Loose Impediments

10 Best Shots in Masters History

Great shots are what make for great tournaments. In the 75-year history of the Masters, there have been numerous shots worthy of the first major of the year. Here is a list of the 10 best shots in Masters history, excluding putts.

1. Gene Sarazen
Year: 1935
Hole: 15th
Round: Fourth
The "shot heard 'round the world," Sarazen's double eagle with a 4-wood from 220 yards erased Craig Woods' deficit. The next day, Sarazen defeated Wood in a 36-hole playoff, and the shot helped elevate the Masters' status in the golf world.

10 Worst Shots in Masters History

The Masters isn't always about great shots and the accompanying roars. Augusta National easily can expose the flaws of even the best players in the world, and sometimes the spectators' groans can reverberate through the pines.

Here is a list of the 10 worst shots in Masters history.

1. Scott Hoch
Year: 1989
Hole: 10th
Round: Playoff
Hoch's par putt on the first playoff hole would have won him the 1989 Masters. Instead, his miss extended his playoff with Nick Faldo, who made birdie on the next hole to win the first of his three green jackets.

Ranking Augusta's Holes

It's always to fun to stand by the 1st fairway, near where many spectators enter the grounds of Augusta National, and see the awe on their faces as they see the course for the first time. These first-timers are happy just to be among the sea of perfectly manicured turf, tall pines and hills that match the course's epic scale.

As they learn more about the course, they will soon learn that not every verdant fairway is created equal. Here is how the 18 holes rank in one observer's view:

1. Azalea, No. 13
Par 5, 510 yards
The ultimate risk/reward hole. A perfectly sculpted tee shot can leave a mid-iron into the green, protected by a tributary of Rae's Creek. But the hole's excitement comes after an average drive, which leaves the player with a tantalizing second shot that is short enough to be reachable but long enough to put serious doubts in the player's mind.

10 Best Rounds in Masters History

Negotiating a single round at Augusta National demands everything from long, straight drives to precise distance control to an imaginative short game to unwavering concentration. Add to that the pressure and atmosphere of the Masters, and it's amazing that the competitors can pull the trigger on any single shot, much less put together mind-blowing rounds that have been immortalized in the game's long, rich history.

Of all the great rounds in Masters history, here are the 10 best.

1. Jack Nicklaus
Year: 1986
Score: 65, final round
After a ho-hum front nine, the 46-year-old Nicklaus found another gear on the back nine. He made five birdies and an eagle, including the stretch from holes 15 to 17 where he went eagle-birdie-birdie to take the lead.

10 Best Masters Tournaments

For the the first time since I began watching the Masters, I was actually bored watching the telecast the past two years, and found myself wishing that there were more than four minutes of commercials every hour.

The lack of excitement of the past two Masters can be summed up in the dubious marks that were achieved each year. In 2007 Zach Johnson shot 1-over 289, tying for the highest winning score in Masters history. Last year Trevor Immelman shot 75, tying for the highest final-round score by a winner. And he won by three, which means he could have shot 77 and still won. Yawn.

Here's hoping that this year's Masters has a bit more drama and interest, enough to challenge for a spot on the following list of the 10 best Masters Tournaments in history.

Who's the next Trevor Immelman?

Unless you were a member of their immediate families, I doubt any of you had the past two Masters winners, Trevor Immelman and Zach Johnson on your short lists to win. As the course setup the past couple of years has failed to reward bold, imaginative play, it is harder for the best players to separate themselves from the pack. That means the tournament is wide open, and a relatively unknown player who hits good but not great shots, avoids mistakes and gets some breaks is likely to win.

If conditions are similar again this year, look for Immelman to be helping one of these 10 dark horses into the green jacket Sunday evening.

1. Sean O'Hair
Age: 26
Starts: 2
Best finish: T-14 (2008)
O'Hair has all the tools, and he is entering the prime of his career. With four top-10 finishes this year, he is playing well early in 2009. And if he learned something from playing with Tiger Woods in the final group at Bay Hill, O'Hair could be dangerous this week.

Best Players without a Green Jacket

The U.S. Open has Sam Snead and Nick Faldo. The British Open has Byron Nelson, while the PGA Championship can claim Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson.

While the other three majors can claim one of the all-time greats among those who have failed to win that event, the Masters' biggest victim isn't quite an undisputed legend, which speaks to the quality of the course and the event. (Of course, we're not counting players like Harry Vardon, Walter Hagen and Bobby Jones, whose primes preceded the Masters, which began in 1934.)

This week, in addition to Tiger and Phil, the focus will be on Greg Norman and Padraig Harrington, both of whom are on the following list of the 10 best players to have never won the Masters. This ranking kicks off an entire week of Masters lists, which will be posted on the following days:

Tuesday: 10 dark horse picks
Wednesday: 10 best Masters
Thursday: 10 best rounds in Masters history
Friday: Ranking Augusta National's holes
Saturday: 10 worst shots in Masters history
Sunday: 10 best shots in Masters history

While this is Norman's last opportunity to take his name off this list, other players, like Harrington and Ernie Els, have several chances remaining.