The Masters
The Masters: Closest Finishes
The Masters is arguably the most important week in the calendar for all golf fans. Apart from being one of the four majors in professional golf, the Masters holds added prestige and heritage, and all eyes will be on the Augusta National Golf Club when the 2023 edition gets underway on Thursday 6th April.
Ahead of the eagerly anticipated showdown next week, we break down some of the most nail-biting finishes since the tournament’s inception in 1934.
Charl Schwartzel – 2011
Rory McIlroy entered 2011’s final day with a four-shot lead and was heavily fancied by everyone to win the prize. Instead, it became one of the most chaotic finishes in Masters’ history, and McIlroy wasn’t even a real contender in the closing holes.
An unbelievable eight players held a share of the lead at some point in the day, including Tiger Woods, who began the day seven shots back but slowly clawed his way up the leaderboard to force a frantic finale.
All eyes then turned to Jason Day and Adam Scott as the day entered its dying embers, but it was the South African Charl Schwartzel who quietly strung together consecutive birdies on the last four holes to not only record the lowest score of the day, but become the 2011 Masters champion.
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Mike Weir – 2003
This was a bizarre final day in Augusta. The overnight leader was Jeff Maggert but the American made 7 on the third hole to lose the advantage he amassed on the Saturday. Canadian Mike Weir then fired a 68 to force a playoff against Len Mattiace, who was five back to start the round and shot a 65 to keep up with the leaders.
Weir ended up defeating Mattiace to win the 2003 edition, becoming Canada’s first male major champion. He also became the first left-handed major champion since New Zealand’s Bob Charles won The Open in 1963.
Bubba Watson – 2012
Definitely one of the most dramatic final days in recent Masters history. The Sunday started with Peter Hanson assuming a one-shot lead, but it wasn’t going to last long. Louis Oosthuizen surged ahead by recording a double eagle on the second hole – the fourth double eagle in Masters’ history and the first ever on that hole.
The day ultimately came down to Oosthuizen, Matt Kuchar and Bubba Watson. Kuchar eagled the 15th to give himself a fighting chance but then bogeyed the hole after. Watson then sensationally racked up four straight birdies to seize the lead, forcing sudden death with Oosthuizen at -10 apiece.
Watson was able to edge out his opponent in the sudden death round and win the green jacket in the most remarkable of circumstances.
Tiger Woods – 2005
That final Sunday in 2005 saw Tiger Woods hit one of the most iconic shots of his career on the 16th hole – a chip shot off the green that gravitated towards the hole at a torturously slow pace before almost fatefully dropping in. The shot gave Woods a two-shot lead with just two holes to play, but incredibly, the American bogeyed the last two holes to gift a play-off to Chris DiMarco – who he’d had a three-shot lead over in the early parts of the day.
Woods went on to birdie the first play-off hole and take the Championship. DiMarco’s approach to the green was too short, and whilst his following chip allowed him to round off the hole nicely, Woods sank a 15-foot put to snatch it, ultimately fulfilling his heavy favourites tag from earlier in the day.
