What is the greatest shot ever on each and every hole at the Masters?
Well, we've made it. We ran through the FedEx Cup, set insane alarms to catch another American victory at the Presidents Cup, had some fun offseason events like Rory McIlroy's win in Dubai, Justin Thomas' win in Malaysia and Rickie Fowler's great play in Abu Dhabi.
Jordan Spieth shot 30-under to start 2016, Bubba Watson was impressive (again) at Riviera, and both Adam Scott and Jason Day have showed us that this might be the year of the Aussie.
All of this has prepared us for the first major championship of 2016, and it's shaping up to be an excellent one. Of the top-five players in the world, only Rory McIlroy has gone winless in 2016, and if he was to break through on Sunday at Augusta National it wouldn't just be another major win for Rory, but the career Grand Slam, joining the "one name only" group of Sarazen, Hogan, Player, Nicklaus and Woods.
So let's get to some mailbag questions. We launched a golf podcast called the Clubhouse where we are answering mailbag questions on a weekly basis (subscribe here!), so we tried to pick questions that we didn't touch on that platform.
Have a question? Send them our way (you can use the hashtag #clubhousesb) or hit us up on Facebook for lengthier ones.
@shanebacon @FOXSports Which Australian is going to win?
— Jeff Rude (@JeffRudeGolf) March 31, 2016
Bacon: My old colleague and one of the best golf writers to ever pick up a pen is giving this thing to the Aussies already!
The Australians in the field are Day, Scott, Marc Leishman, Cameron Smith and Steven Bowditch.
You might roll your eyes at the players not named Day or Scott, but don't do that just yet.
Smith is just 22 and finished T-4 at the U.S. Open a year ago (and T-25 in the PGA, making it two top-25s in his only two major starts). Leishman was obviously a member of that playoff a year ago at the British Open, eventually won by Zach Johnson, but he has his own great Masters finish, a T-4 in '13, and Bowditch played in his only Masters in '14, finishing T-26.
And yes, that last paragraph was political. Anyone can win the Masters, we all know that (what up, Trevor Immelman!), but the reason we spend so much time talking about golf tournaments before they begin is because we want to know who has the best shot at winning or who is prepared to pull off the near-impossible.
I think Day is the favorite by a distance similar to one of his missile-like drives. To be honest, I'd be surprised at this point if Day didn't win on Sunday. I'm not sure in my time covering golf if I've ever felt this confident about someone winning a major.
Of course, that means he will probably finish T-37 or something, but alas, that's why we predict and look back on those later, and that's why I think betting on the Australians to snag another green jacket is a pretty smart move.
@shanebacon would you rather..have 4 lifetime passes to every Masters or play 1 round at Augusta but never be allowed to watch in person?
— Josh Sullivan (@sulligolf08) April 4, 2016
Bacon: I think I'm taking the one round of golf and then enjoying the Masters in 4K or 5K or whatever K it will be broadcast in over the next decade or two.
Not being able to attend the Masters doesn't mean I can't watch it, but an opportunity to tee it up there is something that rarely, if ever, comes around to even the most well-connected individuals on this planet.
Here are the only acceptable excuses to miss out on an opportunity to play Augusta National:
1. Your wedding is that day. And shame on you for scheduling it on a great day to play golf.
2. Your first child is being born. And only your first ... after that, Augusta takes precedent, you raise your second child to be a big golfer and then explain to said child at the appropriate age that you missed his/her birth because you got to play where the Masters is held and immediately become cooler in your kid's mind.
3. You just got elected President and you're being sworn in that day. Aand even this seems like something the incoming president can move around.
That's about it.
@shanebacon @FOXSports would you rather tiger be great again or someone show they really could be greater than him
— THINGS are STUFF (@stuffAREthings) March 31, 2016
Bacon: The only thing that trumps brilliance is a return to brilliance, at least in my opinion. That's why the 1986 Masters is the best golf tournament to ever be played, and why you will see so many articles and television specials dedicated to it this week. Jack Nicklaus hadn't won a PGA Tour event in almost two years before that Masters victory, and had gone five and a half years since his last major title.
From 1971 to 1979 Jack finished outside the top-four at the Masters once, and that was a seventh-place finish (he finished top-8 in every Masters held in the '70s, so that's something). In the '80s, before his win in '86, Jack had a T-2 in '81 and a T-6 in '85, but other than that, nothing really special.
So if Tiger bounced back in three years and made a final run at a green jacket, it would be legendary on a level no young player could compete with. If Jordan Spieth wins a second straight green jacket this week, it'll be special, but a different type of special.
If Tiger Woods, at 43 or 44, won a final Masters over these young guys 10 years since his last major, it would break the internet, and journalists would have to take sedatives to even begin to write their recap stories. It would be like Tom Watson at Turnberry, only with a completely different outcome.
@shanebacon Most overrated part of The Masters or Augusta National?
— Mark (@MLM_85) April 4, 2016
Bacon: When it ends and I have to go back to my "How Many Days Until the Masters?" countdown and change it to the next year and immediately get post-azalea depression.
That's my least favorite part. I'm already depressed thinking about it.
Oh, and the thing that I tend to roll my eyes at the most is the idea that nobody can win the big tournament after winning the Par-3 Contest. I even used to write posts about it (I'm the main source of the problem!).
If I'm a guy in the field, I'm trying to win every single piece of hardware I can get my hands on at Augusta National. Eagle goblets, hole-in-one crystal bowls, a vase for the low score of the day. I'm going after it all.
@shanebacon why so little TV coverage of the Masters? Could be 12-15h a day would be so great!!!!
— rogerzabel (@ibrahimbavic) April 4, 2016
Bacon: Wait, we are still complaining about this? The Masters has embraced the technological revolution better than just about any sporting event on planet Earth, giving us featured groups and live online streaming before most places even knew what those things were!
I know that people want more and more and more out of the Masters each year, but instead of being disappointed there isn't a 24-hour fixed camera on the 12th hole, can't we be happy with what we do have in 2016 that we didn't have a decade ago?
@shanebacon What is the greatest shot at each hole in Masters history.
— Ryan Higgins (@chach3) April 4, 2016
Bacon: Oh my. Well, let's do it, eh?
No. 1 -- Charl Schwartzel's chip-in birdie, final round, 2011. If you don't remember this, I don't blame you, because at this point it was still Rory's Masters to win and everyone else was there for the celebration. Schwartzel hit a ridiculously stupid bump and run that went in somehow on the first, and while it didn't seem huge at the time, it got his round off to a great start. He fired 66 and won by two.
No. 2 -- Louis Oosthuizen's double eagle, final round, 2012. Louis was one shot back of the leaders when he stepped on the second tee in the final round back in '12. He walked off two up. That's what an albatross will do for you!
No. 3 -- Charl Schwartzel's eagle, final round, 2011. Remember a moment ago when I talked about Schwartzel's chip-in at the first? Well, he holed out for an eagle just two holes later from 114 yards, the only player to ever eagle the third and go on to win the Masters.
Charl Schwartzel waves to the gallery after holing a shot for eagle on the third green during the 2011 Masters.
No. 4 -- Jeff Sluman's ace, first round, 1992. The only man to ever ace the fourth, Sluman's went on to finish T-4 in '92, five shots back of Fred Couples.
No. 5 -- Jack Nicklaus' eagle(s), first and third rounds, 1995. Why would a man, 55 years old at the time, who finished 35th own the best golf shot ever at the tough par-4 fifth? Because it was his second of the week on that hole. Nicklaus knocked in a 5-iron on Thursday on his way to an opening 67 (he shot a nasty 78 on Friday), and holed it on the fifth with a 7-iron on Saturday, making it two eagles on the fifth in three days.
No. 6 -- Billy Joe Patton's ace, final round, 1954 Masters. We have seen a handful of aces on the sixth over the years, but none were as important to the outcome as the one struck by amateur Billy Joe Patton. He made an ace in the final round in '54 with a 5-iron to move within three shots of Ben Hogan, eventually missing out on a playoff with Hogan and Sam Snead by a single shot.
No. 7 -- Byron Nelson's tee shot, 1937. There were no speed slots, adjustable weights or low-kick shafts back in the '30s, but that didn't stop Byron Nelson from driving the seventh green, some 320 yards away. He would go on and two-putt for his birdie, and decades before Tiger Proofing became a thing, Augusta National decided to Byron Proof the seventh, moving the tees back 20 yards. The seventh now plays a brutal 450 yards.
No. 8 -- Bruce Devlin's albatross, first round, 1967. The only double-eagle ever on the eighth deserves a spot on this list. Devlin knocked in a 4-wood from 248 yards. He would go on to finish T-10 that week, one of five top-10s in his career at Augusta National.
No. 9 -- Tiger Woods' second shot, first round, 2010. This was just vintage Tiger.
Tiger Woods runs to watch his shot hook around trees on the ninth hole during 2010's first round.
No. 10 -- Bubba Watson's second shot, playoff, 2012. The only way to properly describe Bubba's second shot from the right pine straw in that 2012 playoff is that it was the golf equivalent to what Steph Curry does with a basketball. Nobody else on the planet could have pulled off that shot. Nobody.
4 days until #themasters. 4 years ago, @bubbawatson won in a playoff. #cominginapril Watch:https://t.co/qeTEguJ89l
— Masters Tournament (@TheMasters) March 31, 2016
No. 11 -- Larry Mize's pitch shot, playoff, 1987. When Larry Mize found himself in a playoff with Greg Norman and Seve Ballesteros, he was the most unlikely to leave with a green jacket, especially when, on the second playoff hole, his shot sailed right of the 11th green and Norman found the putting surface.
But Mize pulled off one of the most incredible pitch shots in golf history, holing out from 140 feet to beat Norman in the most unlikely of ways.
No. 12 -- Scott Verplank, 2003. There have been three aces on the 12th over the years, so all the credit in the world to Claude Harmon, William Hyndman and Curtis Strange, and of course, you can't talk the 12th without bringing up Fred Couples and the break of a lifetime in 1992.
But when talking about this sneaky par-3 and "best shot," you have to give Verplank a little love for what he did in '03. Verplank played the 12th in just eight shots for the entire week, making a birdie in all four rounds. It isn't a single shot, mind you, but a collective accomplishment that lands Verplank the honors on one of the most famous golf holes in the world.
No. 13 -- Phil Mickelson's second shot, final round, 2010. It's hard not to give Jeff Maggert some love here (the guy did make the lone double-eagle on the 13th in Masters history), but when I think about golf shots on this famous par-5, I think of Phil in '10. You remember the shot; pine straw, 209 yards, a caddie begging him to lay up, and what does Phil do, pulls a 6-iron out and hits between two trees for one of the most dramatic and amazing recovery golf shots in golf history. He missed the short eagle putt (to be fair, he smashed the eagle putt through the break leaving him further away for birdie), but that second shot is the one that comes to mind when thinking about the 13th.
No. 14 -- Phil Mickelson's second shot, third round, 2010. That's right, all Phil, all the time! Not only did Phil pull off what we call "An American" (when you go eagle-eagle) with his second shot hole-out here in '10, but he nearly did something inexplicable after his deuce here on the 14th, with a near hole-out for a third straight eagle on the 15th. Phil would go on to win his third green jacket thanks to back-to-back 67s over the weekend.
Phil Mickelson makes the list twice for two memorable shots over the weekend that put him in position to win this jacket in 2010.
No. 15 -- Gene Sarazen's second shot, final round, 1935. If a certain golf shot is called "the shot heard 'round the world," it makes this list. Sarazen's double-eagle on 15 allowed him to tie Craig Wood, whom he would eventually beat in a 36-hole playoff the next day. Considering it was his lone Masters victory, you could attribute that single shot to Sarazen's Career Grand Slam as well.
No. 16 -- Tiger Woods' chip shot, final round, 2005. So many great shots on this par-3, but nothing can compare to "in your life" from Woods in '05. It is the coolest golf shot I've ever witnessed live, and it will go down as a career-moment for one of the greatest golfers to ever play the game.
11 days until #themasters. 11 years ago, @TigerWoods holed out on No. 16 to help him win. #cominginapril Watch:https://t.co/BWfO21Dhce
— Masters Tournament (@TheMasters) March 24, 2016
No. 17 -- Jack Nicklaus' putt, final round, 1986. You can't leave out the greatest final round and greatest moment in Masters history from this list of best golf shots. It's just not fair. Jack birdied the 9th, the 10th, the 11th, and despite a bogey on 12, was still zoning. His birdie at the 13th got the crowd buzzing, his eagle at the 15th put shockwaves through Augusta National, and his tee shot on the 16th was so good Jack didn't even watch it. But his birdie on the 17th is the most iconic of all the shots Nicklaus hit in that round, rolling in a 12-footer as Verne Lundquist famously exclaimed, "Yessir!"
No. 18 -- Gary Player's birdie putt, final round, 1978. It's nearly impossible to pick the best golf shot ever on the final hole at Augusta National. You could go with Mark O'Meara in '98, Phil in '04, or Adam Scott in '13. Chris DiMarco's chip shot in '05, had it dropped against Tiger, would probably be the best golf shot ever on the 18th, but it didn't, so I'm leaning towards Player.
His final round in '78 included a seven-birdie stretch over his last 10 holes, including a birdie putt at the 18th to edge out three players by a single shot. It is and will be one of the greatest final rounds in major championship history, and Player talked about that putt, saying it was the best golf shot of his career, on The Clubhouse podcast this week.
@shanebacon Most underrated hole for spectators?
— UGAgirlforever (@UGAgirlforever) April 4, 2016
Bacon: I've mentioned this part of the course before, but behind the seventh green is a great spot at Augusta to watch some golf. You get the seventh green (obviously), you get tee shots on the eighth, and you can see players coming up the second and hitting tee shots on the third (a risk-reward hole that can be really fun to watch).
Considering all the chaos that goes down by Amen Corner (for good reason), setting up shop by the seventh is a great move.
@shanebacon what are your thoughts on DJ's chances this year at Augusta?
— Luke Garner (@garner_xcv) April 4, 2016
Bacon: If you come back to these parts on Wednesday, you'll get my final top-10 Masters rankings, so I don't want to spoil who I'm picking to win right now, but I will say, Dustin Johnson is going to be somewhere in the top-10, especially considering how he played in Houston and the fact that he's coming off his first ever top-10 at Augusta a year ago.
