Augusta’s greatest hits: The most iconic shots ever played at the Masters
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Which of these defining iconic shots from the Masters is your favorite?
A conversation over the best shots ever hit at Augusta National. And it’s something we’ve discussed time and time again at TG Towers. But this is my list, so here’s your definitive guide to the most iconic shots from the Masters… Augusta National…
Iconic shots from the Masters
Where else can we possibly start?
7. Tiger Woods (2019)
Everything about Tiger Woods’ fifth Green Jacket victory was iconic.
His golf that day was robotic, methodical, and almost terrifying.
It was enough to make grown men cry.
6. Larry Mize (1987)
It was billed as a blockbuster Sunday. Two-time Masters champion Seve Ballesteros versus World No.1 Greg Norman. A battle, surely, for the ages.
Augusta-born Larry Mize was also tied for the lead going into the final day. Ranked 36th in the world going into the tournament and with only one PGA Tour win four years prior under his belt, very few gave Mize any hope – even when he birdied 18 to get into a playoff with his superstar rivals.
The dream moved one step closer to reality when Ballesteros dropped out of the sudden-death playoff with a bogey at the 10th. But when Mize left himself a devilish chip back onto the undulating green, it seemed more likely that he would find the water than the bottom of the cup.
What happened next was not only one of the most iconic shots ever hit on this hallowed turf, but one of the best celebrations to boot.
5. Sandy Lyle (1988)
Tied for the lead with Mark Calcavecchia on the 18th tee, Lyle’s chances were all but ended when his 1-iron found the fairway bunker.
But then he pulled his 7-iron and did this…
Lyle’s win was the first by a Briton and set off a run of four straight years where the Green Jacket remained in the UK.
4. Phil Mickelson (2010)
No golf shot truly encapsulates the rollercoaster that Phil Mickelson brings us on more than this moment during his 2010 Masters victory.
On the gettable par-5 13th, Mickelson’s drive veered into the pine straw, leaving a tree complicating his path. His then caddie, Jim ‘Bones’ Mackay made the rather sensible suggestion to lay up.
Phil politely declined, because he had other ideas.
From more than 200 yards, he pulled a 6-iron and hit an unbelievable shot that was never anywhere else but the flag. The ball dropped softly and settled just five feet from the hole for a look at eagle.
In true Phil the Thrill fashion, the putt never had a chance. But the birdie certainly helped him on his way to a third Green Jacket.
3. Bubba Watson (2012)
Bubba Watson is known for his outrageous ability to shape the golf ball, seeing even the simplest of golf shots as a 50 yard hook or slice.
His first Masters victory in 2012 was no different, hitting a 52-degree wedge 144 yards with 40 yards of hook spin to 15 feet on the 10th hole.
A shot so spectacular, patrons still go and find this spot to try and understand the degree of ridiculousness this shot entailed.
Watson eventually ousted South African Louis Oosthuizen in the playoff and slip into that Green Jacket.
2. Gene Sarazen (1935)
Of the four albatrosses holed in Masters history, Gene Sarazen’s is not only the most famous, but the most important.
The ‘shot heard around the world’ took Sarazen from two behind leader Craig Wood into a tie, and he went on to win the tournament in a playoff – which were 36 holes in a single day back then – and become the first player to achieve the modern Grand Slam.
1. Tiger Woods (2005)
20 years ago. How time flies..
Tiger Woods, a single stroke clear of playing partner Chris DiMarco, had just pulled his 8-iron left of the par-3 16th on the final day of the 2005 Masters. DiMarco had a 15-foot putt for birdie and, with the difficult chip facing Woods, there was a real possibility of a two-shot swing. “We were just trying to escape with a three,” Steve Williams, Woods’ caddie at the time, said afterwards.
Woods pulled the trigger and his ball squirted across the green before it caught the top of the slope and gently trickled down to the hole. The ball paused on the lip for what felt like an eternity before a gentle nudge from the golf gods – or “somehow an earthquake happened”, as Woods described it – tipped it into the cup.
The greatest player of all time. The greatest shot in Masters history.
An instantly iconic moment.
And a special mention for…
Poppy McIlroy – who showed dad a thing or two with this epic effort in the 2025 Par 3 Contest!
Can Poppy’s dad join her in this list? Let’s hope so…
