The Most Memorable Golf Shots in Majors History
5 of the Greatest and Most Memorable Shots Ever Hit at Golf Majors
Do you remember Constantino Rocca’s Monster Putt in 1995? Or when Tiger Woods blew everyone away with a chip shot in 2005?
Take a trip down memory lane with 5 of the most memorable shots ever played in a golf major - by sports writer Tim Ellis.
Larry Mize celebrates his legendary chip at the 1987 Masters
Major championships are what players prepare for - and the best tournaments are always punctuated by a magical shot that changed the course of destiny in the final round.
Sometimes, those magical shots don’t always win the tournament but when they do, they can provide a moment in time that is never forgotten.
To produce a golden touch under the most extreme pressure is the true mark of a winner.
Read about 5 of the most memorable shots in major history!
1. Costantino Rocca’s Monster Putt: 1995 St. Andrew’s at The Open (Disclaimer: Rocca didn’t win)
Costantino Rocca was a diminutive, lovable Italian who showed some decent form in the majors from the mid to late 1990s.
One such tournament just happened to be at the Old Course, St Andrews, when he came down the 72nd hole needing a birdie to force a playoff against Wild Thing, John Daly.
Rocca crunched his drive on the short par 4 but fluffed his pitch, leaving him a massive 66-foot putt across the Valley of Sin.
Incredibly, the line and length were perfect and the cutaway shot of Daly’s face on the BBC as the ball disappeared was just as memorable.
Rocca collapsed face down on the turf, beating the ground in joy. The Californian pulled himself together to win the four-hole shootout when Rocca got stuck in the Road Hole bunker.
2. Larry Mize’s Magic at the Masters 1987
If any man had reason to retire with a broken heart, Greg Norman was that man.
In 1986, the Australian had a shot at winning all four majors but only ended up with the Open after hitting mid-70 rounds in the final rounds of the US Open and PGA.
At the latter, Bob Tway chipped in to steal the tournament to make matters worse.
The following year, the Great White Shark made it to a three-way playoff at the Masters where he came up against “local” Larry Mize and two-time winner Seve Ballesteros.
At the first extra hole, the Spaniard three-putted and was inconsolable as he departed the contest.
At the second hole, Mize and Norman both found the fairway with their tee shots but the American leaked his 5-iron well right of the green about 140 feet from the hole.
Norman’s second shot was about 40 feet from the flag.
Mize hit a splendid chip shot that bounced twice on the grassy bank and then landed perfectly to roll into the hole.
Norman was stunned: “I never once thought about him holing. I thought it was a tough up-and-down.”
The 28-year-old victor was ecstatic: “I picked a doozy to win. I'd probably rather win this than any other. I beat the two greatest players in the world.''
3. Sandy Lyle’s Bunker Beauty at Augusta 1988
Sandy Lyle has just signed his last ever card at the Masters, 35 years on from that famous day when his victory at Augusta paved the way for the Europeans to dominate the event over the next few years.
It looked unlikely that the Scot could win the tournament as he needed a three on the 72nd hole to pip burly American Mark Calcavecchia.
Lyle planted his tee shot in the bunker 150 yards from the flag with the ball quite close to the lip face.
The next shot was quite simply out of this world: “That was one of the most incredible shots that I’ve ever seen over there,” said Ben Crenshaw, who partnered the 1985 Open champion in the final round.
“He took a 7-iron and took a very aggressive swing, and the ball was contacted just perfectly. He didn’t take much sand, and the ball just rocketed out of there straight up in the air.”
It finished 12 feet from the hole and Lyle sank the putt, doing the most minimalistic Scottish jig to celebrate his green jacket.
4. Tiger Woods’ Chip Shot on the 16th at Augusta 2005
No apologies for including Augusta again. In 2005, Woods had already pulled on the green jacket three times but he was in a battle with fellow countryman Chris DiMarco.
Tiger pulled his tee shot at the short 16th to the first cut at the left of the green. Any “gimme” par putt would need total precision to land the ball on the slope and then let it roll down.
The ball did exactly that and stopped at the hole edge for what seemed like an eternity before going under.
Woods’ reaction was pure adrenaline as he snatched a two-shot lead. Ultimately he would drop a couple of shots and be forced into an eventual playoff to beat DiMarco at the first extra hole.
"I was just trying to throw the ball up there on the hill and let it feed down there and hopefully have a makeable putt.
All of a sudden, it looked really good, and it looked like how could it not go in, and how did it not go in, and all of a sudden it went in." Quite.
5. Shaun Micheel Makes Oak Hill Come to Heel at 2003 PGA
Micheel is not a name that stirs up too many memories of majors. In fact, he never made the top 20, let alone the leaderboard, of the US Open, the Open or the Masters.
It was the US PGA where his claim to fame lies.
In one of the more low-key, less starry finishes in 2003, the Florida man held a one-shot lead over Chad Campbell striding down the 18th but he carved his tee shot into the first cut.
From just under 180 yards out, the self-taught golfer hit a gorgeous, arching approach to within a couple of inches to seal the deal.
His parents clearly loved it almost as much as he did… Micheel also finished second to Tiger Woods in the same event three years later.
We’d love to hear your most memorable major shot! Let us know in the comments.
