The Masters. Augusta National. Green jackets and Golden Bell. No golf tournament conjures more memories or goosebumps.
Tiger’s chip at 16. Phil’s pine-straw shot through the trees on 13. Bubba’s slingshot gap wedge on 10. Jack’s putt at 17.
But while the Masters has produced some of the greatest moments in golf history, not all of its champions are created equal. Some performances are better than others. And that’s what we’re ranking: the greatest Masters champions since the turn of the millennium based on their performance in that tournament. And so heading into the 2019 Masters, here are the 19 greatest Masters champions of the last 19 years.
19. Mike Weir, 2003
Weir became the first lefty to win the Masters by playing it safe. He didn’t attack one Par-5 in two all week, opting instead to lay up and rely on his wedge game to make birdies. It worked on the final day, as he birdied three of four Par 5s. But his second-round 75 can’t be ignored, nor can the fact that he won in a playoff with a bogey (his opponent, Len Mattiace, made double after his ball landed behind a tree). Mattiace also bogeyed 18 in regulation and was the only person to challenge Weir as everyone around him faded on Sunday, including third-round leader Jeff Maggert, who shot 75 to lose a two-stroke lead.[/caption]
18. Danny Willett, 2016
Does anyone remember Danny Willett won the 2016 Masters? Or do you all remember Jordan Spieth hitting two into the water on No. 12 as part of his epic back-9 collapse to lose it? All credit to to Willett for shooting a 67 on Sunday and coming back to win it. But that was only his second round under par that week and he faced no pressure on the final day, having started five stokes behind Spieth. This was more about Spieth’s collapse than Willett’s play, which also included a score of 74 in the second round.
17. Trevor Immelman, 2008
Immelman put together the best three-round stretch of his career, getting to 11-under par heading into the final round. Then he shot a forgettable 75 on Sunday to finish at 8-under. Everyone else around him faltered too (Brandt Snedeker, in second place heading into Sunday, shot 77, and Steve Flash shot 78 after starting the day in third). But when a champion limps to the finish line, including a double on 16, that’s your lasting memory.
16. Vijay Singh, 2000
A workman golfer earned a workman green jacket. Singh had to play 22 holes on Sunday starting at 8:15 a.m. and ending at dusk after the third round was suspended for darkness. He shot 3-under over those holes and won by three over Ernie Els. It wasn’t the prettiest performance (he had putting issues, as was the case much of his career), but it might have been the grittiest victory from a man known on tour as the ultimate grinder.
15. Ángel Cabrera, 2009
Kenny Perry had this Masters within reach, holding a two-stroke lead with two holes to play. But bogeys on 17 and 18 sent this to a three-man playoff. After Chad Campbell was eliminated on the first hole, Perry bogeyed No. 10 and Cabrera two-putted for the win. Cabrera shot four rounds under par, which is always impressive. But this was about Perry’s collapse more than Cabrera’s outstanding play.
This was a cold, windy Masters, which led to the final score being +1, tied for the highest score by a winner in Masters history. Johnson shot 73-76 in rounds 2 and 3, respectively. Not very impressive, but given the conditions, it wasn’t horrible either. Then on Sunday, he matched the round of the day (69) to beat Tiger Woods, Retief Goosen and Rory Sabbatini by two. Woods also led this tournament on Sunday, and for him to give up a lead at this time was unprecedented. Johnson birdied 13, 14 and 16 to close out the win. Given the opposition and conditions, it was impressive.
13. Bubba Watson, 2014
It was a quiet finish at Augusta in 2014, with few birdies and not a lot of highlights on the back nine. But the biggest one came from Bubba’s driver, as he clobbered a 366-yard drive on No. 13, taking an aggressive line over the trees that led to a short approach to the Par 5 and a birdie. Watson was the only contender to shoot in the 60s on Sunday, but he also shot 74 on Saturday, when players like Rickie Fowler, Matt Kuchar and Miguel Ángel Cabrera shot in the mid-60s.
12. Phil Mickelson, 2006
After rain cut Round 3 short, Mickelson played 31 holes on Sunday and shot 4-under during that time. It was a workmanlike effort for a guy known more for his panache than consistency. But consistency was the key for lefty on this week. He shot 70-72-70-69 and pulled away late, making birdies on 13 and 15 on Sunday to open a four-stroke lead that he never let go.
11. Adam Scott, 2013
The final four holes of this tournament were amazing, even if the most exciting thing that happened before that was Tiger Woods’ controversial drop on 15 that led to a two-stroke penalty and ultimately took Woods out of contention. Nevertheless, Scott and former champion Ángel Cabrera put on a Sunday show in cold and rainy conditions, with each birding the 18th hole (Scott first in the group ahead, then Cabrera under immense pressure) to send it to a playoff. There, in a display of sportsmanship, Cabrera gave Scott a thumbs up after Scott matched his approach shot to about 15 feet on No. 10. Cabrera barley missed his putt, Scott made his birdie, and “Come on Aussie” echoed in the dusk of Augusta. Scott shot 69-72-69-69 and made a memorable comeback on Sunday after falling behind early in the round.
10. Sergio Garcia, 2017
Sergio battled Justin Rose on Sunday in one of the more dramatic one-on-one, back-and-forth battles Augusta has seen. Ironically, it was Garcia’s putter that ultimately sealed the win. After falling behind Rose by two heading to the 13th hole, Garcia hit his drive OB into the left woods. He miraculously made par after taking a drop, then drained a 14-foot eagle putt on 15 to tie Rose. Rose had the lead heading into 17, but a bogey there (and missed birdie putts by both players inside 10 feet on 18) sent this to a playoff. There, Rose made bogey after a bad drive and Garcia drained a 14-foot birdie putt for the win. Garcia’s ball striking that week was nearly flawless and he shot 71-69-70-69 despite his putter not cooperating throughout.
9. Bubba Watson, 2012
Deep in the right trees with his ball resting delicately atop a bed of pine straw on the second sudden-death playoff hole against Luis Oosthuizen, Watson hit a 90-degree hook approach shot with his gap wedge to 10 feet. He two-putted for the win after one of the most memorable shots ever. But what people forget is how well Watson played coming home just to get into the playoff, birding the 13th-16th holes to tie Oosthuizen, who had made a double-eagle on No. 2 that Sunday. Watson shot 68 on Sunday, and while his rounds of 69-71-70 in the first three rounds weren’t outstanding, his finish under pressure was unforgettable.
8. Patrick Reed, 2018
Reed blistered Augusta on Friday and Saturday, shooting 66-67 with 13 birdies and two eagles to get to 14-under for the tournament. His final-round 71 wasn’t nearly as impressive, but it was clutch. Rickie Fowler, playing in the group ahead of Reed, birdied the 18th hole to pull within one. Reed responded by making a knee-buckling 4-foot par putt on 18 to win. He also made a few more clutch par putts on 15 and 17 and outplayed Rory McIroy in the final grouping.
7. Charl Schwartzel, 2011
This was a wild Masters. Rory McIlroy blew a four-stroke lead on Sunday, which included hooking his tee shot into the cabins on 10. Tiger Woods shot 31 on the front nine to tie for the lead, but faltered on the back nine. Adam Scott and Jason Day also had a piece of the lead that Sunday, but the best round of Schwartzel’s life couldn’t be overshadowed. He chipped in for birdie on 1, holed out for eagle on 3 and finished his round with four straight birdies to shoot 66. The fact that he did it while staring down the best in the world speaks to how remarkable his performance was.
6. Phil Mickelson, 2004
This was Mickelson’s first major championship, and he won it with one of the best back nines in Masters history. Playing two groups ahead of Mickelson, Ernie Els made two eagles and three birdies to get to 8 under. Mickelson was only at 4 under heading into 12 and three shots behind the lead, but then reeled off three birdies and drilled a dramatic 20-foot birdie putt on the 16th to tie. Then, with the weight of never winning a major on his back, Mickelson lipped in a long birdie on 18, leaping in the air (as high as he could) in celebration. Mickelson shot 31 on the back nine that Sunday and finished the week with three straight rounds of 69 to win his first green jacket.
5. Tiger Woods, 2002
Tiger won his second straight title in 2002, becoming just the third person to win back-to-back green jackets. Like so many of his victories in those days, it was Woods against himself. He was tied with Retief Goosen heading into the final round, but built a 3-stroke lead in the first three holes of the final round. That lead stretched all the way to 5 strokes before a bogey on 17 brought him back to -12 for the tournament. Still, no one came close to matching Tiger over 72 holes as he dominated the competition and course for the second straight year.
4. Tiger Woods, 2005
This was Tiger’s most iconic win at the Masters, but not his most dominant. Sure, the chip in at 16 is one of the greatest shots in golf history. But don’t forget, he bogeyed 17 and 18 to allow Chris DiMarco to get into a playoff. He also had a 3-stroke lead heading into Sunday, so the fact that Woods needed a playoff speaks to the fact that he wasn’t the same Woods he had been on Sundays at Augustas past. Regardless, he made birdie on the first playoff hole to beat DiMarco and claim his fourth (and most recent) green jacket. Woods shot 66-65 in the second and third round, respectively, and his -12 score was 7 better than anyone outside of DiMarco, so yeah, he was still incredible.
3. Phil Mickelson, 2010
This was Phil’s third Masters title and most dominant performance by far. He shot three rounds of 67 and pulled away from the competition on the back nine in the final round. Who can forget his aggressive approach shot to the 13th hole off the pine straw between two trees? He was up two at the time, but in classic Phil fashion, he had to challenge himself. That shot will arguably be the most memorable of his career (the driver off the deck at the 2013 Open Championship and putt at the 2004 Masters also come to mind). But he was nearly flawless all week and never took his foot off the gas.
2. Jordan Spieth, 2015
Spieth blitzed Augusta National from the opening round during one of the most dominant performances in Masters history. He shot 64 in the first round (one off the course record) and got as low as 19-under (a Masters record) on Sunday before cruising to the finish at 18-under par, which tied Tiger Woods’ 1997 mark for lowest score in Masters history. He led wire-to-wire, the first time someone did that since Ray Floyd in 1976, had 28 birdies in four rounds (another Masters record) and was never fewer than 3 strokes ahead of the field after any round. That’s what greatness is all about.
1. Tiger Woods, 2001
This was peak Tiger, and no one (sorry Jack) could beat peak Tiger. Woods completed the final leg of the famed Tiger Slam, winning the 2001 Masters after winning the U.S. Open, Open Championship and PGA Championship in 2000. It was the first time in the modern era a golfer won all four of golf’s major championships in a row. And best of all (at least from Woods’ perspective), he beat Phil Mickelson, who was in second place heading into the final round, to do it. After an opening-round 70, Tiger fired off rounds of 66-68-68 to win this tournament by two. It was vintage Woods. He built a lead heading into Sunday, and never let anyone get close. It wasn’t the most exciting Masters because of Woods’ dominance, but it was the best performance by the best golfer of this generation.
