How often do you we see a big tournament boil down to one final, nerve-wracking putt for the title?
Rewind back to 2012: the scene is Medinah, where all that stands between Europe retaining the Ryder Cup is a testing five-footer with a hint of right-to-left break.
Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Martin Kaymer pours it into the centre of the cup to complete one of the greatest comebacks in Ryder Cup history.
There have been many similarly dramatic moments to decide golf tournaments over the years, from Payne Stewart’s iconic fist pump salute at the 1999 US Open, to Constantino Rocca’s spectacular (although ultimately unfruitful) putt to force a play-off against John Daly at the 1995 Open Championship.
Thankfully these days, with comprehensive television coverage and a little thing called Youtube, we can re-live these magical golfing moments with the mere click of a button.
So fetch your bowl of popcorn from the microwave and find a comfy chair, because we’ve compiled 10 of the greatest clutch putts from the past 30 years.
Justin Leonard, 1999 Ryder Cup at Brookline
Justin Leonard approached the 17th green with the scores locked against Jose Maria Olazabal, needing half a point to retain the Ryder Cup for the US. Putting first from some 45-feet, he unbelievable holed it. Almost the entire US team ran onto the green, completely oblivious to the fact Olazabal still had a putt to halve the match. When the commotion subsided, Olazabal eventually missed his putt, assuring Leonard and his US teammates had the half-point needed to win the Ryder Cup.
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Graeme McDowell, 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor
Graeme McDowell was pitted against Hunter Mahan in the final pairing at the 2010 Ryder Cup. One-up with three to play, McDowell’s second shot to the 16th landed to the left of the pin on the edge of the green. In front of an enormous crowd, McDowell sent the putt swirling towards the hole with perfect pace and into the bottom of the cup. It proved the decisive blow, with Mahan unable to win the next hole – handing Europe the trophy. “Sixteen was massive, wow,” the Northern Irishman later said. “It was the best putt I’ve hit in my life. It was a fast putt, I just had to get it going – thankfully it caught an edge.”
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Jack Nicklaus, 1986 Masters at Augusta National
In 1986, Jack Nicklaus was 46. He hadn’t won a major in six years and had gone two years without a victory on the PGA Tour. The Golden Bear was considered a spent force. Until something happened: the 1986 Masters. Nicklaus began the final round of the tournament four shots behind overnight leader Greg Norman. After a fairly quiet front nine (-1), he appeared out of contention. But then something clicked, as Nicklaus tore up Augusta’s infamous back nine to come home in 30 (-6). The highlight (among many) was an 18-footer for birdie on No.17 to take the lead. With the putt still en route, Nicklaus raised his putter in celebration and Verne Lundquist delivered the unforgettable line, “yes, sir!” He would defeat Norman by one shot in what is remembered as arguably the best Masters ever.
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Constantino Rocca, 1995 Open Championship at St Andrews
Needing a birdie on the last at St Andrews to force a play-off with John Daly, Constantino Rocca’s chances looked buried when he flubbed his second shot into the “Valley of Sin”. The Italian then produced one of the greatest putts in the history of major golf. Sadly, it was to be in vain – Daly would trounce him by four shots in the ensuing four-hole play-off.
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Adam Scott, 2013 Masters at Augusta National
Still chasing his first major after blowing a golden opportunity at the previous year’s Open Championship, Adam Scott looked set to break his duck when he drained a 20-footer on the 18th hole to take the lead at Augusta. Angel Cabrera had other ideas. The Argentinian produced an unbelievable approach to the same pin to card birdie and force a play-off. On the second extra hole, Cabrera missed a birdie attempt to leave Scott with a 15-foot birdie putt for the title. With one stroke of his broomstick putter, Scott became the first Aussie to win the green jacket.
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Hale Irwin, 1990 U.S. Open at Medinah
Hale Irwin trailed by four shots entering the final round, but the two-time Open winner carded a five-under 31 on the back nine to force an 18-hole play-off against Mike Donald. Irwin holed an unthinkable 45-foot putt on the 18th, before running around the green and dishing out high-fives to the gallery. The pair returned the following day, and still tied after 18, Irwin then birdied the first hole of sudden death to become the oldest champion in US Open history.
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Martin Kaymer, 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah
Going into the final day needing eight points to retain the Ryder Cup, Europe needed to produce “a miracle” at Medinah. After an afternoon filled with drama, the overall score was locked at 13-13 with two matches to be completed. In the final group, Tiger Woods went one-up over Francesco Molinari on No. 17 – leaving Martin Kaymer with a putt on 18 to secure the Ryder Cup. With the weight of a team, not to mention an entire continent on his shoulders, Kaymer showed enormous character to pour it in the centre. A bogey from Woods on the final hole then gifted the overall victory to Jose Maria Olazabal’s side.
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Tiger Woods, 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines
Rocco Mediate was in the clubhouse with a one-shot lead and Woods needed a birdie on the final hole to force a play-off. He snuck the putt in off the right edge of the cup, sending the gallery surrounding the 18th green at Torrey Pines into pandemonium. He came back the following day to sneak past Mediate in a play-off. It was later confirmed Woods had played the tournament with a fractured leg, in what will surely go down as one of the most remarkable victories of all time.
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Paula Creamer, 2014 HSBC Women’s Championship in Singapore
There are putts you try to make, and others you are happy to get even remotely close. When Paula Creamer stood over her 75-foot eagle attempt on her second play-off hole at the HSBC Women’s Championship, she was certainly thinking the latter. Instead, she sent the monstrous putt down the slope, breaking sharply from left-to-right at the end before disappearing into the hole. The victory over Azahara Munoz gave Creamer her first win in almost four years. “It’s one of those putts where if you just get it in the right spot, it’s going to fall down,” she said. “But I could stand there all day long and putt that and I don’t think get it within six, seven feet.”
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Payne Stewart, 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst
In what remains one of the most thrilling conclusions to a US Open, Payne Stewart and Phil Mickelson were locked in a ding-dong battle down the stretch. Having struck trouble on 18, Stewart needed to hole a 15-footer to save par and win the tournament. It proved a poignant moment, with Stewart tragically killed in a plane crash a few months later.
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Which is your favourite cluch putt from our list? Are there any that you think we’ve missed? Post your comments below.
