Greatest Finishes in Golf History

Some of the most suspenseful moments in sports have come on the links.

Something about golf lends itself to drama. The tensest moments in sports can come moments before or immediately after a golf swing. Watching a ball in the air, on its way to the hole, creates a crazy, all-encompassing source of suspense for both players and fans.

The results can be captivating, whether players step up to the occasion or melt down under the overwhelming pressure. Golf is the only sport where fans get to see it all happen in real time. To witness all the varying levels of human emotion adds to the story, and the game has given the masses plenty to remember in its lengthy existence.

These are the greatest finishes in golf history.

25. Ernie Els Steps Up at Muirfield

Str / AP Photo

Event: 2002 British Open

Date: July 18-21, 2002

Course: Muirfield Golf Links

Location: Gullane, Scotland

What was memorable: Ernie Els beat three other players in a playoff to win.

End result: Els finished with a total score of 278, six under par, to capture his third major.

Winner’s share: $1,106,140

25. Bottom Line

Steve Holland / AP Photo

With all eyes once again on Tiger Woods, Ernie Els stepped out of his shadow.

Woods removed himself from contention after an 81 on Saturday, while Els was locked in an intense battle for the lead.

In the end, Els had to beat three other men with a four-hole and sudden-death playoff to edge out his third major win.

24. Seve Ballesteros Plays From a Parking Lot in Lancashire

AP Photo

Event: 1979 British Open

Date: July 18–21, 1979

Location: Lancashire, England

Course: Royal Lytham and St. Annes Golf Club

What was memorable: Ballesteros intentionally hit a ball into the parking lot.

End result: Ballesteros finished with total score of 283, one under par, to win his first major.

Winner’s share: $31,500

24. Bottom Line

CHJ / AP Photo

The winds were insane at the 1979 British Open, forcing all but one player to shoot over par for the week.

That one player, Seve Ballesteros, took advantage of the wind on No. 16, intentionally hitting into an adjacent parking lot to give himself a downwind shot.

He stuck his next shot to 20 feet and held the Claret Jug for the first time.

23. Adam Scott and Angel Cabrera Duel

David J. Phillip / AP Photo

Event: 2013 Masters

Date: April 11–14, 2013

Location: Augusta, Georgia

Course: Augusta National Golf Club

What was memorable: Adam Scott and Angel Cabrera dueled down the stretch.

End result: Scott won the Masters, his first major, by shooting a 279, nine under par.

Winner’s share: $1,440,000

23. Bottom Line

David J. Phillip / AP Photo

Adam Scott and Angel Cabrera swapped the lead several times in the final round, stepping to 18 tied for the championship.

Scott made a dramatic birdie and looked to have it in the bag, until Cabrera matched him to send it to a playoff.

Scott’s putt on the second playoff hole got the job done, and he became the first Australian to win a green jacket.

22. Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson Battle Across the Pond

Ben Curtis / AP Photo

Event: 2016 British Open

Date: July 14–17, 2016

Location: Ayrshire, Scotland

Course: Royal Troon Golf Club Old Course

What was memorable: Henrik Stenson topped Mickelson in the final round.

End result: Stenson finished with a 264, 20 under par, to win this Open Championship, his first major.

Winner’s share: $1,549,590

22. Bottom Line

Matt Dunham / AP Photo

Everyone expected fireworks when Phil Mickelson and Henrik Stenson teed off on Sunday at Royal Troon after Stenson took a one-shot edge into the final round.

Both players stepped up repeatedly, and neither backed down. Mickelson’s bogey-free 65 was topped only by Stenson’s incredible 63, giving the Swede his first major victory.

21. Y.E. Yang Does the Unthinkable at Hazeltine

Charlie Neibergall / AP Photo

Event: 2009 PGA Championship

Date: Aug. 13–16, 2009

Location: Chaska, Minnesota

Course: Hazeltine National Golf Club

What was memorable: Y.E. Yang outdueled Tiger Woods to win by three strokes.

End result: Yang finished at 280, eight under par, to win his first major.

Winner’s share: $1,350,000

21. Bottom Line

Morry Gash / AP Photo

For maybe the first time ever, Tiger Woods cracked under the pressure while another golfer surged.

Y.E. Yang chipped in for eagle on No. 14 and then closed Woods out with a hybrid over the trees on 18 that he stuck to 10 feet.

They were two of the most notable shots in tournament history.

20. U.S. Comes Back to Win 1999 Ryder Cup

Doug Mills / AP Photo

Event: 1999 Ryder Cup

Date: Sept. 24–26, 1999

Location: Brookline, Massachusetts

Venue: The Country Club

What was memorable: U.S. Team comes back to beat the Europeans 14 1/2 to 13 1/2.

End result: U.S. won its 24th Ryder Cup.

20. Bottom Line

Charles Krupa / AP Photo

Down 10-6 to begin singles play at the Ryder Cup, the U.S. looked doomed against their European foes.

The team went crazy on that final day, winning the first five matched to take an improbable lead.

Justin Leonard needed to only halve his match against José María Olazábal and knocked home a 45-footer to guarantee a win for the Americans.

19. Tom Watson Turns Back the Clock in Scotland

Matt Dunham / AP Photo

Event: 2009 British Open

Date: July 16–19, 2009

Location: Ayrshire, Scotland

Course: Ailsa Course, Turnberry

What was memorable: Watson nearly won but run out of gas in a playoff Stewart Cink.

End result: Cink finished with a 278, two under par, to win his first major.

Winner’s share: $1,221,005

19. Bottom Line

Alastair Grant / AP Photo

At age 59, Tom Watson turned back the clock and looked poised to become the oldest major winner in history after a birdie at 17.

Needing only a par, Watson hit an approach that bounced hard over the green, and he failed to get up and down for the victory.

Stewart Cink waxed him in the four-hole playoff.

18. Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson Turn Up the Heat at Turnberry

AP Photo

Event: 1977 British Open

Date: July 6–9, 1977

Location: Ayrshire, Scotland

Course: Ailsa Course, Turnberry

What was memorable: Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson duel it out in the final round.

End result: Watson won the British Open with a record 268 score, 12 under par, to beat Nicklaus by one stroke. The win was Watson’s second Open title and third major.

Winner’s share: $17,000

18. Bottom Line

AP Photo

Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson separated themselves heading into the final round at Turnberry under clear skies, shooting matching scores each day, and they dueled it out in the last 18 holes.

Watson birdied the final two holes to top Nicklaus by one in the most legendary showdown in golf history.

Hubert Green was the next closest to the two, 11 shots back of Watson.

17. El Niño Earns His Green Jacket

David Goldman / AP Photo

Event: 2017 Masters

Date: April 6–9, 2017

Location: Augusta, Georgia

Course: Augusta National Golf Club

What was memorable: Sergio Garcia beat Justin Rose in a playoff to win his first major.

End result: Garcia finished with a 279 score, 9 under par, to win the Masters.

Winner’s share: $1,980,000

17. Bottom Line

Matt Slocum / AP Photo

Often criticized for underachieving based on his talent, Sergio Garcia finally silenced the doubters with his emotional victory at Augusta.

His playoff win over Justin Rose evoked an emotional cry from the Spaniard, who spent much of his youth looking up the leaderboard at Tiger Woods.

Garcia joined fellow Spanish players Seve Ballesteros and José María Olazábal as winners at Augusta.

16. Tiger Spoils Bob Mays’ Cinderella Story

Chuck Burton / AP Photo

Event: 2000 PGA Championship

Date: Aug. 17–20, 2000

Location: Louisville, Kentucky

Course: Valhalla Golf Club

What was memorable: Tiger Woods made a birdie putt on the 18th green to force a playoff with Bob May during the final round and pointed at his putt as it went in.

End result: Woods finished with a 270 score, 18 under par, to win his fifth major.

Winner’s share: $900,000

16. Bottom Line

Rob Carr / AP Photo

Tiger Woods won both the U.S. Open and British Open in 2000 and entered that year’s PGA as a heavy favorite.

However, Bob May held a two-stroke lead early in the final round and threatened to run away with it. Woods came charging back, matching May’s birdie on 18 to force a playoff.

Woods’ birdie on the first hole of the three-hole playoff was the difference. And he completed the “Tiger Slam” a few months later.

15. Phil Goes for It

Rob Carr / AP Photo

Event: 2010 Masters

Date: April 8–11, 2010

Location: Augusta, Georgia

Course: Augusta National Golf Club

What was memorable: Phil Mickelson pulled off a ridiculous shot on the 13th during the final round to make birdie.

End result: Mickelson finished at 272, 16 under par, to win his third Masters and fourth major.

Winner’s share: $1,350,000

15. Bottom Line

David J. Phillip / AP Photo

With a seemingly unplayable lie, the green over water and around a bend, it looked like Phil Mickelson’s hopes of another Green Jacket were sunk.

That was until he pulled a 6-iron and stuck it to 6 feet. Mickelson missed the eagle putt, but made the birdie coming back and closed out his third victory at the event.

14. Bubba Watson ‘Never Got This Far in [His] Dreams’

DaytonShumacher / Twitter

Event: 2012 Masters

Date: April 5–8, 2012

Location: Augusta, Georgia

Course: Augusta National Golf Club

What was memorable: Bubba Watson bent one through the woods and around the trees onto the green on the 10th during a second sudden-death playoff hole against Louis Oosthuizen to bring home the title.

End result: Watson finished with a 278, 10 under par, to win the Masters and his first major.

Winner’s share: $1,440,000

14. Bottom Line

Chris O’Meara / AP Photo

Bubba Watson had a red-hot close to his final round, making four birdies in a row to force a playoff with Louis Oosthuizen.

Deep in the woods on the second playoff hole, Watson hit a gap wedge with 40 yards of curl, hitting it to within 10 feet of a target he couldn’t even see.

He made par to close out his first green jacket.

13. Jordan Spieth Travels to the Top

Jessica Hill / AP Photo

Event: 2017 Travelers Championship

Date: June 19-25, 2017

Location: Cromwell, Connecticut

Course: TPC at River Highlands

What was memorable: Jordan Spieth holed out from a bunker on the first playoff hole during the final round.

End result: Spieth beat Daniel Berger in the playoff, finishing at 268 strokes and 12 under for the tournament.

Winner’s share: $1,224,000

13. Bottom Line

Jessica Hill / AP Photo

Jordan Spieth and Daniel Berger squared off in a sudden-death playoff at the 2017 Travelers.

After hitting a tree with his drive and landing in a bunker on his second, Spieth seemingly needed a Beger miss for birdie to stay alive. But Spieth holed his bunker shot, and pandemonium ensued, sending the place into a frenzy.

Berger missed his birdie, giving Spieth the win with one of the most amazing moments in recent history.

12. Mize’s Moment

Joe Benton / AP Photo

Event: 1987 Masters

Date: April 9−12, 1987

Location: Augusta, Georgia

Course: Augusta National Golf Club

What was memorable: Larry Mize chipped in for birdie in the playoff to win.

End result: Mize finished at 268, three under par, to win the Masters, his first and only major.

Winner’s share: $162,000

12. Bottom Line

AP Photo

Larry Mize was a supreme underdog at the 1987 Masters, but he birdied the final hole of the tournament to find his way into a playoff with Seve Ballesteros and Greg Norman, a pair of Hall of Famers.

Mize did the unthinkable on the second playoff hole, chipping in from about 100 feet away to sink Norman and secure a nearly impossible victory.

11. Rickie Fowler Owns the Gauntlet

Chris O’Meara / AP Photo

Event: 2015 Players Championship

Date: May 7–10, 2015

Location: Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida

Course: TPC Sawgrass, Stadium Course

What was memorable: Rickie Fowler charged back to beat Sergio Garcia and Kevin Kisner in a playoff.

End result: Fowler finished at 276, 12 under par, to win.

Winner’s share: $1,800,000 million

11. Bottom Line

Lynne Sladky / AP Photo

Rickie Fowler looked to be out of it, down four stepping to the 16th tee in the final round at TPC Sawgrass.

He cleared the water by inches with his second shot on 16 and made the eagle putt.

Then he stuck one on 17 and birdied 18 to force a playoff.

Three holes and two darts into No. 17 later, Fowler was the lone man left standing.

10. Gene Sarazen’s Shot Heard Round the World

AP Photo

Event: 1935 Masters

Date: April 4–8, 1935

Location: Augusta, Georgia

Course: Augusta National Golf Club

What was memorable: Gene Sarazen made an albatross, or double eagle, to tie the lead.

End result: Sarazen won in a 36-hole playoff, finishing with a 282, six under par.

Winner’s share: $1,500

10. Bottom Line

AP Photo

Craig Wood seemed destined to win just the second installment of the Masters, holding a three-shot lead over Gene Sarazen on No. 15.

That was until Sarazen hit a 4-wood that found the cup from the fairway for an albatross. Sarazen then topped Wood in a 36-hole playoff, cementing Augusta’s tournament as must-watch golf.

9. Jack Raises the Putter

Phil Sandlin / AP Photo

Event: 1986 Masters

Date: April 10–13, 1986

Location: Augusta, Georgia

Course: Augusta National Golf Club

What was memorable: Jack Nicklaus raised his putter to walk in a putt on the 17th hole during the final round, giving him the lead and the title.

End result: Nicklaus won his sixth Masters and record 18th major with a 279 total score, nine under par.

Winner’s share: $144,000

9. Bottom Line

AP Photo

A 46-year-old Jack Nicklaus was an afterthought heading into the 1986 Masters, having last won a major five years prior.

After being counted out several times, Nicklaus closed in a flurry, going eagle-birdie-birdie to fend off Tom Kite and Seve Ballesteros for his sixth green jacket.

8. Follow the Tiger

John Amis / AP Photo

Event: 2018 Tour Championship

Date: Sept. 19-23, 2018

Location: Atlanta, Georgia

Course: East Lake Golf Club

What was memorable: The fans walking to the green behind Tiger Woods

End result: Woods finished with a score of 269, 11 under par, to win his first tournament in five years.

Winner’s share: $1,620,000

8. Bottom Line

John Amis / AP Photo

Only the top 30 players on the season qualify for the Tour Championship, but Tiger Woods had an amazing comeback season in 2018 after yet another back surgery and found himself at East Lake.

He played brilliantly, and when it was clear he would win on 18, the fans started to fill in behind him as he marched his way toward the green, creating a massive sea of fans hoping for a glimpse of history.

7. The Tiger Slam

Doug Mills / AP Photo

Event: 2001 Masters

Date: April 5–8, 2001

Location: Augusta, Georgia

Course: Augusta National Golf Club

What was memorable: Tiger Woods completed the “Tiger Slam,” defeating David Duval by two strokes.

End result: Woods won his second Masters and sixth major, finishing with a 272, 16 under par.

Winner’s share: $1,008,000

7. Bottom Line

Amy Sancetta / AP Photo

At the peak of his powers, Tiger Woods had won the U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship in 2000 heading to the Masters.

He flexed his muscles yet again, topping David Duval to become the first player to hold all four major trophies at one time in a calendar year.

6. Phil Breaks Through to the Major Side

Dave Martin / AP Photo

Event: 2004 Masters

Date: April 8–11, 2004

Location: Augusta, Georgia

Course: Augusta National Golf Club

What was memorable: Phil Mickelson knocked down a birdie on 18 to win the title.

End result: Mickelson finished with a score of 279, nine under par, to win his first major championship.

Winner’s share: $1,170,000

6. Bottom Line

Dave Martin / AP Photo

Phil Mickelson could not get off the schneid.

He had come close several times, but the second-best player of his generation didn’t break through until he was 33 on a magical Sunday at Augusta.

His clutch birdie putt on 18 resulted in a fitting celebration.

5. Justin Spieth Melts Down

Chris Carlson / AP Photo

Event: 2016 Masters

Date: April 7–10, 2016

Location: Augusta, Georgia

Course: Augusta National Golf Club

What was memorable: Jordan Spieth melted down on the 12th hole and failed to defend his Masters title.

End result: Danny Willett won his first major, finishing with a 283, five under par, three strokes ahead of runners-up Lee Westwood and Speith.

Winner’s share: $1,800,000

5. Bottom Line

Chris Carlson / AP Photo

On the verge of being crowned golf’s newest phenom, Justin Spieth held a commanding lead in the final round as he stepped to the 12th tee and promptly hit two balls in the water.

In a rare moment of self-reflection, he commented to caddie Michael Greller, “I think we’re collapsing here, buddy.”

Danny Willett went on to win, and Spieth really has not recovered.

4. Tiger Isn’t Done Yet

Amy Sancetta / AP Photo

Event: 2005 Masters

Date: April 7–10, 2005

Location: Augusta, Georgia

Course: Augusta National Golf Club

What was memorable: Woods chipped in for a birdie on No. 16.

End result: Woods beat Chris DiMarco in a playoff, finishing with a score of 276, 12 under par, to win his fourth Masters and ninth major.

Winner’s share: $1,260,000

4. Bottom Line

Amy Sancetta / AP Photo

After bogeys on 14 and 15 in the final round, Woods appeared to let a fourth green jacket slip away at Augusta.

That was until his iconic chip-in birdie on 16 sent the crowd into a frenzy.

Woods closed it out, topping DiMarco in a playoff, cementing the moment as one of, if not the most memorable shot of his career.

3. Payne Stewart Triumphs

Chuck Burton / AP Photo

Event: 1999 U.S. Open

Date: June 17–20, 1999

Location: Pinehurst, North Carolina

Course: Pinehurst Resort, Course No. 2

What was memorable: Payne Stewart’s emotional celebration after outlasting Phil Mickelson.

End result: Stewart won the U.S. Open, his third and final major, finishing with a 279 total score, one under par.

Winner’s share: $625,000

3. Bottom Line

Heightened by the fact that he passed away in a tragic crash months later, Payne Stewart’s dramatic win at the 1999 U.S. Open evokes an emotional roller coaster.

Stewart’s 15-footer on 18 was just enough to get the job done, and he celebrated fittingly with the crowd in his corner.

2. Tiger Gets Back on Top of the Mountain

David J. Phillip / AP Photo

Event: 2019 Masters

Date: April 11–14, 2019

Location: Augusta, Georgia

Course: Augusta National Golf Club

What was memorable: Tiger Woods completed his comeback and won his 15th major and first since 2008.

End result: Woods won by one stroke with a bogey on 18, finishing with a total score of 275, 13 under par.

Winner’s share: $2,070,000

2. Bottom Line

Matt Slocum / AP Photo

It was a long road back for Tiger Woods, who hadn’t won at Augusta in 14 years.

Battling personal demons, physical health and countless setbacks, Woods put it all together in the final round at Augusta.

He stayed composed when others around him folded to take home an emotional win for the ages and claim his fifth green jacket.

1. Tiger vs. Rocco

Lenny Ignelzi / AP Photo

Event: 2008 U.S. Open

Date: June 12–16, 2008

Location: San Diego, California

Course: Torrey Pines Golf Course, South Course

What was memorable: Tiger Woods played on one leg, while Rocco Mediate had his dream week. Until the ending.

End result: Tiger Woods won on the first hole of sudden death, after an 18-hole playoff, finishing with a total score of 283, one under par.

Winner’s share: $1,350,000

1. Bottom Line

Chris Carlson / AP Photo

What a story this was.

A hobbled Tiger Woods charged back on Sunday to tie Rocco Mediate after 72 holes to force an 18-hole playoff on Monday.

Woods, frequently doubling over in pain, somehow outlasted Mediate to claim the title.