he would reel in Greg Norman from six photographs again at a time when he was ranked ninth on the earth. The Aussie was the clear #1 come the thirteenth, however Faldo now led by two as he would deliberate for minutes over his strategy to the par 5.
Norman
was within the pine straw and had punched out, whereas Faldo had discovered the golf green,
albeit on a dangling lie.
“All week, I carried a 5-wood; an outdated persimmon 5-wood which I hit 215 yards each time. On all of the par 5s, at 2, 13 and 15 throughout the follow rounds, Fanny (Sunesson) dropped a ball at 215 yards and I hit my 5-wood. Amazingly, I didn’t use it in any respect throughout the week till the thirteenth on Sunday, after I had 215 yards to the center. So I grabbed my 5-wood, however it could not sit flat on that sloping fairway. I wasn’t snug with it, so we mentioned the yardages to the entrance, center and again. I then determined to hit a 2-iron, and I nailed it—I knew that I had ripped it straightaway, I hit it candy. It was very stable. It was one of many photographs of my lifetime, not to mention that day.”
7. Tiger Woods’ ‘In your life’ second (2005)
No listing of the very best Masters photographs could be full with out this one, wouldn’t it?
Woods got here to the sixteenth gap one shot forward of enjoying accomplice Chris DiMarco. Their nearest rivals would end a distant seven photographs again.
If the shot was out of this world, the commentary in some way matched it when the ball lingered on the opening aspect, with the Nike swoosh by no means having a greater time of it. Verne Lundquist would gasp, “In your life, have you ever seen something like that?” because it lastly dropped.
It’s
onerous to place into phrases how troublesome this shot really was. Woods couldn’t see
the opening from past the inexperienced, so he must goal 25 toes left of the
flag, get the exact contact to get the exact quantity of spin, after which take
the ridge at lifeless weight.
The
shot would give him a two-shot lead, which he would relinquish over the closing
holes, however a birdie on the first additional gap would safe his fourth Inexperienced
Jacket and ninth Main title.
Bizarrely, Woods has by no means been again to that spot to replay it. “They’ve since redesigned that gap, that inexperienced. So it’s not the way it was once over there,” he has stated.
8. Ian Woosnam overpowers the 18th (1991)
Skip to 2:25:45 to see the shot
You may argue that Ian Woosnam was properly forward of his time together with his strategy. If he received the possibility to get the motive force out, he hit it and hit it onerous.
On the Masters in 1991, the Welshman had seen his lead slip away on the again 9, however he got here to the 18th stage with Tom Watson and José María Olazábal. The Spaniard would double it, and Watson would discover the timber off the tee, whereas Woosnam would take a distinct strategy altogether. His tee shot was pummelled properly over the well-known fairway bunkers at 260 yards, with a steel-shafted Persimmon driver to go away simply an 8-iron in. Supposedly, he would pull a muscle in his forearm celebrating the successful putt.
“I used to be at all times taught to swing round my head. It was simply kind of a flip and a flip. The stiller I stored my head, the higher it was,” he stated. “I can solely clarify it like tightening up a spring and releasing it. That’s what I attempted to do in my swing. I wished to get the membership to the highest of the backswing, and if I put it in the suitable place, I may hit it as onerous as I presumably may with out hitting it too far offline.”
9. Jack Nicklaus drains a monster at 16 (1975)
It’s
not usually that you just get the three biggest gamers all main the best way going
into the ultimate spherical at Augusta. “Solely the closest of kin may have been
watching the opposite 43,” wrote Hubert Mizell.
Within the lead was Tom Weiskopf, recent from a morning 66 and thrice a runner-up at Augusta, to be adopted by Nicklaus, who had led by 5 on the midway level. Then there was the prolific winner Johnny Miller, who many thought was the very best on the earth on the time.
At
the sixteenth, the Golden Bear would go away his 5-iron tee shot 40 toes
shy however then produce among the finest Masters photographs of all time and one of many
event’s most iconic moments by rolling it in.
Enjoying accomplice Tom Watson would make a quadruple-bogey seven. “To know you possibly can look again sometime and know you had been part of one thing prefer it, that’s simply nice,” remembers Nicklaus, who could be successful the thirteenth of his 18 Majors.
10. Louis Oosthuizen makes albatross (2012)
You assume you’ve seen every thing at Augusta, then Oosthuizen information an albatross within the ultimate spherical in 2012—undoubtedly one of many event’s biggest moments and greatest Masters photographs of all time.
The South African was enjoying within the penultimate group with Bubba Watson when he picked up an unbelievable three photographs in just some moments. It will be simply the fourth double eagle in Masters historical past and the primary on the par-5 2nd.
“It
was about 210 yards to the entrance and 235 to the flag. That was a superb 4‑iron
for me. I wanted to pitch it about 5, six paces on the inexperienced, and I knew if
I received it proper, it’s going to feed in direction of the opening. However I by no means thought it
would go in,” explains Oosthuizen. “It was robust after that; when
one thing like that occurs early in your spherical, you assume that’s it. That was
my first double‑eagle ever. It was robust for the subsequent 5 holes to only get my
head round it and play the course.”
He and Watson would finally go to a play-off the place one other piece of Masters magic would happen.
Received Masters fever? We actually wouldn’t blame you after trawling by our choose of the very best Masters photographs.
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