The 5 greatest golf shots of all time

Mickelson tackles another tough shot. Lynne Cameron/PA Wire.

There are a number of factors to consider when thinking about a great golf shot. It’s not just about its technical difficulty; when the shot was played also matters. Was the golfer under pressure? Was a trophy on the line? Were they showboating knowing they had the round in the bag? You can also add to that personal considerations, weather conditions, and the monetary prize on the line.

Put these together and you’ll hopefully agree that these are the 5 best golf shots of all time…

Tiger Woods: 2005 Masters

Watching Tiger at the height of his game was quite the spectacle and this shot on the 16^th hole for birdie was a proper crowd-pleaser. It almost played like a trick shot, but on the world’s biggest stage.

Perched on the edge of the rough, he delicately chipped the ball onto the green before it took a 90 degree swerve and rolled ever so slowly towards the hole before seemingly stopping on the edge. It hung there, audience silent, for what felt like an eternity - but was probably not less than half a second - before plopping in the hole. Woods went on to win the title.

Phil Mickelson: 2010 Masters

Pity the man who ignores his caddies’ advice. Unless, of course, you’re Phil Mickelson who’s never been one to do anything that he didn’t want to. Such as in the 2010 Masters on the 13^th hole, when he decided not to lay-up, as was suggested, but to go for broke.

Stuck in the rough behind two trees and with a bit of distance between himself and the green, he decided he could easily make it. Not only did he get onto the green, but he landed just six feet from the pin. Of course, Mickelson being Mickelson, he missed the putt – but that’s a different story.

Shaun Michael: 2003 PGA

Many of these shots take place midway through the course – but not this one. On the 18^th, with the title hanging in the balance, Michael pulled out one of the great approach shots.

Bringing out his 7^th iron, the man who was ranked 169 in the world at the time needed a shot on the final hole that would make a world number 1 proud. And what a shot it was, sailing 174 yards onto the green and just inches from the hole. Michael went on to win the tournament by just two shots.

Tom Watson in action. PA Archive.

Tom Watson: 1982 US Open

Another great pressure shot, Tom Watson was going up against one of the greatest golfers of all time – Jack Nicklaus – for the US Open title. All he needed was to make par on the 17^th to head into a playoff. But an unruly tee shot left him in the rough.

It’s said Watson’s caddie told him to just get close. Watson, legend has it, retorted: “I’m not going to get close. I’m going to make it.” And make it he did, with a perfect pitch shot right into the hole. He went on to birdie the 18^th and take the title by two strokes. Nicklaus claims that if Watson had missed the shot, he wouldn’t have gone on to win. We’ll never know.

Sandy Lyle collects his well-earned British Masters trophy. PA Archive.

Sandy Lyle: 1988 Masters

On the 18^th hole at Augusta with the Masters on the line is not a place many of us will ever find ourselves. But it’s where Sandy Lyle found himself in 1988, looking to force a play-off against Mark Calcavecchia.

And things didn’t go to plan. His first shot left him on the left hand side of the bunker. But such challenges are what champions are made of. With quite a distance to travel to the pin, Lyle played an almost perfect shot, lifting the ball high and onto the green. Not only did he make the green, but the ball dropped dead still on arrival just a few feet from the hole. He took the putt and became the first UK golfer to win the Masters.