Connect with us

Opinion & Analysis

9 Masters moments from this decade that shook the golfing world

Published

on

We are about to embark on the final Masters tournament of the decade. Accordingly, it’s a good time to look back at some of the most dramatic and iconic moments at this illustrious event from the past nine years.

No tournament has continuously delivered the electrifying moments the Masters has in recent times. Here are nine notable incidents from this decade, which rocked the golfing world.

9. Spieth’s Run – 2018

Beginning his final round on Sunday, Spieth stood nine shots off of Patrick Reed’s lead. But the 25-year-old came out like a freight train in the final round, with birdies at 1 ,2, 5, 8 and 9 propelling him up the leaderboard, and the Texan more than carried the momentum from that 31 into the back nine. Spieth continued to generate the noise through the pine trees as he brought Augusta National to its knees on Sunday, delivering birdie blows on 12,13, and 15, before holing an outrageous 30-foot birdie putt on 16 to tie the lead.

Was this to be the most spectacular comeback in Masters history? Not quite, as a birdie putt on 17 burned the edge of the hole, before a crooked drive on 18 led to a bogey ending his chances of claiming victory. But, boy, what a ride Jordan Spieth gave every golf fan that Sunday.

8. Tiger’s Charge – 2011

It has been said that players can tell when the cheers that reverberate around Augusta National are specifically for Woods, and on Sunday, April 8, 2011, there was no doubting that it was the 14-time-major champion sending the patrons wild during the final round. Birdies at 2,3,6 and 7 set the tone for Woods’ day, before an incredible draw around the pine trees on number eight set up an eagle try. What followed was one of the great Masters moments. Woods buried the eagle putt before unleashing one of the biggest fist pumps seen to man while the patrons in the stand behind the eight green went into a frenzy delivering a cacophony of noise to let every other player in the field know that Woods was not just on the march, but he was tied for the lead.

A three-putt bogey from 30 feet on his twelfth hole, following by a disappointing par on 13 looked to have cost Woods any chance of getting his hands on a fifth green jacket, but like the great champion he is, Woods kept his legion of supporters believing, with one of the purest second shots on 15 that you’re every likely to see. The 80-time-winner on the PGA Tour stuck his second on the par-5 15th from 215 yards to inside six feet for an eagle attempt that would have given him the outright lead. But the putt lipped out, and with that, Woods’ hopes ended.

7. McIlroy’s Meltdown – 2011

While Woods was bringing the heat on Sunday in 2011, a 21-year-old Rory McIlroy was poised for his first green jacket. The Ulsterman had played flawless golf all week long and held a four-stroke lead heading into Sunday’s final round. McIlroy went out nervously, posting a front nine 37, before the wheels well and truly came off.

A snap hook on 10 led to a triple bogey, which he followed with another bogey and then a brutally hard to watch four-putt double bogey on 12. McIlroy was left to play out his round in an undesirable atmosphere of sympathy, and eight years on, the Masters remains the one major championship which has eluded him so far in his career.

6. Sergio’s Eagle – 2017

Fifteen at Augusta is one of the most picturesque holes in golf, with the skinny green overlooked on both sides by the patrons, and the water guarding the front of the putting surface reflecting the players perfectly as they walk towards the green. On Sunday in 2017, the hole belonged to Sergio Garcia, who sat one stroke off the leader, Justin Rose, before striking his second shot on the par-5. Having already seen Rose play his approach shot to the left side of the green, Garcia hit his second shot flush, sending the ball sailing high into the air before it took a slight deflection off the flagstick and settled inside 15 feet presenting Garcia with a massive eagle opportunity.

The drama didn’t end there, and after Rose’s third shot had landed three feet from the hole, Garcia addressed his eagle attempt in almost total silence. After striking his putt, Garcia’s ball slowly dripped towards the target and looked destined to finish short of the cup before crawling its way into the hole. The eagle had landed. The patrons exploded, and the Spaniard let it all out with a massive show of emotion. The eagle spurred Garcia on to win the first major championship of his career.

5. Bubba’s Brilliance – 2012

Bubba Watson’s win at Augusta National in 2012 will always be synonymous with his unbelievable hooked wedge from the trees during the two-man playoff, and rightly so. Vying for his first ever major championship in a playoff with South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen, Watson found himself in a less than ideal position after he sent his tee shot into the woods to the right of the fairway. Oosthuizen was in trouble on the hole himself and was short of the green after playing his second shot, but surely must have thought he was still in pole position.

However, Watson is no ordinary golfer, and while standing deep in the trees, almost at a right angle to the tenth green, Watson decided to hit a wedge from 155 yards and hooked the ball 40 yards, landing it on the putting surface. Two putts from there was enough to provide Watson with the first of two Masters victories. One of the most incredible shots in the history of the game and it still leads to debate over just how Watson managed to pull it off.

4. Mickelson’s Pine Straw Magic – 2010

While holding a two-stroke advantage over his playing partner, Lee Westwood, with just six holes remaining, the consensus was that Phil Mickelson should lay up on the par-5 13th hole when he found his ball in the pine straw on Sunday in 2010. But Lefty and the safe option have never had the best of relationships, and Mickelson decided that it was time for him to seize the moment.

CBS golf announcer, Peter Kostis, said at the time “This could be the tournament” as Mickelson set up to hit his approach shot from the pine straw between two trees and over Rae’s Creek. “The greatest shot of his life” was what we heard next from Nick Faldo, as the ball hit the green and settled five feet from the cup. Mickelson may have missed the eagle putt, but birdie was enough to preserve his two-shot lead, and Lefty closed out the tournament to claim his third green jacket and continue his love affair with Augusta National.

3. Woods Gets Robbed – 2013

Tiger Woods headed to the 2013 Masters as the prohibitive favorite. The 14-time major champion had won three of his last four events coming into the year’s first major championship, and Woods seeking his fifth green jacket began ominously. An opening round of 70 was improved upon during Woods’ second round, where he shot a front nine score of 33 and co-led heading to the 15th hole. A par-5 which Woods could reach in two, the 80-time winner on the PGA Tour was looking for one thing – the solo lead.

Forced to lay up, Woods was faced with a delicate third shot, that he needed to nip perfectly. He did so, and what happened next was one of the worst pieces of luck ever seen at the Masters. Woods’ ball crashed into the pin, and the backspin which was designed to leave Woods with a very makeable birdie attempt had his ball not rebounded off the flagstick, spun all the way back into the water. “Royally cheated” announced David Feherty, and Woods’ hopes for his 15th major took a cruel blow.

Woods composed himself, executed a brilliant fifth shot, saved bogey, and signed for a 71 to leave him three shots off of leader Jason Day. What happened after that was pure chaos as Woods’ drop from the incorrect position on 15 led to his score on the hole being adjusted from a 6 to an 8, and ultimately his hopes were sunk. Woods lost that tournament by a margin of four strokes, and as well as he was playing at the time, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where he doesn’t deliver number 15 had that ball during his second round avoided colliding with the flagstick.

2. Scott’s Glory & Cabrera’s Defiance – 2013

As far as dramatic moments go on the 72nd hole at Augusta National, Adam Scott and Angel Cabrera’s tussle in the rain in 2013 is as good as it can get. Scott and Cabrera were tied for the lead, each at eight-under. While Scott assessed his 25-foot birdie attempt on 18, Cabrera watched from the middle of the 18th fairway. The Australian had hardly made a putt of any note all day long, but kept the best until the last, as he drew his putter back and let the ball fall down the slope and into the side of the cup to take the lead. Scott’s epic outpouring of joy, where he bellowed out “Come on, Aussie” was matched by Jim Nantz’ timely and emotive commentary on the moment, and it looked as if Scott had finally done enough to claim the first green jacket for himself and his country while banishing the awful memories from the 2012 Open Championship.

But while Scott walked away, to sign his scorecard, and with the patrons still buzzing off that spectacular moment, the man dubbed “El Pato” was not to be outdone. With the rain crashing down, Cabrera hit what is arguably the greatest approach under the circumstances ever seen at the 72nd hole at Augusta National. Cabrera struck his shot and walked after it instantly. The ball stuck three-feet from the hole, and “El Pato” marched up to the green before nonchalantly knocking in the putt for birdie.

Scott reigned supreme in the playoff, with a brilliant birdie on the tenth hole to claim his maiden major championship, in what was one of the highest quality finishes that the event has ever seen.

1. Jordan’s Collapse – 2016

Jordan Spieth came to Augusta National in 2016 having won two majors the previous season, including the 2015 Masters, and finishing no worse than T4 in any of the biggest championships. The Texan’s affinity for the Masters began in 2014 where he finished T2, and Spieth was on fire as he looked to go back-to-back in 2016. He opened with a 66 and remained in front under challenging conditions heading into Sunday’s final round.

Though beginning with a narrow one-stroke lead, Spieth quickly extended that and looked well on his way to a second green jacket after making a run of four successive birdies to make the turn in 32, which gave him a five-shot cushion with just nine holes to play. The golden boy of golf was doing it again on golfs grandest stage, and if there were one soul in the world that said they thought the tournament still had life at that stage, you wouldn’t have believed them. What followed, was 45 minutes of the most extraordinary and thoroughly unbelievable sequences of action that rocked every follower of golf.

Spieth dropped a shot at 10, which didn’t seem too costly at the time, but when a pushed tee shot into the trees on the treacherous 11th hole coincided with Danny Willett’s birdie at 14, life entered back into the event. Spieth made bogey on the hole and approached the 12th hole with just a one-stroke lead. What followed, was inexplicable. Spieth pushed his tee shot into Rae’s Creek, and then faced with a crucial third shot after taking a drop, the 25-year-old hit his third shot fat, and turned away in disgust as his ball, as well as his aspirations of winning back-to-back Masters events, sunk into Rae’s creek.

Spieth took a quadruple bogey on the hole, and in 45 minutes he had gone from leading the Masters by five strokes to trailing by three. The Texan rallied like the warrior he is, making birdie at 13 and 15 before hitting a great tee shot into the par-3 16th, but it wasn’t enough, and Danny Willett took advantage of the Texan’s meltdown to claim the title.

Spieth’s collapse remains the most mystifying and shocking disintegration at a major championship in recent times. The Texan had closed so brilliantly the previous year and had not given one hint during either of his appearances at Augusta National that he could unravel in the way he did in 2016. Spieth’s incredible closing finish to capture the Open Championship in 2017, as well as his scintillating Sunday at Augusta last year may have gone some way to banish the demons from the 2016 Masters, but arguably, only a second green jacket will dispel them for good.

 

 

Gianni is the Managing Editor at GolfWRX. He can be contacted at [email protected]

3 Comments

3 Comments

  1. JuannyBravo

    Apr 10, 2019 at 9:50 am

    #3 shook the golf world because Tiger would have been DQ’d if he was any other golfer

  2. M

    Apr 10, 2019 at 2:50 am

    #3 didn’t shake anybody. The Lord punishes in mysterious ways lol

    • M

      Apr 10, 2019 at 2:51 am

      Oh but damn, Eldorck lied and said he was a Buddhist

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Opinion & Analysis

AVL: My U.S. Amateur local qualifying experience

Published

on

This past Monday, I played in the U.S. Amateur local qualifier at Rock Creek Country Club in Portland, Oregon. A full tee sheet from 7:30 a.m. to 1:55 p.m., the top 11 scores would make it to the U.S. Amateur final qualifying.

I teed off at 10:48 a.m.. With the 7:30 am tee time, you can get a feel for the leaders’ pace, and they were off and running on the challenging setup at Rock Creek.

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by GolfWRX (@golfwrx)


Getting to the highlight of the round on the par five 17th, a drive up the left side and 212 yards left to the front hole location. I took out a 5-iron with plans of middle of the green. The ball ended up 8 feet left of the hole, pin high. A slight downhill putt dropped in for an eagle 3 on the 17th. With the cut line looking to be anywhere from -2 to even par. This was the boost I had been waiting for all day.

With making par from the trees on 18, it was time to wait for a potential playoff with a posted score of one under par 71.

Three hours later, it was playoff time. 8 players for 6 spots. I made par on the playoff hole, which was good enough to advance to the U.S. Amateur final qualifying in July. USGA qualifiers sure deliver on all of the emotions in golf!

Continue Reading

Club Junkie

Building my 2026 gamer WITB: Ranking the contenders and new putter projects – Club Junkie Podcast

Published

on

The annual What’s In The Bag build is underway, and on this episode of Club Junkie, Brian breaks down the clubs currently leading the race for a spot in his 2026 gamer setup. From drivers and fairway woods to irons, wedges, and shafts, he ranks the equipment that’s performing best and explains what’s separating the front runners from the rest of the field.

Brian also heads into the workshop to discuss several putter projects currently on the bench. From head options and shaft choices to build ideas and testing plans, he shares what he’s working on and which putters could become serious contenders for the bag this season.

If you’re a gear junkie who loves equipment testing, club building, and the never-ending pursuit of the perfect setup, this episode is for you.

Follow Club Junkie:
Instagram: @clubjunkiepod
TikTok: @clubjunkiepod
Threads: @clubjunkiepod
X: @ClubJunkiePod

Continue Reading

Club Junkie

Tour Edge Exotics mini driver review + TaylorMade Spider ZT Max first look – Club Junkie

Published

on

On this episode of Club Junkie, I put the new Tour Edge Exotics Mini Driver to the test and break down the performance, forgiveness, distance, and where it fits compared to a traditional driver or strong fairway wood. If you have been curious about adding a mini driver to the bag, this one is worth a look.

I also dive into the new TaylorMade Spider ZT Max putter that was recently spotted and discuss the growing zero torque putter trend. Plus, there is a closer look at the new Project X Titan Yellow shaft showing up on the PGA Tour and what makes it different from other profiles currently out there.

 

Continue Reading

Announcement

Our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use have been updated as of January 29th, 2026. Please review the updated policies here Privacy Policy | Terms of Use. By continuing to use our site after January 29th, 2026, you agree to the changes.

WITB

Facebook

Trending