[Ed]

1. 1996 - as a 13 year old I was totally obsessed by golf and I remember sitting down with Dad to watch the Masters final round (he'd just opened a bottle of red, I had poured myself an orange squash) and after only a handful of holes Dad proclaimed that Norman was done. We watched Norman's self-destruction through our fingers as it was so mortifying. Faldo has sometimes been a difficult player to love, but on that day he was simply awesome.
2. 1997 - Tiger's first win. Tiger was only a few years older than me, and to watch his procession was simply mesmeric, especially after all the commentators were writing him off after his front 9 40 on Thursday. We instantly knew this was the future of golf. It was also before his early 2000s dominance which sadly coincided with some of the worst trousers ever seen on a golf course.
3. 2016 - I'm not much of a gambler, but I've put money on the Masters every year since 1998. A more serious gambling friend looked at my betting slip of Danny Willet and Lee Westwood and laughed. I just felt they were both badly mis-priced. Anyway, I clearly had the last laugh.

[Fordy]

It's going to be impossible to match some of the great memories already posted - in particular from @boykinjw and @chrisfoleygolf - but here we go. My interpretation of the title of this thread was "moments" rather than memorable victories.

Like many other Brits of my generation growing up, Seve was The Man, the icon and certainly someone who remains untouchable as my golfing hero. I did however have a soft spot for the seemingly cool and unflappable (though still major-less and somewhat labeller as a choker) Freddie Couples. So it was in 1992, with Seve far from the mix and Freddie in contention that I sat intently to cheering on the lego-haired, Ashworth sporting Couples in great anticipation. I was utterly gripped, and being now 30 years ago we only really picked up coverage on the BBC late into the back nine. So early in the viewing my heart sank as his tee shot on the 12th stalled and came up short on the bank, destined for a watery grave. Impossibly it stayed dry and Freddie made a par, going on to win by two shots. We've all seen that shot hundreds of times replayed over the years and still it seems destined for the drink - maybe one year it actually will get wet. It was a career-defining victory but integral was that outrageous fortune on 12.

Like @tanton8 i was utterly gripped by the 2013 Masters. The culmination was sporting heaven. Having witnessed Adam Scott holing across the 72nd green for birdie and give it the huge fist pumps and "C'mon Aussie" it seemed as though Angel Cabrera would come up a shot shy of the playoff. El Pato, though, showed how big his cajones were by stiffing his shot from 163 yards amid biblical rain and holding his nerve to tap-in. He may not have prevailed in the playoff, but he showed incredible nerve and incredible sportsmanship in defeat. I love watching that shot back and it still gives me goosebumps. I'd love to know what he said as the ball was in the air as it's right up there with "be the right club today" for me.

Greg Norman has suffered more heartache than most in the majors and in particular at Augusta. Perhaps the most famous being in 1996 when Nick Faldo cleaned his clock with a quite astonishing comeback. My memory, however, is from 1987 when, from what I would deem an utterly horrific position right of the 11th green, Larry Mize not only got his chip airborn but holed it almost magically to claim victory in the playoff. The scenes of Larry Mize running around like a headless chicken in absolute jubilation, while in the foreground Norman shook his head in disbelief - "why me, again" said the look to his caddy. This was sport at it's finest. Victory and defeat hanging on a knife edge with the promise of either ecstacy or utter devastation awaiting the result of each shot.

Now I can't wait for next week!

[Matt]

I was fortunate enough to attend the Masters in 2015 and 2016. Having spent the Sunday there in 2015 watching Jordan Spieth win his first major, it was all over way too quickly for me so I felt the urge to return in 2016 and attended all four days of the tournament.


The three personal memories that stand out for me:

1. Seeing Tiger Woods in his famous Sunday red shirt warming up on the putting green near the first tee in 2015. Because Augusta National carefully control the number of patrons attending the Masters, it’s incredible how close you can get to the competitors even on a Sunday. Yes I’d seen Tiger before at the Open Championship, but usually behind galleries of fans that were 20 levels deep. Watching him hit a few warm up putts was simply awe-inspiring. I have never seen such a pure putting stroke. Following Tiger to the first tee and then watching him hit his tee shot standing just a few feet away was a moment that will stick with me forever. I first watched Tiger on a little black-and-white TV winning the Masters in 1997 and was captivated by every single shot, so seeing him for real at Augusta almost 20 years later was quite an emotional moment for me.
2. I witnessed Jordan Spieth’s tee shot on the 12th hole in the final round of the 2016 Masters first-hand. I had followed Jordan for the duration of his round up until the 12th hole and he’d made five birdies on the front nine, but had begun to unravel as he made the turn. After hitting a beautiful approach shot on 11, I hoped he would manage to save par, but unfortunately he missed the putt. Then his 12th tee shot disappeared into Rae’s Creek. I immediately abandoned his group and caught up with Westwood and Willett who were a few holes ahead. I could see that they were both making a bit of a charge. Just as I walked down the 14th fairway I heard huge groans from the surrounding grandstands. Because mobile phones are not permitted at Augusta National, all patrons have to rely on the scoreboards being up-to-date around the course to keep track of what’s happening. As Jordan’s score flipped from -5 to -1 on the scoreboards, thousands of patrons around the property collectively howled and began to leave the grandstands. I had no idea that Jordan had hit his next shot on 12 into the water and then made a quadruple bogey. All that remained was for a dedicated legion of English golf fans to get behind the Westwood and Willett group. We watched a pretty incredible performance from Willett as he birdied 16 and then hit the most incredible chip shot to save par on 17. I stood right behind Danny as he hit his final approach shot on 18 to secure his win and the Green Jacket. I even stayed to watch the Green Jacket ceremony at the end which I missed the year before because my friends wanted to leave early.
3. Seeing Augusta National for the first time: Standing near the first tee after emerging from the merchandise shop laden with bags of Masters swag in 2015 was a magical and rather overwhelming experience. Because of the undulating topography of the landscape, the amazing thing is that as you look down from the first tee you can see a huge section of the course laid out before you. The 9th green, 2nd green, 3rd tee, 8th tee, 7th green, and even as far as 15 and 16. Looking left you can catch a glimpse of the 10th tee. Being a caddy at the Masters must pretty exhausting as you carry a heavy golf bag up and down the hills and hollows of Alister Mackenzie’s masterpiece. But what a beautiful spectacle it is to look at. The severe downhill slope of the 10th fairway really surprised me, as did the steep upward gradient of the 8th fairway. Turning right from the 10th green and wandering down 11, I caught my first glimpse of holes 12 and 13. I’d played Augusta National on Tiger Woods EA Sports so many times on my Xbox, and had watched every Masters on TV since 1997. Seeing Amen corner for the first time was a rather surreal experience, and the proximity of the 11th green, 12th tee and 13th fairway would be terrifying for a golfer like me who is prone to the rather errant golf shot!

My Masters tip for anyone who is lucky enough to be a patron one day: One of the best spots on the course to watch the action is actually up near the first green. Because so many patrons head straight to Amen Corner or the area around 15 and 16, this part of the course remains reasonably quiet even on a Sunday. This spot is ideal as you can see shots into the 1st green, tee shots on 9, tee shots on 2 (which is my favourite hole) and approach shots into the 8th green. All within about a 1 minute walk from each other. Obviously if you’re going to position your green Masters fold-up chair anywhere on the course, then I would highly recommend the 16th green. One of the most amusing moments was seeing hundreds of patrons speed-walking (running is not permitted) towards 16 with their chairs as the gates opened first thing in the morning.

[Josh]

Originally Posted by Matt

I was fortunate enough to attend the Masters in 2015 and 2016. Having spent the Sunday there in 2015 watching Jordan Spieth win his first major, it was all over way too quickly for me so I felt the urge to return in 2016 and attended all four days of the tournament.


The three personal memories that stand out for me:

1. Seeing Tiger Woods in his famous Sunday red shirt warming up on the putting green near the first tee in 2015. Because Augusta National carefully control the number of patrons attending the Masters, it’s incredible how close you can get to the competitors even on a Sunday. Yes I’d seen Tiger before at the Open Championship, but usually behind galleries of fans that were 20 levels deep. Watching him hit a few warm up putts was simply awe-inspiring. I have never seen such a pure putting stroke. Following Tiger to the first tee and then watching him hit his tee shot standing just a few feet away was a moment that will stick with me forever. I first watched Tiger on a little black-and-white TV winning the Masters in 1997 and was captivated by every single shot, so seeing him for real at Augusta almost 20 years later was quite an emotional moment for me.
2. I witnessed Jordan Spieth’s tee shot on the 12th hole in the final round of the 2016 Masters first-hand. I had followed Jordan for the duration of his round up until the 12th hole and he’d made five birdies on the front nine, but had begun to unravel as he made the turn. After hitting a beautiful approach shot on 11, I hoped he would manage to save par, but unfortunately he missed the putt. Then his 12th tee shot disappeared into Rae’s Creek. I immediately abandoned his group and caught up with Westwood and Willett who were a few holes ahead. I could see that they were both making a bit of a charge. Just as I walked down the 14th fairway I heard huge groans from the surrounding grandstands. Because mobile phones are not permitted at Augusta National, all patrons have to rely on the scoreboards being up-to-date around the course to keep track of what’s happening. As Jordan’s score flipped from -5 to -1 on the scoreboards, thousands of patrons around the property collectively howled and began to leave the grandstands. I had no idea that Jordan had hit his next shot on 12 into the water and then made a quadruple bogey. All that remained was for a dedicated legion of English golf fans to get behind the Westwood and Willett group. We watched a pretty incredible performance from Willett as he birdied 16 and then hit the most incredible chip shot to save par on 17. I stood right behind Danny as he hit his final approach shot on 18 to secure his win and the Green Jacket. I even stayed to watch the Green Jacket ceremony at the end which I missed the year before because my friends wanted to leave early.
3. Seeing Augusta National for the first time: Standing near the first tee after emerging from the merchandise shop laden with bags of Masters swag in 2015 was a magical and rather overwhelming experience. Because of the undulating topography of the landscape, the amazing thing is that as you look down from the first tee you can see a huge section of the course laid out before you. The 9th green, 2nd green, 3rd tee, 8th tee, 7th green, and even as far as 15 and 16. Looking left you can catch a glimpse of the 10th tee. Being a caddy at the Masters must pretty exhausting as you carry a heavy golf bag up and down the hills and hollows of Alister Mackenzie’s masterpiece. But what a beautiful spectacle it is to look at. The severe downhill slope of the 10th fairway really surprised me, as did the steep upward gradient of the 8th fairway. Turning right from the 10th green and wandering down 11, I caught my first glimpse of holes 12 and 13. I’d played Augusta National on Tiger Woods EA Sports so many times on my Xbox, and had watched every Masters on TV since 1997. Seeing Amen corner for the first time was a rather surreal experience, and the proximity of the 11th green, 12th tee and 13th fairway would be terrifying for a golfer like me who is prone to the rather errant golf shot!

My Masters tip for anyone who is lucky enough to be a patron one day: One of the best spots on the course to watch the action is actually up near the first green. Because so many patrons head straight to Amen Corner or the area around 15 and 16, this part of the course remains reasonably quiet even on a Sunday. This spot is ideal as you can see shots into the 1st green, tee shots on 9, tee shots on 2 (which is my favourite hole) and approach shots into the 8th green. All within about a 1 minute walk from each other. Obviously if you’re going to position your green Masters fold-up chair anywhere on the course, then I would highly recommend the 16th green. One of the most amusing moments was seeing hundreds of patrons speed-walking (running is not permitted) towards 16 with their chairs as the gates opened first thing in the morning.

Amazing to read some of those moments, can only imagine the the change in atmosphere once Spieth's tee shot went into the water!

[Dan]

These are fantastic @Matt. You give such a vivid impression of being there, which is something that so many of us dream of. Great tip on viewing spots, too - when I finally get the make the pilgrimage I'll be bearing that advice in mind (it presumably means you don't have to lug your merchandise shop swag as far either!) I first saw Tiger in the flesh at Brookline in the Ryder Cup in '99. First hearing the sound of his strike is something I'll never forget.

[Dan]

You can't go wrong with Freddie, @Fordy

[Piers]

@Dan given how excited I get for this week every year, this is a really tough challenge to pick out just three, however, here we go:

1. 1996: Nick Faldo vs Greg Norman, 13th hole. The back and forward between Nick Faldo and Fanny seemed to go on forever. You sensed that this was a truly pivotal moment in the duel between these two titans of 80’s and 90’s golf, and moreover, that Faldo knew it was a chance to put the final nail in the Norman coffin. Off a good drive into the right fairway, Faldo found himself on a severe hanging lie with the ball almost a full foot above his feet. The better part of 220 yards stood between him and the safety of the green. Swapping repeatedly between his 5-wood (put in the bag especially for this situation) and his 2 iron, Faldo seemed both lost and resolute. Finally, he made his decision, set up to the ball, made his familiar waggle and sent a ballistic missile straight into the heart of the green. The camera caught its perfect ball flight, and two putts later he had his birdie and got ever closer to the title. Great drama, and a great shot from one of the great ball-strikers.
2. 1998: O’Meara wins against a stacked leaderboard - this one is a little left-field, but in a truly stacked leaderboard of the greats of the day, you had Couples, Els, O’Meara (to name a few) all battling for the title. I was cheering on sweet-swinging Freddie and was somewhat distraught to see him snap hook it into the trees on the 13th. It looked like he was out of it, however, an incredible second into 15 and he had an eagle and was right back in the hunt. Only O’Meara’s absurd finish denied Freddie a playoff, but Couples' gift was not just his legendary rhythm but also his steely determination. You only need to refer to his Ryder Cup record to see what a tough competitor he was. This year was not his, however his eagle had me out of my seat and believing!! (NB - a remarkably similar set of circumstances to the year that Garcia won. This time, his eagle saw him claim the major that had eluded him for so long).
3. 2019: The Year the Tiger Roared Again - I was never a huge Tiger fan. I admired him for his skill and talent, however his years of being monosyllabic made him a hard man to love. His comeback in 2018, culminating in his win at the Tour Championship, plus his material change in demeanour, made me begin to appreciate quite how much he meant to the game. Call me an old softie, but seeing him take advantage of various other players’ misfortune, stuff it into 16 and walk up 18 a major champion again, this time as a truly great, openly flawed human being, as opposed to a relentless, robotic winner, made be feel part of something truly special!!

Notable mentions:
- Olazabal’s comeback win in ‘99. Never has a nicer man walked the fairways. His comeback after such terrible adversity remains a great example of resolve.
- 1989: my first sight of Augusta National on TV. Watching people putt backwards, away from the hole, only to see it take the absurd and rapid slopes. Life-changing!
- Playoffs: Cabrera stuffing it stiff. Garcia doing the same. Adam Scott’s “Come on Aussie”. Bubba’s wedge. Faldo’s repeats on 11

[Dan]

@Piers These are great. That 2-iron of Faldo's was ridiculous and a mark of what a truly consummate competitor he was in his prime. And who's to say Freddie's name won't appear on the leaderboards some time next week? Top stuff!