The Top 10 Greatest Shots in Augusta National’s History!

The Top 10 Greatest Shots in Augusta National’s History!

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When I see the Azalea’s blooming in my driveway, I know it is Masters Week! 

The heralding of spring, the start of a new golf season, and the anticipation of either going to Augusta to watch the greatest golf tournament in the world or, like me, sitting at home on Sunday afternoon watching this great spectacle!

Augusta National is a special place. At the beginning of every April, golfers and fans worldwide tune in to watch the best players in the world play one of the most challenging courses in the world. And with challenge comes some magical moments.

Here are some of the greatest Masters shots to date.

#1. Phil Mickelson – 13th Hole.

Phil Mickelson – 2010 With two pine trees, a creek, and 207 yards between him and the hole, Mickelson delivered a towering 6-iron off the pine needles through the trees to four feet. It was vintage Lefty and one of the gutsiest shots ever played. Phil missed the ensuing eagle putt, but the birdie propelled him to a 67 (his third of the tournament) and his third green jacket.

#2. Jack Nicklaus – 17th Hole.

Jack Nicklaus – 1986 Jack made a monumental back-nine charge, shooting a 30 that featured an eagle-birdie-birdie stretch on 15, 16, and 17. The round featured several clutch shots, but the tricky 12-footer he holed for birdie on 17 most resonates. After parring the 18th and carding a 65, Nicklaus watched as Tom Kite, Norman, and Seve Ballesteros faltered to give Jack his sixth green jacket.

The Top 10 Greatest Shots in Augusta National’s History!

#3. Gene Sarazen – 13th Hole.

Gene Sarazen – 1935 Sarazen’s historic hole-out for double eagle went a long way toward popularizing the Augusta National Invitational, aka The Masters. Sarazen was torn between hitting a 3-wood or a 4. He pulled the latter. The result was a blistering shot that flew some 235 yards, cleared a greenside pond, and dropped into the hole. The deuce tied Sarazen for the lead with Craig Wood, and he went on to win the only 36-hole playoff in Masters history.

#4. Bubba Watson – 10th Hole.

Bubba Watson – 2012 There’s likely no other player in the field who could have pulled off the shot Bubba hit on the way to victory in a playoff with Louis Oosthuizen. After a wayward drive on the downhill 10th found the trees right of the fairway, Bubba unleashed a huge hook with his pitching wedge that landed, spun, and settled 10 feet from the hole. Here’s how Bubba described it: “I hit my 52-degree, my gap wedge, hooked it about 40 yards, hit it about 15 feet off the ground until it got under the tree, and then it started rising — pretty easy.” Oosthuizen made a bogey, and Bubba went on the victory.

#5. Sandy Lyle – 18th Hole.

Sandy Lyle – 1988 Sandy Lyle’s path to the green jacket was secured with a masterful fairway bunker shot on the 18th hole Sunday. His 7-iron approach caught the slope behind the hole and trickled to within 10 feet. He rolled in the putt to make birdie and finish a stroke ahead of Mark Calcavecchia.

To see the other 5 greatest shots played at the Masters, go here!

Source: GOLF

Pictures: Mel Sole   David Cannon/Getty Images   Getty Images   Central Press/Getty Images  Al Tielemans  Brian Morgan/Getty Images

Stephen Green Armytage/Sports Illustrated

Thanks for reading – The Top 10 Greatest Shots in Augusta National’s History! 

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