The Masters is right around the corner, and we’re feeling nostalgic.
Few events in sport carry as much prestige as this one. No sporting competition respects and treasures its past winners and history like The Masters, and few places are respected like Augusta National.
The hallowed turf is steeped in history, and to conquer it over 72 holes puts you in the company of some of the greatest to ever play the sport. And this tournament, the first major of the year, has produced some of the most incredible spectacles golf has ever seen.
So here, we’re ranking the five greatest Masters in the event’s history.
5. 1935: The shot heard around the world
There’s an argument that The Masters wouldn’t be what it is today without the 1935 championship, which put the tournament on the map.
The 1935 Masters, only the second in history, produced one of the most famous shots in sports history.
Gene Sarazen trailed leader Craig Wood by three strokes with only four holes to play. On the par-5 15th, Sarazen struck a 4-wood from 235 yards that rolled into the cup for an albatross. It was the event’s first albatross, a feat that wouldn’t be replicated until 1994.
This was named “the shot heard around the world”, and it erased Sarazen’s deficit in one swing. He forced a 36-hole playoff the following day, which he won by five strokes.
The miracle shot didn’t just win Sarazen the title; it gave the fledgling tournament the national prestige it needed to survive. It also made Sarazen the first to complete the Career Grand Slam.
4. 2025: Rory McIlroy’s masterpiece
The 2025 Masters provided the long-awaited climax to one of golf’s greatest subplots: Rory McIlroy’s quest for the Career Grand Slam. After years of heartbreak, the Northern Irishman finally overcame his 2011 collapse with his first win at Augusta National.
Entering the final round with a two-shot lead, McIlroy endured a chaotic Sunday, starting with a double-bogey on the first and stumbling mid-round.
However, a brilliant 7-iron on the 15th set up a crucial birdie, keeping him tied with a surging Justin Rose. A bogey on the last sent him into a playoff with Rose, before he birdied the playoff hole and fell to his knees.
After both finished at -11, McIlroy secured the Green Jacket. The win made him only the sixth man to complete the modern Grand Slam, ending a decade-long major drought.
3. 1997: Tiger Woods smashes the record books
The 1997 Masters was the definitive coronation of the Tiger Woods era. At just 21 years old, Woods became the youngest champion in history and decimated the entire field in his very first major championship.
Despite a poor start, shooting 4-over-par 40 on his opening nine holes, he rebounded to play the remaining 63 holes in 22-under par.
Woods made a statement, finishing at -18 (270) to set a then-tournament record. His 12-stroke margin of victory remains the largest in Masters history, a performance so dominant it forced golf to modernise forever.
2. 2019: Tiger Woods returns to the summit
Woods’ 2019 Masters win marked the most improbable comeback in the history of the sport. 11 years after his last major victory and following four debilitating back surgeries that once left him unable to walk, Woods arrived at Augusta as a sentimental favourite but a statistical underdog.
Woods was in contention throughout Sunday, but the 12th hole, which has made and broken countless stars over the decades, elevated Tiger above the rest of the field, which idolised him growing up.
Four of his closest competitors, including Francesco Molinari and Brooks Koepka, found the water, while Woods played a disciplined shot to the centre of the green.
He seized the lead with a clinical birdie on 15 and a near-ace on 16. When he tapped in for bogey on 18 to finish at -13, the resulting roar shook the pines.
Woods’ emotional embrace with his children, mirroring his 1997 win with his father, solidified 2019 as a legendary redemptive arc, and one we will remember forever.
1. 1986: The Golden Bear’s last hurrah
The 1986 Masters is widely revered as the greatest major championship ever played. At age 46, Jack Nicklaus was considered a ceremonial starter, having not won a major in six years.
He was labelled done by the media, and the Golden Bear began the final round four shots back. What followed was a back-nine 30 that shocked the world.
The charge ignited at the 15th with an eagle, followed by a near-ace at the 16th. When Nicklaus buried a birdie putt on 17, announcer Verne Lundquist delivered an iconic “Yes sir!” call.
Nicklaus finished at -9, then watched from the clubhouse as a leaderboard of titans, Seve Ballesteros, Greg Norman, and Tom Kite, all crumbled under the pressure of his clubhouse lead.
He became the oldest Masters winner, securing his record sixth Green Jacket and 18th major. It remains the ultimate testament to the magic of Augusta National.
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