The Best Masters Tournament Moments of All Time
The 2026 Masters will take place April 9-12 at the traditional venue of Augusta National, with this year’s tournament the 90th edition of one of the crown jewels of professional golf. Given the pageantry, tradition and elite caliber of entrants the Masters lays claim to, it’s fitting the event has served as the platform for some of the sport’s most unforgettable moments.
Ahead of another year sure to create more indelible memories, let’s take a look at nine defining Masters moments of years past:
9. Ben Crenshaw Wins Same Year Harvey Penick Passes (1995)
Ben Crenshaw certainly didn’t lack for accomplishments by the time the 1995 Masters unfolded, having won the tournament 11 years earlier and also laying claim to a 1975 U.S Open title, 1978 and 1979 The Open crowns and the 1979 PGA Championship. However, one aspect that made his second Masters first-place finish all the more special was that it came just one week after his lifelong mentor, Harvey Penick, had passed away at the age of 90.
Crenshaw emerged victorious over Davis Love III by just a single stroke, recording a 14-under par 274. Crenshaw’s winning putt was followed by a spontaneous emotional reaction from the Austin, Texas-born golfer, who buried his head in his hands for several seconds after the shot went in, a cathartic display undoubtedly fueled by both his second Green Jacket and the memory of Penick.
8. Phil Mickelson Wins Masters Same Year Arnold Palmer Plays it Last (2004)
Although Phil Mickelson had already recorded a pair of second-place finishes at the U.S. Open in 1999 and 2002 by the time the 2004 Masters rolled around, the now 55-year-old was still seeking his first championship. Mickelson would end up finally reaching that milestone in the same edition of the Masters where the legendary Arnold Palmer ended up making his 50th and final competitive appearance at Augusta.
Mickelson’s victory was worthy of the momentous set of circumstances it coincided with. He’d birdie five of his final seven holes and drained an 18-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to edge runner-up Ernie Els by a single stroke. The career-defining victory broke the proverbial ice for Mickelson, who went on to win a Green Jacket in 2006 and 2010 and also notched pair of PGA championships (2005, 2021) and one The Open Championship (2013).
7. Gene Sarazen’s Albatross ‘Shot Heard Round the World’ (1935)
While the first two entries on this list don’t stretch inordinately into the past, Gene Sarazen’s famous double eagle on the par-5 15th at Augusta National traces back nearly a full century. Nevertheless, it’s golf’s version of the “Shot Heard Round the World,” the moniker it was christened with after drawing Sarazen into a share of the lead with Craig Wood. The duo was still tied through 72 holes, and the deadlock necessitated a 36-hole playoff the following day.
Sarazen ended up prevailing in what would serve as his seventh and final major championship victory. Previously, the New York-born golfer had recorded PGA Championship wins in 1922, 1923 and 1933, U.S. Open titles in 1922 and 1932, and a 1932 The Open crown as well. Sarazen’s feat, which came with a 4-wood and initially landed short of the green before bouncing onto the putting surface on the way to the cup, unfolded in what was only the second edition of The Masters.
6. Roberto De Vicenzo Loses Off Wrong Signed Score Card (1968)
The first three entries on our list all commemorate ascendant moments for the golfers that accomplished them. However, Robert De Vicenzo’s 1968 score card gaffe is a notable exception and serves as a reminder of how thin the line can be between the proverbial thrill of victory and agony of defeat.
At the 1968 Masters, the Argentina-born De Vincenzo, already an accomplished golfer who’d just taken home The Open title the year prior, had shot a 65 in the final round. That score was enough to force a playoff with Bob Goalby, but he fell victim to an error by his playing partner Tommy Aaron. Aaron recorded a par-4 instead of the correct birdie-3 on De Vincenzo’s 17th hole and the latter signed the scorecard without checking.
The error left him with a 66 score, allowing Goalby to take home the Green Jacket without the need for a playoff due to the rules stating a scorecard signed with an incorrect higher score must stand.
5. Tiger’s Legacy Set in Big Win (1997)
Tiger Woods seems to be perpetually in the news for both on- and off-course developments, and his 1997 Masters victory is certainly one of those instances where he was recognized for all the right reasons. The win is widely accepted as the true starting point of Woods’ legacy as a professional, given the dominance exhibited and the fact it happened when he was the precocious age of 21. Not only did that make Tiger the youngest player to ever win at Augusta National, but the first golfer of African-American heritage as well.
Additionally, given Woods’ age and the fact the win instantly made him the face of the sport, it is credited for having golf gain sudden widespread acceptance among a much younger demographic than that which typically followed the sport. Additionally, Woods’ tournament-record 18-under 270 bested a mark that previously had been held than no less than legends Jack Nicklaus and Raymond Floyd.
4. Jack Nicklaus Wins 6th Green Jacket (1986)
Speaking of the legendary Golden Bear, Nicklaus’ sixth and final Masters victory is noteworthy enough to rank No. 4 on this list. Nicklaus sixth Green Jacket was a record, and he accomplished the feat at 46 years old and with a final-round score of 65. The all-time great got that final victory in style, as he chased down Greg Norman and Tom Kite, two of his most accomplished contemporaries, to beat both by one shot and become the oldest winner in Masters history.
On the way to the milestone win, Nicklaus shot a 30 on the back nine, and he was a full five shots off the lead entering the final round. However, Nicklaus locked in, recording birdies in five of the last nine holes, including a clutch 40-foot shot on the 17th hole. The win would mark Nicklaus’ 18th and final major championship, although he impressively placed sixth at the 1998 Masters at age 58.
3. Lee Elder First African-American to Play Masters (1975)
While Woods’ aforementioned 1997 win undoubtedly carried social significance, it’s fair to say that a full 22 years earlier, Lee Elder paved the way for Tiger to even be in the position to earn his Green Jacket. Then 41 years old, Elder became the first African-American golfer to compete in the Masters. Elder punched his entry into the famed tournament with a victory at the 1974 Monsanto Open, which also served as his first PGA Tour victory.
Elder’s Masters experience didn’t have a fairytale ending in terms of what unfolded on the course itself; rather, it came to a relatively unremarkable and abrupt end when he missed the cut with scores of 74 and 78 on the first two days. Nevertheless, Elder’s milestone in terms of participation was a true example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts; not only did he break the color barrier while navigating confirmed accounts of legitimate threats to his safety, but he ignited the process of integration in a sport that lagged behind most others in that area.
2. Rory McIlroy Beats Justin Rose in Playoff for 1st Green Jacket (2025)
We set our sights on the much more recent past for our runner-up entry and hone in on last year’s Masters, one that saw Rory McIlroy garner his long-awaited first Green Jacket. The Northern Ireland native had been toiling in the professional ranks since 2007, and while he boasted wins in the U.S. Open (2011), PGA Championship (2012, 2014) and The Open (2014) — not to mention countless awards and accolades — the Masters still eluded McIlroy.
That all changed with his birdie on the first playoff hole, the 18th, to defeat Justin Rose, who’d birdied in his own right on six of the final eight holes to force the playoff. McIlroy’s win gave him his first major victory in since 2014 and also made him the sixth golfer to achieve the career Grand Slam, joining a distinguished list that also consists of Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.
1. Tigers Returns to Win Masters (2019)
Woods’ second entry on the list also serves as our top Masters moment, and it boasts perfect symmetry with that memorable 1997 milestone victory. Just as Tiger became the first African-American to win the Masters exactly 22 years after Elder broke the tournament’s color barrier, Woods scored a redemptive 2019 victory the same number of years removed from his first Green Jacket. The win was his 15th major title and afforded him his fifth Green Jacket overall, snapping what was at the time a 14-year Masters drought, the longest between titles at the tournament.
Far from the fresh-faced 21-year-old that had prevailed in 1997, Woods accomplished the 2019 title at 43 with a final-round 2-under 70 to finish the tournament at 13-under 275 and edge the trio of Dustin Johnson, Xander Schauffele and Brooks Koepka. Woods had entered the final round trailing by two, but his birdies on the 13th and 15th holes were key to his comeback. The win also was the high point of a career comeback for Woods, who’d been plagued by multiple physical and personal issues for several years prior.
Photo Credit: David J. Phillip/AP
