By Pete Pappas

GolfWRX Staff Writer

“We want to make the bogies easy if frankly sought, pars readily obtainable by standard good play, and birdies, except on the Par 5s, dearly bought.”

— Bobby Jones, Augusta National Golf Club and The Masters co-founder

2010

Phil Mickelson won the 74^th Masters for the third time in his career in 2010 (only Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and Tiger Woods have more victories).

Lefty pulls away from Lee Westwood on Championship Sunday with a bogey-free 67.  But it’s his dramatic eagle-eagle-birdie streak on moving day at No. 13, No. 14, and No. 15 that ultimately puts him in contention for a third green jacket.

Westwood finished runner-up, three strokes behind Mickelson, continuing his heartbreaking chase for that elusive first major championship.

Mark Zuckerberg is Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year” and Prince Charles admits to being baffled by modern technology, saying, “I am not part of the PlayStation generation.”

2005

The 2005 Masters saw Woods defeat Chris DiMarco with a birdie on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff.  The win was the (then) 29 year-old Woods’ fourth Masters victory (tying him for second all-time with “The King” Arnold Palmer).

Tiger wins despite “coughing up” a four-stroke final round lead (which he later describes as “thowing up” on himself).

The 69^th Masters preserves for posterity one of sports’ all-time greatest broadcasting moments, when CBS commentator Verne Lundquist’s makes his famous call on Tiger’s chip in at No. 16, “In your life! Have you ever seen anything like that?”

Ted Koppel retires from “Nightline” after 25 years, the Chicago White Sox win their third World Series title, and Tom Cruise punches his own express ticket on the crazy train with a lighthearted stroll through Oprah Winfrey’s couch.

1997

A 155-pound 21-year-old “Urkel” (as he’s known to his Stanford teammates) wasn’t yet a household name in 1997.  But Eldrick “Tiger” Woods changed golf completely and forever with his performance in the 61^st Masters.

“Tigermania” flips the game on its head as Woods becomes the youngest player ever to win at Augusta.  He demoralizes the field and steamrolls runner-up Tom Kite by 12 strokes (a winning margin three strokes better than the previous record held by five-time Masters champion Jack Nicklaus).

Hitting ridiculous shots from ridiculous angles, with even more ridiculous touch and precision, Woods makes everything look easy and establishes the new tournament record for lowest winning score (270) and lowest 72-hole score (18-under).

Tiger becomes the first Asian-African player to win The Masters (his victory comes seven years after Augusta National finally admits its first black member in 1990).  The significance of this historical moment isn’t lost on Woods’ father Earl, overheard telling Tiger as he slips on his first prestigious green jacket, “Green and black go well together don’t they?”

Tiger’s victory triggers the beginning of “Tiger-Proofing” (lengthening courses so Woods’ dominating distance is neutralized).  The PGA Tour hasn’t seen “wedge into par 5” before and decides lengthening the courses will nullify Tiger’s power (ironically this decision plays into Woods favor and gives him an even greater comparative advantage over his already shorter hitting competitors).

By the end of the 1997 season Woods owns the single-season record for earnings with more than $2 million.

Disgraced NBC sportscaster Marv Albert goes on trial for felony charges which involve the alleged repeated biting of an unnamed female sex partner, Michael Jordan wins his fifth NBA Championship ring with the Chicago Bulls, and the merry minds at Comedy Central debut the socially animated (gratuitously offensive) satire “South Park”.  “Oh my God! They killed Kenny!”

1986

In what’s widely considered the greatest Masters of all time, Nicklaus won his fabled and final green jacket at Augusta National in 1986.

Entering the tournament, Jack hadn’t triumphed on Tour since 1984, and supposedly his spirit was broken from Tom Watson’s birdie chip on No. 17 at Pebble Beach in 1982 (which snatched away what would have been Nicklaus’ fifth U.S. Open title).

Jack’s drought without a major is six years and running, and after opening the 50^th Masters with a first-day 74 followed by a second round 71, it appears the 46-year-old Nicklaus’ run as the greatest golfer in history will quietly come to an end.

But like the enduring tradition of spring Jack finds new life on Sunday when he birdies No. 9, No. 10, and No. 11. And his eagle-birdie-birdie streak on No. 15, No. 16 and No. 17 (which leads to a back nine record low score of 30) ultimately gives “The Golden Bear” a one stroke victory over runner-up Tom Kite (and his 18^th and final major championship).

Few images in golf are as memorable as Jack’s “golden” moment at Augusta in 1986, left arm raised triumphantly with putter in hand, watching his putt drop for birdie on No. 17, tongue out, and of course wearing his Sunday “Yellow Shirt.”

The Space Shuttle Challenger blows up one minute and thirteen seconds after take-off killing all seven crew members, the Soviet Union Chernobyl disaster is the worlds worst nuclear power accident in history, and “Platoon” wins the Academy Award for best film.

1975

It’s sometimes said that The Masters doesn’t begin until the back nine on Sunday. And that was never more true than during the final spellbinding round of the 39^th Masters.

Jack won his fifth green jacket and 13^th major championship in 1975, outlasting the pestering pursuers Johnny Miller and Tom Weiskopf in one of the most exciting final days in Augusta National’s storied history.

Nicklaus was paired with rising star and imminent rival Tom Watson on this Sunday, and right behind them were Miller and Weiskopf.  Only two shots separated Nicklaus, Weiskopf, and Miller heading into the howling demon winds at “Amen Corner.”

The players traded strokes to start the back nine, but it was at the amphitheatre par-5, 530 yard 15^th hole and par-3, 170 yard 16^th hole where Nicklaus delivers two of the most famous shots in Masters’ history (and ultimately secures his fourth Masters victory in an 11-year span).

On No. 15 Nicklaus sent a blistering 240-foot one iron screaming over the “Firethorn” water and onto the green. A stroll across Sarazen Bridge gave Jack an easy two-putt birdie.

Nicklaus’ iron shot on No. 16 wasn’t nearly as good, leaving a considerably longer putt for birdie.  But with Miller and Weiskopf watching from the tee, Jack curled in a 40-foot birdie bomb, leaped in the air, and bear charged “right” into the history books.

Nicklaus said afterwards, “To be out there in the middle of something like that, is fun.”

The Ford F-150 truck is introduced, sex symbol Farrah Fawcett is discovered in a 1975 Mercury Cougar commercial (a few months later her iconic red bathing suit poster begins to chaperon hordes of hormonal young men through their bumbling rite of passage into manhood), and Mick Jagger (age 33) says, “I’d rather be dead than still be singing “Satisfaction”when I’m 45.”

1962

In the first three-way playoff in Masters history Palmer wins the 26^th Masters (avenging  his double-bogey final hole meltdown which cost him the title in 1961).

Arnie defeats his arch-rival from South Africa, “The Black Knight” Gary Player (1961 Masters defending champion) and 1958 PGA Championship winner Dow Finsterwald in an 18-hole playoff shooting (4-under) 68, while Player shot (one-under) 71, and Finsterwald (six-over) 78.

Palmer earns $20,000 for his third career Masters victory, but it’s far from easy money.

It took two late birdies at No. 16 and No. 17 on Sunday to sneak Palmer into a playoff after it appeared he’d again throw away The Masters (like he did in 1961) to Player.  And when the playoffs began on Monday his struggles continued.  He fell three-shots behind Player with a (one-over) 37.

But to the delight of  40,000 spectators looking on (many of whom are “Arnie’s Army”), “The King” showed he had a charge left in him, and fired back with a five-under 31 on the back 9, including a 30-foot putt on No. 10, where Player missed his short putt for par.

Palmer birdied the last two legs of “Amen Corner” before also carding birdies on the par 4, No. 14, and par 3, No. 16.  And when all was said and done, in the span of five holes, Arnie went from three strokes down to four strokes up.

When asked about arguably playing both the best and worst golf of the tournament, “The King” replied, “You always think you’re getting smarter at this game, but every now and then you have a relapse and realize you’re not as smart as you thought you were.”

Marilyn Monroe’s death is caused by an overdose of sleeping pills (conspiracy theories involve the mob, President John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert Kennedy), and the first James Bond film is released, “Dr. No” (starring Sean Connery).  “Bond, James Bond.”

1953

Ben Hogan wins the 17^th Masters in 1953 (his second and final Masters victory) by five strokes over runner-up Ed “Porky” Oliver.

Hogan’s 274 (14-under) is a record that stands for 12 years.

1953 is a bittersweet year for Hogan.  He plays in seven tour events and wins five of them, including the first three legs of the “Grand Slam” (The Masters, the U.S. Open, and the British Open). But after 1952 Hogan never again wins another major.

“I Love Lucy” is the most popular show on television, the Wiffle Ball is invented, and the Montreal Canadians are Stanley Cup champions.

The 76^th Masters Broadcast Coverage

Television Coverage

Thursday and Friday: ESPN 3:00-7:30 pm ET

Saturday: CBS 3:30-7:00 pm ET

Sunday: CBS 2:00-7:00 pm ET

Radio Coverage

Thursday through Sunday: SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio channel 12:00 -7:00 pm ET

 

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