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5 best golf shots in history

From Tiger Woods to Seve Ballesteros, these are the top five golf shots in the history of the sport…

05 April 2018 1 minute read 5 best golf shots in history

1. Tiger Woods, 16th hole, 2005 Masters
We couldn’t have a take on the best golf shots without an entry on Tiger Woods. From all his standout moments, it’s the 16th hole of the 2005 Masters that we felt deserved a place on the list. Playing against DiMarco, Woods performed a poor tee shot that sent his ball to rest against the second cut.

Commentators asserted that there was no way the champion golfer could get close to the hole from his compromised position, but in one smooth motion, Woods chipped the ball past the hole into a backstop 30 feet away, then watched as the ball rolled all the way back and into the hole.
  

Best Golf Shots
  

2. Tom Watson, 17th hole, 1982 US Open
Tom Watson’s ball had come to rest into the green side rough of the 17th hole at Pebble Beach. It didn’t look hopeful, but Watson reassured his caddie that he’d get a birdie – a bold claim, especially when the golfer was tied with fellow player Jack Nicklaus.

The position called for Watson’s favourite cut shot, so he made a short swing, caught the underside of the ball, and celebrated as it cleared the rough and disappeared into the hole.

3. Seve Ballesteros, 18th hole, 1983 Ryder Cup
It seems that some of the best shots are played from the worst positions. Seve Ballesteros found himself in the bunker on the 18th hole at the Ryder Cup after firing a shot into deep rough, just 245 yards from the hole.

He then proceeded to hit what Jack Nicklaus described as the ‘greatest shot [he] ever saw,’ landing the ball on the fringe of the green.

4. Gene Sarazen, 15th hole, 1935 Masters
This one is a throwback to the old days of golf. Playing with a fairway wood, meaning his margin of error was immeasurably more narrow than it would be with today’s irons, Gene Sarazen was under pressure in the final round of the 1935 Masters, three behind Craig Wood with four still to play.

It was at this game that Sarazen played the shot heard ‘round the world’, eliminating the competition in his second shot on the par-5 hole. Sarazen tied with Wood and went on to beat him in the Monday play-off.
 

Best Golf Shots
  

5. Bubba Watson, play-off, 2012 Masters
Bubba Watson’s misjudged shot into dense woodland on the 10th hole of the 2012 Masters looked to set him way back against opponent Louis Oostuizen. The star player had performed four consecutive birdies from the 13th hole, leading to a play-off.

Both players parred on the first try, but on the second, Watson’s hooked drive left him in dense woodland with a slim chance of coming up top. Never one to give up, he produced a wedge shot that bent an impossible 90 degrees and landed just 15 feet from the hole.

What are some of the greatest shots you remember?
  

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