The Greatest Shots in Masters History

7 Epic Moments from Golf's Greatest Tournament

We don’t have footage of Gene Sarazen’s famous double eagle from 1935, but on Masters Sunday 2012, we saw something just as good and just as rare — Louis Oosthuizen's double eagle, the first at the par-5 second hole in Masters history. Later, Bubba Watson joined our countdown with his stunning recovery shot from the pine straw in the playoff. Here are our choices for the seven greatest shots in Masters history.

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The 2013 Masters At a Glance

It's Time for Golf's Greatest Tournament

MastersThe Masters at a Glance
Augusta National Golf Club • Augusta, Ga.
April 11-14 • Defending Champion: Bubba Watson

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PGA Tour 2012: End of Year Awards

The Best (and Worst) of 2012

With this week's Children's Miracle Network Classic, another PGA Tour season draws to a close, meaning that it's time to hand out some hardware.

Player of the Year — Rory McIlroy
Rory doesn't need any accolades from us for vindication; if you believe the unconfirmed reports, he's already cashed in on his remarkable season with a $250 million deal from Nike. Judging from his 2012 season, it'll be money well spent for the Swoosh. The world's No. 1 player enjoyed stunning success on both sides of the pond, leading both the PGA and European Tours in earnings (provided he has a solid finish in this weekend's Singapore Open). His four wins were the most in a single season by any player not named Tiger Woods since 2005. He won the PGA Championship by eight strokes, then won two FedExCup playoff events (the Deutsche Bank and BMW). Throw in girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki, and the guy's pretty much got it all right now.
Runner-up: Brandt Snedeker
Snedeker won the FedExCup on the strength of one of the greatest displays of putting that the game has seen. On one day in September, Sneds won the Cup and the $10 million payout along with the Tour Championship and its $1.4 million winner's check. Not a bad day's work.

Round of the Year and Worst Collapse
These two unfolded concurrently, so we present them as one category. The agony and the ecstasy of golf were on full display in the final round of the British Open at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, and when it was over, Ernie Els had his second Claret Jug and fourth major, and Adam Scott had first-hand knowledge of what it feels like to be Greg Norman. Or Jason Dufner. On a day when the field was retreating like Napoleon from Russia, Els posted a back-9 4-under 32 for a final-round 68 in the stiffening breezes of Royal Lytham, rolling in a clutch birdie on the 72nd hole before grabbing a sandwich and watching Scott implode with bogeys on the final four holes. It was an utterly shocking turn of events on a day that seemed like a Scott coronation until the heartbreaking conclusion.
Runner-up: The U.S. and European Teams on Ryder Cup Sunday
In Ryder Cup singles play, the U.S. team gagged away a 10-6 lead, losing the Cup 14 1/2 to 13 1/2 to an inspired European team that made every clutch putt down the stretch.

Shot of the Year — Bubba Watson, The Masters
After a day that included a double eagle and two holes in one, Bubba's shot in the playoff at 10 — where he curved a hook off the pine straw to within 15 feet — will be the one they'll still be talking about at the 2050 Champions Dinner.
Runner-up: Louis Oosthuizen
Before Masters Sunday 2012, there had been 19,809 rounds at The Masters, but this was a first: a double eagle at No. 2. Had Oostie gone on to win, his shot would rank No. 1; as it is, he'll have to settle for second in The Masters and second on our list.

Best Performance — Rory McIlroy, PGA Championship
Twenty-one years after the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island brought the world's greatest players to their knees at the 1991 Ryder Cup in the famed "War by the Shore," Rory McIlroy turned the tables on Pete Dye's seaside creation, subduing the Ocean Course and an elite field in winning his second major championship in two years. In posting 13-under and winning by eight strokes, McIlroy reprised his eight-shot win at the 2011 U.S. Open, becoming the first player in golf history to earn his first two major wins in such dominant fashion.

Round of the Year (Non-Major Edition) — Tommy Gainey, McGladrey Classic
You might not have noticed, but Two Gloves won his first Tour event by sprinting to the finish line with a final-round 60 at Sea Island. Seven shots behind when the day began, the former insulation specialist flirted with a 59, needing only 24 putts and had seven straight 3's on his card on the back nine.

Biggest Disappointment — Tiger Woods
It's tough to call a three-win season a disappointment, but such is life for Tiger Woods, who failed to contend in a major (unless you count the British Open, where he finished T3 but was a non-factor on the final day) and seems stuck on 14 in his pursuit of Jack Nicklaus' career record. On the upside, he did pass Jack in the all-time wins column and now stands at 74, to Jack's 73. More alarming for Tiger is his lack of final-round mojo; his final round average at the four majors in 2012 was 73.

Young, Annoying Overachiever of the Year — Tianlang Guan
The 14-year-old from China won the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship to earn an invitation to the 2013 Masters. The kid's probably shorter than Adam Scott's belly putter, but he'll be at Augusta in April with Rory, Tiger, Phil and the rest.

Controversy of the Year — The Belly Putter
Speaking of belly putters, it's a debate that seems destined to reach a head soon, especially since two of this year's majors were won by players using long putters — Webb Simpson (U.S. Open) and Ernie Els (British Open). Tiger Woods has finally weighed in, telling the R&A that the putter should be equal or shorter than the shortest club in the bag. But if they were such an advantage, wouldn't everybody be using them? Whatever the case, we need a definitive word from golf's governing bodies, which we'll probably get in 2013.

- by Rob Doster
Follow me on Twitter @AthlonDoster

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FedExCup Power Rankings: The Top 15 Golfers

It's Playoff Season on the PGA Tour

It's playoff season on the PGA Tour, as the players descend on Bethpage State Park for The Barclays, the first of a four-tournament sprint to the FedExCup title and its accompanying $10 million payout.

Don't look to us to explain the format; you need a math degree from MIT to work your way through the various statistical scenarios. What we can do is give you list of contenders for the sixth FedExCup title. Missing from this list are three of the last four FedExCup winners — Jim Furyk (2011), Bill Haas (2010) and Vijay Singh (2008) — indicating that a slight changing of the FedEx guard might be afoot. Of course, the Cup's only two-time winner, Tiger Woods, is in the thick of the chase for the championship, and since his major drought continues, he might have to console himself with $10 million. That would buy a lot of meals at Perkins.

Here are 15 players to watch as the world's best contend for the Cup. In this ranking, we considered performance in this year's majors and WGC events, since they most closely approximate the conditions and field strength of the FedExCup quartet.

1. Rory McIlroy
Rory sits atop the golf world after eight-shot PGA win.
Current FedEx position: 3
2012 Wins: 2
2012 Top 10s: 7

2. Tiger Woods
Major drought now four-plus years and counting, but he's the only two-time Cup winner.
Current FedEx position: 1
2012 Wins: 3
2012 Top 10s: 6

3. Keegan Bradley
Playing some of the planet’s best golf right now. Put up a credible PGA title defense.
Current FedEx position: 8
2012 Wins: 1
2012 Top 10s: 5

4. Bubba Watson
Solid season proves he’s no one-hit wonder.
Current FedEx position: 5
2012 Wins: 1
2012 Top 10s: 5

5. Jason Dufner
Skipping The Barclays, but still a threat to win the Cup.
Current FedEx position: 2
2012 Wins: 2
2012 Top 10s: 8

6. Justin Rose
Red-hot Rose had top 5s at the Bridgestone and the PGA. He's due for a win.
Current FedEx position: 12
2012 Wins: 1
2012 Top 10s: 7

7. Zach Johnson
Sometimes, slow and steady wins the race.
Current FedEx position: 4
2012 Wins: 2
2012 Top 10s: 6

8. Steve Stricker
Typically solid campaign includes T7 at PGA.
Current FedEx position: 10
2012 Wins: 1
2012 Top 10s: 7

9. Matt Kuchar
Missed cut at PGA was a buzzkill for Kooch, but he's played well at the other marquee events.
Current FedEx position: 9
2012 Wins: 1
2012 Top 10s: 8

10. Carl Pettersson
Golf's most lovable Carl since Spackler is on a serious roll right now.
Current FedEx position: 7
2012 Wins: 1
2012 Top 10s: 6

THE NEXT 5
11. Ernie Els
Current FedEx position: 11
2012 Wins: 1
2012 Top 10s: 5

12. Hunter Mahan
Current FedEx position: 6
2012 Wins: 2
2012 Top 10s: 4

13. Luke Donald
Current FedEx position: 16
2012 Wins: 1
2012 Top 10s: 6

14. Dustin Johnson
Current FedEx position: 26
2012 Wins: 1
2012 Top 10s: 5

15. Graeme McDowell
Current FedEx position: 27
2012 Wins: 0
2012 Top 10s: 4

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2012 U.S. Open: The Contenders

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Bubba Watson Wins The Masters

Watson Overcomes Oosthuizen's Double Eagle

One of the greatest shots in Masters history wasn't enough to beat Bubba Watson, who outlasted Louis Oosthuizen in a two-hole playoff to become the third lefthander to win a Green Jacket. Watson earns his first major championship in his second major playoff after falling to Martin Kaymer in extra holes at the 2010 PGA Championship.

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