The 100 Greatest Golf Shots Ever!

It was the mission of all missions, but Golf Monthly has given it a go! Through hours of research, we have brought together our list of the 100 greatest golf shots ever played. From old-school legends like Ben Hogan to the modern-day mavericks of John Daly, it’s time to pour yourself a brew, sit back and enjoy…

So what’s the best golf shot you have ever hit? Could it be the flushed 7-iron to two feet to set up that match-winning birdie? Or perhaps it was a bunker shot from 60 yards that caught the back of the green; only to spin back some 10 feet and come to rest just inches from the pin? Or maybe it was the gritty six-footer you holed in your monthly medal to register a new personal best and get your handicap down to the magic number you had always been striving for?

Chances are you will be wracking your brains by now; your minds evaluating those high-tariff shots that left your playing partners bemused but bedazzled. Well, this is exactly what we’ve been doing in the Golf Monthly office for, give and take, the last three months as we have trawled through the history books and spent hours watching YouTube footage to come up with the best 100 ever hit.

When the idea of the list first came about, we knew the perils of such a task. Firstly, how can you attempt to be so definitive on a topic that is so subjective? But we came up with a points system, taking in flair, importance, pressure and difficulty and, shot by shot, we feel we have covered our backs enough to bring you what we feel is a fantastically researched list with expert opinion and analysis.

What we also appreciate is that you, the readers, clearly know what you’re talking about, because through interaction via various surveys and countless tweets, we were always revisiting the list to ensure we hadn’t dropped any clangers with some obvious omissions. We know we haven’t got it 100% right, but that isn’t the aim of this list.

Let us know what you think by emailing golfmonthly@ipcmedia.com, or tweet us at @golfmonthly – who knows, maybe your next shot will be worthy of inclusion one day...

100. Zach Johnson - Bunker shot, 2012 John Deere Classic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgcUcHngnKI

Zach Johnson found a promising lie in the bunker at the second play-off hole at the 2012 John Deere Classic, but he faced 194 yards with a tree obscuring his view of the green. “That’s a good-looking shot...” said David Feherty of his controlled 6-iron. As his draw arched towards the green, Feherty added: “Needs to kick to the left...” It did, and rolled one foot from the pin. “Spectacular shot,” added Ian Baker-Finch.

GM Rating 65/100 99. Jean van de Velde - Holes out, 1999 Open Championship

Mention Jean van de Velde in the same sentence as ‘Carnoustie’ and ‘18th hole’ and you’ll conjure images of rolled-up trousers in the Barry Burn. Yet 23 minutes after his tee shot – and five subsequent shots that sunk his outright title hopes – he holed a putt which is often forgotten. From 8ft, the Frenchman held his nerve to find the cup on the right lip, a stroke described in one documentary as the “bravery after the madness”.

GM Rating 65.5/100

98. Lee Westwood - Bunker shot on 18th, 2009 Open Championship

Polite clapping accompanied Lee Westwood’s drive at the last as he attempted to secure the Open in 2009, but his ball was seemingly drawn towards a deep sand trap hugging the left of the fairway. Yet with his view obscured by the top lip and the wind inhis face, Westwood fired into the bank of the right side of the green and settled 50ft from the pin. Sadly, he three-putted from there when two would have been good enough for a play-off.

GM Rating 65.7/100

97. Scott Drummond - Chip in to secure tour card, 2009 Q School

Q School is a gruelling enough ordeal for anyone, but for Drummond 2009 was his first visit since his 2004 PGA winner’s exemption had expired. When he missed the green on the 108th hole of the event needing to make a last-gasp birdie to grab one of the highly prized tour cards, all looked lost. But it wasn’t. With so much riding on it, he amazingly summoned the skill and touch to hole his 25-yard chip and make it right on the mark.

GM Rating 66.3/100

96. Arnold Palmer - Drives 1st green, final round , 1969 US Open

Palmer was seven strokes behind Mike Souchak with one round to play at Cherry Hills. On the 346-yard 1st hole he stated his intent. He’d been annoyed at not driving the green in the first three rounds so this time he really went at it. The ball ripped off the clubface and rolled up onto the putting surface. He made an easy birdie and went on to shoot an amazing 65 to win by two.

GM Rating 66.7/100

95. Jack Fleck - Birdie putt to tie Hogan, 1955 US Open

Little-known Jack Fleck was two behind the great Ben Hogan with four to play. ‘The Hawk’ was safely in the clubhouse and most had given him the title. But Fleck made a birdie at the 15th and followed it with two pars. He needed a birdie at the last to tie. He played two fine shots and was left with a downhill, right-to-left eight-footer to force a play-off. Under the most immense pressure, he sank it and went on to beat Hogan the following day.

GM Rating 67/100

94. Tiger Woods - Chips in at the last, 2001 World Cup Japan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwZZYqBUWYA

Tiger Woods stood over a poor lie on a downhill slope in hay-like grass at the 18th during the 2001 World Cup needing an eagle to force a play-off with Denmark and South Africa. But he used the bank to perfection, taking the pace off the ball and using the green’s contours to hole out. “The things he does at certain moments are incredible,” said Bruce Critchley in the commentary booth.

GM Rating 68/100

93. Justin Rose - Holed pitch, 18th, final round 1998 Open, Royal Birkdale

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EZ3-BTQWd0

For three days as the northwest wind blew most of the field away at the 1998 Open, a 17-year-old named Justin Rose was busy becoming the nation’s new sporting hero. Tied for second place on Friday, his challenge ultimately looked to be falling away and although he held firm in rotten conditions through Saturday, no one expected him to stay with the frontrunners. But on Sunday, his finish would go down in Open folklore; buried in thick rough and playing his third into Birkdale’s long par-4 18th, Rose lofted his pitch shot high into the skies and watched as the ball skipped and bounced towards the hole before dropping from 60 yards out for a birdie and a tie for fourth. Cue ecstatic celebrations as a star was born.

GM Rating 68.2/100

92. Rory McIlroy - Sand wedge to 14th at Killarney, 2011 Irish Open

One hundred and fifty yards from the pin in thick rough and with a huge tree directly in his path, McIlroy’s options appeared limited. But displaying great aggression and vision, the US Open Champion hit a high, 50-yard hook with a sand wedge around the tree, landing the ball just 12 feet from the hole. “I was really just trying to get it in the front bunker,” he said. “It was definitely one of the best shots I’ve ever hit.”

GM Rating 69/100

91. Miguel Angel Jimenez - Slam dunk ace, 2008 Dubai Desert Classic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQvyjp2AdJQ

The slam dunk is a cracker to witness as there’s always that brief moment of confusion as to where the ball has gone before reality sinks in and unbridled elation erupts. Even more so when it’s from the tee of a 175-yard par 3 as was the case with Jimenez’s perfectly struck 6-iron on the 7th hole in the first round of 2008’s Dubai Desert Classic. Perfect clubbing from the caddie; perfect execution from Miguel.

GM Rating 69.5/100

90. Terry Wogan - 100ft putt in Celebrity Golf Challenge, 1981

Playing with Fuzzy Zoeller at Gleneagles on the BBC’s Pro-Celebrity Golf show, Terry Wogan joked: “I need a driver from here” when faced with a putt of around 100 feet. However, seconds later the ball was in the bottom of the cup and Wogan was being rugby tackled by Zoeller in celebration. Described as the longest putt holed on television until swimmer Michael Phelps beat him at the 2012 Alfred Dunhil Links Championship.

GM Rating 70/100

89. Nick Faldo -Wedge to 5ft, 1995 Ryder Cup singles versus Curtis Strange

Nick Faldo thrived on pressure, but even this seemed beyond him. One down with two to play against America’s wild card selection Curtis Strange, Faldo pulled the match back to all square on the 17th. With Strange wilting as the Oak Hill galleries sensed the unthinkable, Faldo, having to play his third shot from 100 yards out after missing the fairway with his drive, hit the perfect wedge to five feet. Strange bogeyed and when the Englishman rolled home the ensuing putt for par, the Ryder Cup was heading back to Europe. Not surprisingly, everyone started crying...

GM Rating 70.2/100

88. Brian Watts - Bunker shot, 1998 Open, Royal Birkdale

On the final day of the 1998 Open, Brian Watts needed to get down in two from a deep greenside bunker at the 18th to force a play-off with Mark O’Meara. Despite an awkward stance and a downward lie, Watts hit what O’Meara called “an amazing shot”, narrowly avoiding the lip and almost converting. “I heard the crowd, but couldn’t tell if it was an inch or three feet. It was less than a foot,” enthused Watts.

GM Rating 70.6/100 

87. Phil Mickelson - Putt on 18 to win the 2004 US Masters

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHrvi4xtlgE

After 11 holes of the final round at Augusta in 2004, an elusive first Major seemed to have yet again slipped through Phil Mickelson’s fingers. He rallied, however, with three consecutive birdies from the 12th. Tied with Ernie Els after 17 holes, he hit his approach to 18 feet on the last, and celebrated with joy amid cacophonous cheering after watching his birdie putt catch the lip and topple into the hole.

GM Rating 71/100

86. Jonathan Byrd - Hole-in-one, play-off for 2010 Shriners Open

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5CvsG7olm0

In rapidly fading light, Jonathan Byrd, Martin Laird and Cameron Percy had a discussion about whether it was too dark to continue after they’d tied the first three holes of a sudden-death play-off. They decided to play one more – the 204-yard 17th. Byrd had the honour and fired a six-iron into the dusk. He couldn’t see the result but it pitched just short and rolled straight into the hole. No need to worry about the dark anymore, lads, it’s tournament over!

GM Rating 71.4/100

85. Lanny Wadkins - Final hole wedge against Canizares, 1983 Ryder Cup

In 1983 the Ryder Cup became a contest once more, with Europe coming a mere hair’s breadth from victory. They might well have done it too, but for the feisty Wadkin’s superb 72-yard three-quarter wedge to a foot to halve the third-from-last singles. “To pull that shot off under those circumstances was something I’ve remembered for a long time,” Lanny later reflected. Captain Nicklaus was so impressed he kissed the divot from whence it had been struck!

GM Rating 71.8/100

84. Nick Faldo - Final putt for 18 consecutive pars, 1987 Open, Muirfield

A day after his 30th birthday, during the last round of the 1987 Open and in weather so gloomy Gary Player joked he’d “shrunk a bit”, Nick Faldo had the opportunity to win the ultimate present, his first Major. Faldo had parred the previous 17 and was so pumped he nailed a 5-iron to within 40 feet. He hit his first putt five feet right, but sunk his second for a faultless final-round 71. Soon after, Paul Azinger’s bogey on the same hole meant the title was the Englishman’s.

GM Rating 72/100

83. Jimmy Demaret- Bunker shot, 1951 Ryder Cup

All square with Dai Rees with three to play, Demaret looked in trouble when his ball found a terrible plugged lie in the greenside bunker, while the Welshman was on the putting surface in regulation. But the American miraculously holed the splash shot and Rees missed his putt. Demaret got up and down from sand 10 times during the 36-hole match to break Rees’ spirit and win by two holes.

GM Rating 72.6/100

82. Annika Sorenstam - Eagle approach at 18, 2008 US Open

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2hlstxTu-o

Annika Sorenstam didn’t win the 2008 Women’s US Open (she finished tied 28th), but after announcing her retirement from the professional game earlier in the year, this would be the last time she would tee it up in an event she had won three times. Standing over the ball 199 yards from the front of the green, she caressed a 6-iron, her ball rolled onto the green before dropping dead weight into the hole. Not a bad way to say goodbye.

GM Rating 73/100

81. Ignacio Garrido - Bunker shot, 1997 Ryder Cup

With the score 7.5 – 3.5 in Europe’s favour during the middle morning of the 1997 Ryder Cup, the fourball between Jose-Maria Olazabal/Ignacio Garrido and Phil Mickelson/Tom Lehman came at a critical point of the Saturday session. On the 17th, Garrido was in a bunker behind the green. He faced a downhill lie and a sloping green towards water, but the Spaniard got up and down with arguably the shot of the week. Quite brilliant. The Spanish duo would hold on for a half as Seve Ballesteros’ side maintained their advantage.

GM Rating 73.2/100

80. Charl Schwartzel - Holed pitch for eagle, 3rd hole, 2011 Masters

Schwartzel had got off to the fastest possible start on Masters Sunday by holing an unlikely chip on the 1st to turn bogey into birdie. So he must have had to pinch himself when his crisply struck 108-yard sand wedge pitched pin-high 12ft from the hole on the 3rd, hopped forward once, took the spin, turned sharply left, and rolled straight into the hole. Hardly surprising that it would turn out to be Schwartzel’s day as two holes behind, Rory McIlroy’s implosion had already begun.

GM Rating 73.6/100

79. Paul Lawrie - Putt on 18th, Final round 2001 Dunhill Links Championship

The Scot, winless since capturing the 1999 Open Championship, was two ahead with two to play, but Ernie Els birdied the 18th while Lawrie made a bogey at the notoriously tough Road Hole. That meant Lawrie needed a three at the last to win outright. When his second shot screwed back off the putting surface into the Valley of Sin, his objective was two putts to force a play-off. But, from some 40 yards, he holed out to win by a single stroke.

GM Rating 73.8/100

78. Bernhard Langer - 75-foot putt to force a play-off, 1995 European Open

The normally poker-faced German was forced into acting completely out of character when his 75-foot eagle putt traced its way across the K Club’s 18th green, homed inexorably in on the target and dropped to force a play-off with Barry Lane. Milliseconds later the ecstatic Langer was running and leaping around with childlike exuberance. Little wonder he still regards it as his most memorable shot ever.

GM Rating 73.9/100

77. Miguel Angel Jimenez - 17th at St Andrews, Third round, 2010 Open

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIKGf0Xl_CA

The approach to the penultimate hole on the Old Course is fraught with danger as many a player has found to their cost over the years of championship golf. Leave it short and the principal risk is the perilous Road Hole bunker. But there’s no bail out long either, as Miguel Angel Jimenez discovered in the third round of the 2010 Open.

His second shot was too strong and it skipped through the green, over the eponymous ‘road’ and up against the stone wall marking the boundary of the course. His options were limited. Taking a penalty drop was challenging as two club lengths would take him nearer the hole, and going back to the fairway was not appealing.

So he decided to play it. He took one look back at the hole, then turned to face the wall. He then took a long swing and hit the ball hard into the wall with a lofted club. It jumped up and back, high into the air over his head before landing softly on the narrow putting surface. The stroke elicited rapturous applause from the grandstands behind the wall.

“Such shots make you feel you’re up on a cloud,” he said in an interview with Golf Monthly. “It was fantastic – a beautiful moment.”

GM Rating 74/100

76. Tiger Woods- Putt on 17th, 2001 Players Championship, Sawgrass

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xi4y8BxCmlI

At the halfway stage of the 2001 Players Championship, Tiger Woods was six shots back from leader Jerry Kelly. Stepping onto the famous 17th tee in the third round he had reduced the arrears to three. But his 9-iron carried slightly too long and he was left with a quick double-breaking downhill putt of some 50 feet. He judged it to perfection. Tiger admitted afterwards had it not hit the hole it would have ended up off the green. He went on to win by one shot – still his only Players Championship victory to date.

GM Rating 74.3/100

75. Seve Ballesteros- Bunker shot, Shell’s World of Golf

In a match against archrival Paul Azinger, Seve found a fairway bunker on the 6th. Up near the face, the only option looked a blast out to the fairway. But Seve selected a 9-iron, put his weight back in his stance and fired a towering shot out of the sand, high into the air and onto the green. “There’s only one man in the world who could play that shot,” Azinger reluctantly conceded.

GM Rating 74.8/100

74. Nick Faldo- 2-iron to 13th, final round, 1996 US Masters

With Norman’s meltdown in full flow after a watery double on 12, and Faldo now leading for the first time, the Englishman hit a safe drive down the right of 13 prompting the CBS commentator to say, “That’s got lay-up in it, there.” With Norman forced into doing just that, it would have been perfectly understandable too. But Faldo was having none of it, almost pulling the trigger on a fairway wood before changing his mind. The rest was sheer majesty. With the ball above his feet he striped a 2-iron to the heart of the green to really turn the screw and send out a message that he was in total control.

GM Rating 75/100

73. Ben Crenshaw- 60ft birdie putt, 1984 Masters, 10th hole

“Anything within six or seven feet would have been good,” explained Ben Crenshaw of his 60-foot putt at the 10th on the final day of the 1984 Masters. Crenshaw was in contention and had hit a safe 3-iron to the front edge with the pin dangerously back left. Through shadows and uphill, the American – generally regarded as the game’s finest with the flatstick – started his putt right before a 20ft detour left. It slowed and dropped. “Greatest putt I’ve ever seen,” enthused the commentator.

GM Rating 75.6/100

72. Graeme McDowell- Albatross at Valderrama, 2007 Volvo Masters

Valderrama’s 17th has witnessed much drama over the years, but the stunning albatross McDowell made on Sunday while contending for the 2007 title tops the lot. His sweetly struck 7-iron from 186 yards pitched just short, hopped up on to the green and curled straight into the back-right cup. “Just one of those adrenaline moments that are irreplaceable,” he later reflected. Too much adrenaline, however, as he sadly went on to double the last and finish 4th.

GM Rating 76/100

71. Craig Parry- Holed 6-iron to win play-off, Doral, 2004

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4PFM2Z2TMs

In 2004, Doral’s 18th was the toughest hole on the PGA Tour and for good reason, for this home hole requires an arrow straight drive and nerves of steel to avoid the water down the left side of the fairway. At the Ford Championship, Craig Parry and Scott Verplank were tied after 72 holes, and headed back to the tee of the ‘Blue Monster’. With Verplank well positioned, Parry struck a perfect 6-iron, which landed six feet short of the pin, rolled up the green and toppled into the hole. Verplank smiled in astonishment and conceded, “I guess he was supposed to win!”

GM Rating 76.7/100

70. Gene Sarazen- Hole-in-one at Postage Stamp, 1973

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SugO6tWocQU

No fewer than 50 years after his first visit to Royal Troon, ‘The Squire’ returned, age 71, to compete in the 1973 Open. On the Ayrshire course’s infamous 123-yard par-3 8th, ‘Postage Stamp’, he used a 5-iron to record a memorable hole-in-one. Sarazen also managed to birdie the hole in round two, but, unfortunately, he was unable to make the cut.

 GM Rating 76.9/100

69. Greg Norman- 40-footer to force play-off, 1984 US Open

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEiXBGaBNnc

Greg Norman had saved par on 16 and 17, but needed another to apply pressure on Fuzzy Zoeller, level and playing behind him during the final round of the 1984 US Open. He overhit his second and, after a free drop, left his third 40ft away from the pin. Miraculously, he responded by putting ten feet left of the flag to hole. Zoeller, thinking Norman had birdied, waved a white towel in surrender, though he would win the following day’s play-off.

GM Rating 77/100

68. Jack Nicklaus- Putt on 18th, 1977 Open, Turnberry

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rq-7_6U-yLc

If ever you needed proof that the Golden Bear never gave up, then this putt is it. Having carved his drive right, then somehow gouged his ball onto the green from the edge of the gorse, he faced a must-make 40-footer to have any chance. It rolled in dead centre at perfect pace and as the cameras zoomed in on Watson, you could sense the slightly more ashen hue of a man whose three-footer for victory now looked considerably longer.

GM Rating 77.4/100

67. Gary Player - 3-wood to 14th at Carnoustie, Final round, 1968 Open

Player had fallen back into a tie for the lead with Billy Casper and Bob Charles by the time he reached the 14th, ‘Spectacles’. But his second shot to the par 5 went a good way to securing victory. Selecting a 3-wood, he fired his ball over the bunkers and towards the green. It came to rest just two feet from the hole, setting up a crucial eagle three.

GM Rating 78/100

66. Jack Nicklaus - 1-iron at Pebble Beach, 1972, 17th hole

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEZ7ap375PQ

Jack Nicklaus arrived on the 17th on the last day of the 1972 US Open with a three-shot lead over Bruce Compton having seen off Lee Trevino and Arnold Palmer. A punishing wind at the tricky par 3 threatened to derail him... until he flashed a 1-iron straight at the flag. After one bounce, his ball struck the pin and settled two inches away. He dubbed it one of his greatest shots under pressure.

GM Rating 78.1/100

65. Paul Azinger - Holed bunker shot, 2002 Ryder Cup singles, 18th hole

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaEvz4Vrbx0

Needing to win the 18th hole in his match with Niclas Fasth to extend the Ryder Cup, Paul Azinger dashed American hopes with a pulled second into sand. From a treacherous spot, with the ball below his feet and the pressure of a nation on his shoulders, he somehow managed to hole his third. It was a heroic shot, despite being ultimately inconsequential. Lee Westwood later said it was “the best bunker shot I’ve ever seen”.

GM Rating 78.8/100

64. John Daly - 1-iron on 17th at Baltusrol, Second round, 1993 Open

The ‘Wild Thing’ had promised to “make history” at the 1993 US Open, and he delivered by becoming the first man to reach the ‘unreachable’ green – the 630-yard penultimate hole at Baltusrol. His drive travelled 325 yards then he blasted a 1-iron for his second. The ball carried some 280 yards before skipping past a bunker and up to the back of the green. Boom!

GM Rating 79/100

63. Johnny Farrell Wedge to 18th at Moortown, 1929 Ryder Cup

Farrell and Joe Turnesa were one-down to Brits Archie Compston and Charles Whitcombe on the 36th hole. Both pairs struggled down the last, but the Americans appeared out of it when Turnesa’s approach hit a wall and ended behind a hospitality marquee. There was no drop so Farrell blasted the ball over the tent to within four feet of the cup, securing an unlikely half.

GM Rating 79.6/100

62. YE Yang - Hybrid to 18th, 2009 USPGA, Hazeltine

“I was in control most of the day,” said Tiger Woods, who had hoped to close out his 15th Major victory, but who found himself one behind YE Yang on the final hole of the 2009 USPGA. Yang admitted not sleeping the night before, but his second shot at the 18th was a dream; a 3-hybrid from left of the fairway. It avoided overhanging trees and landed softly to roll within six feet where he would hole out to become the first Asian winner of a Major.

GM Rating 80.2/100

61. Arthur Havers - Holes out from bunker to win 1923 Open, 18th hole

Bob Tway doesn’t hold a monopoly on holing out from the sand on the last to win a Major. Some 63 years earlier, 25-year-old Arthur Havers did exactly the same thing to fend off the flamboyant Walter Hagen and win Troon’s first Open by one, long before the sand wedge had been invented. Hagen, playing behind Havers, found the same bunker, and came agonisingly close to matching the Englishman’s masterstroke.

GM Rating 80.4/100

60. Greg Norman - 5-iron to 5th at Birkdale, Third round, 2008 Open

In winds gusting to 50mph, Norman showed his skill and imagination on the Saturday of the 2008 Open. It was epitomised by his approach to the 5th. He was just 121 yards out, but straight into the wind. He selected a 5-iron and played a stroke that never rose above 15 feet in the air. It stopped almost immediately on the putting surface. One of the great links shots.

GM Rating 81/100

59. Eamonn Darcy - 6ft putt to beat Ben Crenshaw, 1987 Ryder Cup

Having broken his putter in anger early on, Darcy’s opponent Ben Crenshaw proved he could putt almost as well with a 1-iron, taking this crucial match to the 18th where it all came down to Darcy’s downhill, left-to-right six-footer on a lightning fast green. Darcy makes the shortest of strokes before repeatedly pumping his fist in delight once the ball has disappeared. Believe us, six-footers don’t come any tougher.

GM Rating 81.2/100

58. Jack Nicklaus - 1-iron, 1967 US Open, Baltusrol, 18th hole

Lee Trevino famously claimed ‘not even God can hit a one iron’, but Jack Nicklaus dispelled that assertion on several occasions. At the 1967 US Open at Baltusrol, he led Arnold Palmer by three shots after 71 holes. With an uphill, 230-yard third shot remaining to the green of the well-bunkered par-5 18th, Nicklaus took on the flag and found the front edge, knocking in the resulting putt to set a US Open scoring record.

GM Rating 81.4/100

57. Seve Ballesteros - Chip through the bunkers, 1976 Open, 18th hole

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kOYdCAcpsA

A 19-year-old Seve Ballesteros stole the show in spectacular fashion during the 1976 Open at Royal Birkdale. The overnight leader for the first three days, the Spaniard remained in contention until Johnny Miller’s remarkable final round of 66. And despite finding difficulty on his last hole, Ballesteros hit a miraculous chip-and-run between two bunkers and over contours ahoy to leave himself a par putt. Miller was the champ, but Seve was the real star.

GM Rating 81.7/100

56. Jack Nicklaus - Tee shot at 16 to five feet, 1986 Masters

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqLiTrTiP0E

“If anyone has ever owned this hole, it’s Jack Nicklaus,” said Jim Nantz of Augusta’s 16th – a hole that had served Nicklaus well in 1963 and ‘75 – during the 1986 Masters. Chasing Greg Norman and Seve Ballesteros and having played the previous seven holes in five under, Nicklaus’ ball landed just past the pin, before spinning back to finish 5ft away. Ben Crenshaw described the roar as Augusta’s “loudest ever”.

GM Rating 81.9/100

55. Louis Oosthuizen- Albatross, par-5 2nd, 2012 Masters

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zqQFHfS3Zg

Louis Oosthuizen started the final day of the 2012 Masters in third place and went on the offensive. On the second, after a well-positioned drive, he hit a controlled 4-iron to the green’s front edge and let the contours do the rest. “Hop up, hop up, this is going to be very good... it could be better than that... an albatross is calling!” It was only the fourth albatross in Masters history.

GM Rating 82.3/100

54. Shaun Micheel - Approach to 72nd hole, 2003 USPGA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXmdmBViOi8

“I was really leaking oil coming down the stretch,” admitted the unheralded Micheel after his out-of-the-blue 2003 USPGA Championship victory. Mercifully, he fixed the leak big time on 18 as he battled it out with equally unheralded Texan, Chad Campbell. “Be right,” Micheel cried, as his 7-iron sailed 186 yards from the left-hand semi up to the final green. It was more than right; it finished two inches from the cup for a winning birdie.

GM Rating 82.4/100

53. Paul Lawrie - 4-iron to 18th, Carnoustie, play-off, 1999 Open

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rzxBszqpHE

Lawrie had fired a superb 67 to tie Justin Leonard and the luckless Jean Van de Velde after 72 holes. In the resulting play-off the Scot birdied the difficult 17th to go one ahead with one to play. From the middle of the 18th fairway he shut the door on his adversaries with a magnificent iron shot that ended just four feet from the hole. The title was his.

GM Rating 82.8/100

52. Corey Pavin - 4-wood, 18th, 1995 US Open, Shinnecock Hills

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VCE2nM4aqs

Corey Pavin had come from behind to go one ahead of Greg Norman on the final day of the 1995 US Open when he found himself 228 yards from the 18th, facing a 20mph right-to-left wind and restricted view. He aimed his 4-wood right, the wind steering the ball left. It bounced and hopped, nestling six feet from the pin. “The greatest shot I ever hit under pressure,” Pavin said.

GM Rating 83/100

51. Bill Haas - Out of the water, 2011 Tour Championship

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_69ahipYlV4

If this list were ranked by monetary value, this shot would win by miles. On the second hole of a play-off with Hunter Mahan, Bill Haas leaked his approach into water. With the ball half-submerged and his right foot underwater, he splashed out perfectly, getting the ball to check up two feet away. He went on to clinch the Tour Championship, the FedEx Cup and nearly $11.5 million – enough for several new pairs of FootJoys.

GM Rating 83.2/100

50. Seve Ballesteros - From the car park, 1979 Open, Royal Lytham

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zYjhkQZ66U

During the final round of the 1979 Open, Seve spent as much time playing from the fairway as a 36handicapper on a bad day. But it didn’t affect his scoring. On the 16th, he found a temporary car park from the tee. After a drop, he pitched to 20 feet and holed the subsequent putt en route to a three-shot victory.

GM Rating 83.8/100

49. Padraig Harrington- Pitch over Barry Burn, 2007 Open

Padraig Harrington targeted a par at Carnoustie’s 18th to apply pressure on Sergio Garcia in an effort to win the 2007 Open. However, the contours of the fairway and bounces of the bridge over the Barry Burn had other ideas and the Irishman’s ball finished under water.

His third short was fat and ended further downstream. Flustered and under pressure, Harrington rallied ahead of his fifth. “When I hit it in the water [for the second time] I was disappointed,” he said. “But once I walked up there, I said, ‘look, I’ve got to get this up and down. If I’m going to win an Open, my break is going to happen at some stage. I hit a lovely pitch...”’

At first, it looked as though it might run past the pin. “That needs to get down quick,” said the BBC’s Peter Alliss, the crowd around the green sharing his concern before the ball checked and held four feet from the pin. “Brilliant!” exclaimed Alliss. Harrington made the tricky putt and after a brief look of relief, shared a wide smile. He won the ensuing play-off after Garcia missed a putt to win it in regulation.

GM Rating 84/100

48. Hubert Green - 8-iron on 15th at Southern Hills, Final round of the 1977 US Open

Before reaching the 15th tee in the 1977 US Open’s Final round, police pulled Hubert Green aside to inform him they’d received a call stating he would be shot dead on the 15th hole. He had the option of leaving the course, but he played on. The situation got to him on the tee and he hooked into the rough, but from somewhere he found the courage to blast it onto the green and save par. He went on to win by one.

GM Rating 84.3/100

47. Jack Nicklaus - Holes a monster at 16, US Masters, 1975

As Jack Nicklaus carefully studied his birdie putt on the 16th green on Masters Sunday, an audible roar from the 15th revealed Tom Weiskopf had moved one ahead. The Golden Bear responded by dispatching his sloping 40-footer, sending the crowd into frenzy and dealing his rival, who was watching on the tee, a crushing blow. The dejected Weiskopf went on to three-putt from similar range and miss out on a play-off by one shot.

GM Rating 84.8/100

46. Edoardo Molinari- Birdie putt on 17, 2010 Johnnie Walker

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UomVjz0byZg

In 2010 at The Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles, everything was on the line for Edoardo Molinari; there was one final chance to qualify for the Ryder Cup. He needed to win. A shot behind with two to play he was faced with a 40-foot birdie putt with at least 20 foot of swing – but it never looked like missing. A birdie on the last sealed the victory and later Colin Montgomerie confirmed the Italian as a captain’s pick for Celtic Manor. Quite a day!

GM Rating 85/100

45. Jack Nicklaus - Drive on 18th at St Andrews, play-off, 1970 Open

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPicaKToelM

One ahead of Doug Sanders with one to play in an 18-hole play-off, Jack Nicklaus decided to fire the final nail into Sanders’ coffin. He famously took off his sweater and ripped a drive right through the back of the 18th green, it travelled some 370 yards. It was a great demonstration of power and determination and he, deservedly, got up and down to win by a stroke.

GM Rating 85.5/100

44. Phil Mickelson - Flop shot, 18th, 2005 USPGA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlBJ97TYWfo

Phil Mickelson validated himself as one of the finest golfers of the modern era with a second Major triumph at Baltusrol. He needed a birdie on the last to win outright, but that seemed improbable after his second to the par 5 settled down in thick, wet rough. Mickelson, though, demonstrated his short-game prowess with a moment of sheer wizardry, flopping out to two feet for a tap-in birdie and a maiden PGA Championship title.

GM Rating 86/100

43.Tiger woods - 72nd hole putt to force a play-off, 2000 USPGA

In three of Woods’ first four Major triumphs, the margin of victory had been eight shots or more. Not so at the 2000 USPGA. Little-known Bob May, who had never contended in a Major, pushed Woods all the way in an enthralling final-day tussle. On the 72nd hole, the world number one was faced with a slippery left-to-right six-footer to make the play-off. The holed putt and subsequent play-off victory were almost inevitable.

GM Rating 86.3/100

42. Annika Sorenstam - Holed chip shot, 2000 Solheim Cup

Annika Sorenstam and Janice Moodie were one down to the USA’s Kelly Robbins and Pat Hurst after 12 holes of their fourball match. Sorenstam holed a brilliant chip on 13 to seemingly salvage a half, but she inadvertently played out of turn, and the American’s invoked rule 10-1c to make her play again. She missed, burst into tears and the Europeans lost 2&1. Fortunately, Europe triumphed 14.5-11.5 overall.

GM Rating 86.9/100

41. Tony Jacklin Drive - on 18th at Lytham, Final round, 1969 Open

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFf3lIa22kw

The pressure was on Tony Jacklin as he strove to be the first home Open winner since Max Faulkner in 1951. On the 72nd he knew a par would seal it, but it’s one of the most testing driving holes in Open golf. He composed himself and belted one straight down the middle. “What a corker!” said the BBC’s Henry Longhurst.

GM Rating 87.1/100

40. Lee Trevino - Chips in at 17, 1972 Open, Muirfield

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBVznpxy2e4

Coming down the stretch on the last day of the 1972 Open and with Tony Jacklin leading, Lee Trevino made five consecutive pars before reaching 17. There, he was confronted by a difficult chip involving a downhill stance with Jacklin already on the green. Remarkably, he found the hole for par. His third chip-in of the tournament put him one up and left Jacklin “broken by what had happened. I had the heart ripped out of me.”

GM Rating 88/100

39. Nick Faldo - Plugged bunker shot on 12, Final round, 1990 US Masters

If there is one place you don’t want to be on Augusta National’s 12th hole – apart from in the water – it is in the back traps having to play towards the drink. But that is where Nick Faldo’s ball went in the final round of the 1990 US Masters. Not only that, it was plugged, and with tournament leader Ray Floyd still in the lead, this was make or break. What followed was, as Faldo called it, “the best bunker shot of his life” as his ball came to rest on the fringe of the far side of the green. He saved par, forced a play-off, and everyone knows what happened next…

GM Rating 88.2/100

38. Justin Rose - 40ft birdie putt on 17, 2012 Ryder Cup singles, Medinah

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb4gHE4o3xw

Phil Mickelson – who had been seemingly in control on the back nine in this singles battle with Justin Rose – almost saw out the match as his chip rolled inches past the cup. However, Rose, facing a huge left-to-right break over a steep ridge, hit his putt with force. It dropped at pace for a birdie. Mickelson, ever the gent, could only stand and applaud.

GM Rating 88.7/100

37. Tom Watson - 2-iron to the final green, 1983 Open

Tom Watson had a ten minute wait to contemplate his approach to Royal Birkdale’s 72nd hole in 1983: a 213-yard second shot into the wind at the longest par 4 on the course. Under the most strenuous pressure, surrounded by an enormous gallery and knowing a par would give him victory, he executed the best 2-iron shot of his life, setting up a fifth Open title and the eighth and final Major of an illustrious career.

GM Rating 88.9/100

36. Tom Watson - 7-iron, 72nd hole, 1977 Open

It was the final hole of The Open’s legendary ‘Duel in the Sun’, but when Nicklaus missed a short birdie putt on 17, Watson found himself one ahead. He split the 18th fairway, then, with Nicklaus seemingly in trouble, put the boot in with a gorgeous 7-iron to three feet, the importance of which only became fully apparent when Nicklaus somehow mustered a birdie.

GM Rating 90/100

35. Tiger Woods - Lob wedge, 16th at Muirfield Village, 2012 Memorial

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2O1bSFf8ndU

One behind, Tiger miscued on the par-3 16th, going through the green. He was left with 40 feet back towards the pin, downhill with a water hazard lurking behind. To add to the difficulty, his ball was buried in the rough. He played a full flop, landed it softly on the green and watched it roll into the cup. “The most unbelievable, gutsy shot I’ve ever seen,” said tournament host Jack Nicklaus.

GM Rating 90.1/100

34. Seve Ballesteros - chip on 18, 1988 Open, Royal Lytham

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCZhsPfdM8k

One of Seve’s finest Open rounds was finished off with one of his most exquisite chips. He missed the 72nd green long and left in a reasonable spot, but with his ball sitting down a touch. A bogey would let Nick Price in, but Seve picked the club up steeply before striking the ball positively, but delicately, just as intended. It lipped out, leaving a simple tap-in for the Claret Jug.

GM Rating 90.3/100

33. Vicente Fernandez - Putt to win English Open, 1993

When Fernandez came to The Brabazon’s fearsome 18th needing par for a play-off, finding the bottom tier with the pin 80ft away on the top-level was not what he was after. But with three putts very much on the cards, he rolled his ball up the tiers and straight into the hole before doing a spontaneous celebratory somersault on the green.

GM Rating 90.5/100

32. Ben Hogan - 1-iron at Merion, 1950 US Open

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naiAcCoTgsE

Needing par to make a play-off, a weary Hogan, still not fully healed from his near-fatal car crash 16 months earlier, had left himself a long way back on the closing 458-yarder. Opting for a 1-iron, he struck a sweet shot onto the green, safely two-putted, then won the play-off the next day. The famous 1-iron was actually stolen between the final round and play-off, and didn’t resurface until 1982.

GM Rating 90.8/100

31. Ernie Els - Bunker shot, 13th hole, 2002 Open Championship, Muirfield

Ernie Els had extended his two-shot lead to three before he found the sand trap at Muirfield’s tricky par-3 13th on the final day of the 2002 Open. The South African could barely see over the bunker and his ball lay in a furrow, yet with his left leg on the bunker wall he managed to splash out effortlessly to within 18 inches. The shot was voted the European Tour’s best of the year.

GM Rating 91/100

30. Darren Clarke - Opening drive, 2006 Ryder Cup, The K Club

That Darren Clarke was part of Europe’s Ryder Cup team in 2006 at all was a triumph of will over emotion. Clarke had been asking close friends whether or not he should accept one of Ian Woosnam’s two wildcards following the passing of his wife Heather to cancer. His ability wasn’t in question, of course. It was the emotion of such an event without Heather by his side. “I don’t want to be a burden,” he’d said.

He wasn’t. The Irishman entered a highly-charged K Club arena alongside partner Lee Westwood and was awarded a deafening reception. Tears filled his eyes, much like they would three days later in victory. Phil Mickelson and Chris Di Marco, Clarke and Westwood’s opponents, clapped while US captain Tom Lehman, who had prayed during the PGA Championship at Medinah, the same time as Heather’s funeral in Ireland, offered a warm embrace. Clarke was inspired and he sent a stunning 304-yard drive down the centre of the fairway, leaving himself only a wedge. He’d later convert for a birdie

GM Rating 91.1/100

29. Arnold Palmer - Chips in on 16, 1962 Masters

In 1961, Palmer double-bogeyed the 72nd hole to hand Gary Player his first Masters. The following year, history looked poised to repeat itself. Despite owning the 54-hole lead, Palmer was two behind, facing a slick downhill second from behind the 16th green. Staring at defeat, his chip landed like a marshmallow on the green and trickled nonchalantly into the cup. He would birdie 17 and defeat Player and Dow Finsterwald in the subsequent play-off.

GM Rating 91.2/100

28. Nick Price - Eagle putt, 1994 Open, Turnberry

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qq3g3Bxx3IA

Nick Price had already suffered two near misses at the Open, and with Jesper Parnevik two clear playing the 18th at Turnberry, it looked as if another was to follow. The Zimbabwean, though, found the par-5 17th in two, and reacted with utter jubilation after watching his 50-foot eagle putt disappear below ground. Parnevik bogeyed 18 and Price would finally prevail.

GM Rating 91.8/100

27. Roberto de Vicenzo - 3-wood to 16th at Hoylake, Final round, 1967 Open

Roberto de Vicenzo had been second or third six times in the Open Championship so, one ahead of Jack Nicklaus with three to play, he decided to grab the bull by the horns. On the par-5 16th he pulled out a 3-wood and bravely played his second shot across the out-of-bounds to the heart of the green. The resulting birdie gave him a two-shot cushion and he held on to win.

GM Rating 92/100

26. Bobby Jones - from the waste area on 17, Royal Lytham, 1926 Open

Lytham had many more bunkers and other sandy waste areas back in 1926, and it was into one of the latter that Jones, tied for the lead with Al Watrous, hooked his drive on the 71st hole, leaving a blind shot of 175 yards. With much scope for disaster if contact between club, ball and sand was just a little out, Jones flushed it on to the green, whereupon Watrous promptly three-putted. A magnificent and timely killer-blow.

GM Rating 92.5/100

25. Justin Leonard - Putt, 17th, Brookline, 1999 Ryder Cup

Justin Leonard had been four down during his singles match with Jose Maria Olazabal in the 1999 Ryder Cup, but he headed down the 17th all square. Leonard attacked the pin after Olazabal found the front edge, but vicious backspin left the American a 45ft putt through shadows. Leonard’s effort never veered from the hole, and then it all went a bit mental!

GM Rating 92.8/100

24. Colin Montgomerie - Drive on 18, 1997 Ryder Cup singles

When you’re a natural fader of the ball, the last thing you need in golf’s ultimate crucible of pressure is a sharp dogleg left with everything riding on your game. Step up Monty, who nailed the right-to-left drive on Valderrama’s 18th in the gathering Spanish gloom, while opponent Scott Hoch was the one left fumbling around in the left-hand trees. When Monty’s approach safely found the green, it was job done for Europe.

GM Rating 93/100

23. Graeme McDowell - Putt, 16th hole, Celtic Manor, 2010 Ryder Cup

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Th-iImiKliM

One-up against Hunter Mahan playing 16, McDowell split the fairway then struck a sweet mid-iron to about 15 feet, prompting a slightly rueful smile for he knew the putt would be lightning fast despite all the rain. Barely taking the putter back, he stroked the ball gently down the slope and watched it drift right before just catching the right half of the hole.

GM Rating 93.4/100

22. Sergio Garcia- Approach to the 16th, 1999 USPGA, Medinah

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibdGrJU5PGM

Just one behind Tiger Woods standing on the 16th tee, Garcia’s drive settled up to the base of a tree. Unperturbed, he pulled out a 6-iron, opened the face and slashed at the ball with his eyes screwed shut. He made good contact, sprinted up the fairway and jumped just in time to see his ball chase onto the green. Woods held on for his second Major, but Garcia’s shot went down in golfing folklore.

GM Rating 93.8/100

21. Martin Kaymer - Putt to retain the Ryder Cup, Medinah, 2012

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugLeug-mVv4

Out of form as the 2012 Ryder Cup approached, Martin Kaymer would hardly have been the man European fans wanted standing over a 6ft putt to retain the trophy. But that was exactly the position the German found himself in after hitting the final green from a fairway trap in his deciding singles match with Steve Stricker. With two stabs for the win, his first effort raced past the hole, but he rolled home the return despite admitting to thinking about Bernhard Langer’s infamous miss in 1991 as he addressed the ball.

GM Rating 94/100

20. Seve Ballesteros - Putt on 18th at St Andrews, final round, 1984 Open

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpchlvAHp-4

Ballesteros didn’t know Tom Watson had bogeyed the 17th as he stood over a 15-foot birdie putt on the final green. It meant the Spaniard had a one-shot lead and the putt was effectively for the title. He allowed for a right-to-left borrow and he looked to have overdone it. But the ball seemed compelled to drop and it turned, hovered and fell in before Seve repeatedly drove his fist into the air like a victorious matador.

GM Rating 94.2/100

19. Jerry Pate - 5-iron from the rough on 18, 1976 US Open

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1zWiWvwWXI

Standing on the 72nd tee at Atlanta Athletic Club in the 1976 US Open, 22-year-old Jerry Pate knew a par would hand him victory. But he found the rough with his drive, leaving a 191-yard 5-iron approach over water. “As soon as it left the clubface, I knew it was good,” he said, but he didn’t realise just how good. It settled some two feet from the hole, setting up a first and only Major triumph.

GM Rating 94.3/100

18. Payne Stewart - Putt, 18th, 1999 US Open, Pinehurst

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W73EMm33kds

After draining a 25-foot par putt on 16 and boxing a six-footer for birdie on 17 to take the lead, it seemed a big ask for Payne Stewart to find one more par-saving putt on 18 after drawing a terrible lie off the tee. Staring down the 20-footer, Stewart, less resplendent than normal with the sleeves ripped off his jacket, put a perfect stroke on it, then watched in disbelief as the ball dropped dead centre. Frenzied roaring, rather than any attempt at normal speech, ensued! We miss you Payne...

GM Rating 94.6/100

17. Bob Tway - Bunker shot to win 1986 USPGA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aGF_ArDteo

In 1986, having finished second after leading the Masters and US Open, Greg Norman hoped to add the USPGA to his Open success. Bob Tway, who hit a record 64 on the Saturday, had other ideas. Level at the last on Sunday, Tway chipped in from a greenside bunker. He floated the ball onto the edge of the green and it rolled slowly before smacking into the hole. “I was just trying to get it close,” he said.

GM Rating 95/100

16. Hale Irwin - Putt to force play-off in US Open, 18th, 1990, Medinah

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke1yRrJO6NI

By the late 1980s Hale Irwin’s best days seemed behind him, but when the 45-year-old arrived at Medinah’s final green he was right in the hunt for US Open number three. He then slotted a remarkable 50-footer for a closing birdie, before taking off round the green, high-fiving the gallery in uncharacteristic fashion. It got him into an 18-hole play-off with Mike Donald, which he went on to win with a birdie on the 19th hole.

GM Rating 95.2/100

15. Larry Mize - Chip on 11 to win play-off, 1987 Masters

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvQa4fbETKU

When Larry Mize bailed out of his approach to the 11th in the play-off, the only upside was that it beat finding the water left. What happened next remains one of golf’s most indelible images. His deft chip bounced twice in the fringe before making an unstoppable beeline for the cup. “Words do not do justice to the greatness of that shot,” exclaimed the commentator. Greg Norman remained understandably expressionless, the victim of a second successive improbable Major theft.

GM Rating 95.7/100

14. Sandy Lyle- Bunker shot, 18th hole, 1988 Masters

Standing on the 18th tee, Lyle needed a par to force a play-off with Mark Calcavecchia. His drive found the left-hand bunker, leaving a hugely difficult shot. He struck an awesome 7-iron from the sand that cleared the high lip in front of him, it landed 30 feet by the pin and rolled back to about 10. He holed the birdie putt to win by a shot and become the first Briton to win the Masters.

GM Rating 96/100

13. Phil Mickelson - 6-iron from the pine straw, 13^th hole, 2010 Masters

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHzhAzYlRUY

On the way to his third US Masters title, Phil Mickelson played a shot that would not only be a defining moment of the tournament, but could well be the one with which his sparkling career is most remembered. Struggling with his driver throughout the round, the American had managed to draw level on the front nine with overnight leader Lee Westwood – mainly due to the Englishman’s one-over-par 37. A birdie on 12 had given Mickelson the lead for the first time, but a loose drive on 13 meant he was in trouble in the pine straw to the right of the fairway behind two trees. Here was Westwood’s chance to not only draw level, but possibly even retake the lead itself. Mickelson then played a remarkable 6-iron from 207 yards between the trees, landing just over the creek in front of the green to just four feet from the hole. He did miss the resulting eagle chance and Westwood also birdied the hole, but it was a body blow from which the Englishman never recovered as Mickelson went on to win by three. Never has a shot been so well timed to grab momentum from your opponent, and in such spectacular fashion

GM Rating 96.2/100

12. Seve Ballesteros - Wedge on 18 at Crans-sur-Sierre, 1993 European Masters

Seve slashed his tee shot into the trees on the right of the home hole. He had half a backswing, a tree in his way, an eight-foot wall just in front of him and a dinner plate-sized gap through the trees. Caddie Billy Foster urged him to chip out, but Seve brushed him aside. He blasted a shot over the wall, through the gap to the front of the green. Then, typically, he chipped in for a three.

GM Rating 96.5/100

11. Ian Poulter- Putt on 18, Saturday fourballs, 2012 Ryder Cup

We all knew the Ryder Cup brought out the best in Ian Poulter, but nobody ever thought he was capable of the golf he played on the inward stretch during Saturday’s fourballs at this year’s Ryder Cup. After birdies at 14, 15, 16 and 17, Poulter, playing alongside Rory McIlroy, had managed to keep the charge of Jason Dufner and Zach Johnson at bay. But when Dufner holed out for a closing birdie, it looked like a half was the best Europe could muster from the match, which would leave them trailing the Americans by five points. However, Poulter, with a downhill putt of 15 feet that had a slight break from the left, was having none of it, and when he holed, it lifted the spirits of Jose Maria Olazabal’s team. Cue emotional speeches and the greatest ever European Sunday fightback.

GM Rating 96.8/100

10. Tiger Woods - Putt to force a play-off, 2008 US Open

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFfCpvT_MV8

During the 2008 US Open, tournament favourite Tiger Woods seemed to be struggling with a knee injury. However, the Major was being played at one of the courses which he had had most success over the years, Torrey Pines. (He had won six times in San Diego already, including earlier in the 2008 season at the Buick Invitational.) But coming to the 72nd hole, a visibly limping Woods needed a birdie to draw level with clubhouse leader Rocco Mediate. Having found sand from the tee he needed to lay up, which he did into the rough. His resulting pitch onto the green left him a quick downhill 12-foot putt with a severe break to draw level with Mediate. With the most minimal of backswings, Woods found the right edge of the hole and erupted as the putt dropped – incredible when you think of the situation and his physical state. Woods would win the Monday play-off and claim his 14th, and currently final, Major.

GM Rating 97/100

9. Costantino Rocca  - Putt on 18th at St Andrews, final round, 1995 Open

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEjSObEygyM

After John Daly had posted a final round of 71 and a 72-hole total of six-under-par, only one man could catch the renegade American. Italian Costantino Rocca came to the home hole needing a birdie to force a four-hole play-off. He hit a fine drive just short and left of the green from where an up-and-down looked a distinct possibility. Daly watched anxiously on TV coverage as Rocca stood over his chip shot. He fluffed it and the ball dribbled into the treacherous Valley of Sin. Rocca slapped his head in frustration while Daly smiled, hugged his wife and prematurely celebrated victory. Rocca still had a chance, but he needed to hole from 65 feet from the Valley of Sin, unlikely to say the least. He struck the putt firmly and it ran up onto, and across, the green towards the hole. Incredibly it dropped, as did Rocca – to his knees with his arms aloft. He took off his hat, fell forward to the ground and began beating the turf with his fists. Neither he nor Daly could believe it. But Rocca’s emotional energy was spent and the American went on to win in the play-off.

GM Rating 97.2/100

8. Tiger Woods - Bunker shot with 6-iron, 2000 Canadian Open

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vP15fVxSJU

“This is guts right here,” said the CBS team as Tiger took a huge breath and stood behind his bunker shot at the 18th on the last day of the 2000 Canadian Open. Woods had 213 yards and a lake to carry. But throwing everything into the shot, Woods picked the ball cleanly off the sand, sending it high and long as it landed 15 feet from the pin on the fringe. The gamble paid off.

GM Rating 97.5/100

7. Christy O’Connor Jnr - 2-iron at 18th, 1989 Ryder Cup

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHlaZW9hXd4

A fairytale moment for the Irishman who had cruelly been dismissed as Europe’s weak link in the press that very morning. There was nothing weak about the 2-iron he flushed to four feet on The Belfry’s notorious 18th. So flustered was Freddie Couples that despite being 80 yards past O’Connor off the tee, he flailed his 9-iron wildly right almost into the crowd. The Brabazon’s 18th hole was made for moments like this.

GM Rating 97.8/100

6. Bubba Watson - from the trees, play-off, 2012 Masters

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkSbIyqbaMc

On Masters Sunday in 2012, Bubba Watson reeled off four consecutive birdies from the 13th to force a play-off with Louis Oostuizen. Both parred the 18th (play-off), but Watson’s hooked drive into dense woodland on the 10th seemed to have put paid to his chances. He saw a gap, though, and produced an impossible wedge shot that bent almost 90 degrees and settled 15 feet from the hole.

GM Rating 98/100

5. Gene Sarazen - 4-wood to 15th at Augusta, final round, 1935 Masters

Three behind Craig Wood with four to play in the second Masters Tournament, Sarazen was up against it. But he erased the entire deficit with a single stroke, holing his second shot to the par-5 15th – the shot heard ‘round the world’. Sarazen went on to finish tied with Wood and beat him in the Monday play-off. “I rode into the shot with every ounce of strength and timing I could muster,” he later wrote.

GM Rating 98.2/100

4. Seve Ballesteros - 3-wood from the bunker, 1983 Ryder Cup

Ballesteros had been three-up with five to play against Fuzzy Zoeller during his 1983 Ryder Cup singles match, but they were tied at 18. The Spaniard fired his tee shot into deep rough, then a bunker, 245 yards from the pin. With his 3-wood, he narrowly avoided the lip and flew left to right before landing on the green’s fringe. “Greatest shot I ever saw,” said Jack Nicklaus. “It made me blink,” agreed Zoeller.

GM Rating 98.5/100

3. Tom Watson - Pebble Beach, chip-in 1982 US Open, 71st hole

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DO6qIg7aInw

With two Masters and three Opens already to his name, the US Open was still a glaring omission on Watson’s CV moving into 1982. But after a stellar third-round 68, it seemed he might finally get his wish, tied for the lead with Bill Rogers and three ahead of arch-rival Jack Nicklaus.

But by the time Nicklaus was tapping in for a closing 69 as Watson stood on Pebble’s iconic par-3 17th tee, the pair were tied, leaving Watson the daunting task of parring in just to make a play-off. When his crisply struck 2-iron drifted pin-high into thickish rough it seemed he would be denied his dearest wish once more. But two things worked in Watson’s favour – the lie wasn’t too bad, and it called for a favourite cut shot that he liked to practise. It would still require the touch of a surgeon to get it close on the firm Pebble greens, but with caddie Bruce Edwards urging him to do just that, Watson boldly replied that he was going to hole it.

With clubface and stance way open, he made a short, positive swing, slid the club under the ball making perfect contact, realised as soon as it landed that it had come out just right, and set off on his spontaneous celebratory jog well before the ball rolled into the flag and disappeared underground. Fifteen minutes later, the title he so craved was finally his thanks to a closing birdie on 18. The most perfect of shots under the greatest of pressure.

GM Rating 98.8/100

2. Padraig Harrington - 5-wood to 17th at Birkdale, final round 2008 Open

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0w86X4wjjhw

Coming to the par-5 17th, the defending Open champion was two clear of clubhouse leader Ian Poulter and three ahead of playing partner Greg Norman.

When Harrington pulled out a wood for his second shot, 249 yards from the pin, Norman whispered to his caddie, “Hey, we can still win this.” But Padraig played a perfect shot, turning from left to right and chasing up the green to set up an eagle three and a second Open title.

GM Rating 99/100

1. Tiger Woods - Chip, 16^th hole, 2005 Masters 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDCGGMv50EQ

At first we were reluctant to put Tiger’s chip on Augusta’s par-3 16th at the top of our list. For starters, it seemed too obvious. There was talk of being a bit left-field with our choice in the hope we could impress our readers by unearthing a hidden gem that was more deserving of such an accolade. Then there were the other top-10 contenders: Padraig Harrington’s 5-wood, Tom Watson’s chip, Seve’s 3-wood from the bunker. But in the end, after careful deliberation and a tot up of the respective scores, it became clear there was no other shot like the one Tiger executed in the early hours (UK time) of Monday morning, April 11, 2005.

At the time, Woods’ mantle as the world’s best player, officially at least, had passed to Vijay Singh. He hadn’t won a Major since the 2002 US Open and injuries were beginning, it seemed, to take hold. At the 2005 Masters, he had struggled with a 74 in his opening round, but fired back as the rain delays stuttered the fluency of leader Chris DiMarco. Woods, come Sunday, had a three-shot lead. It looked like it was game over.

But DiMarco, his game polished, would win the early exchanges on that final day, and by the time the pair arrived at Augusta’s 16th – a one-shotter of 170 yards with water to the green’s front and left – Woods led only by a single stroke.

DiMarco, with the honour, hit to 15 feet. Woods fired an 8-iron through the back, his ball coming to rest against the second cut, which meant he would struggle to get a clean contact on the ball. With the 16th one of Augusta’s most contoured putting surfaces, he then began to weigh up his options, walking back and forth to a landing zone some 20 feet left of the flag. Then he hit the shot; the galleries lifting their heads in unison, the ball checking in the exact spot where he had stood seconds before…

Drawing ever closer to the cup, respective commentary teams began to voice their amazement. Anything inside 10 feet would have been good, but the ball rolled and rolled, easing up as its Nike logo became more visible. Watching on television, it seemed to last an age, and just when you thought it had stopped, it turned over once more with the BBC’s Peter Alliss muttering the eternal words: “Thank you.”

“I was just trying to throw the ball up there and let it feed down,” said Woods. “All of a sudden, it looked pretty good. Somehow an earthquake happened and it fell into the hole.”

GM Rating  99.5/100