The 9 Shots That Will Determine the 2011 Masters Champion
You know the famous saying, "The Masters Tournament does not begin until the back nine on Sunday." Well, that's true. But the player that tames these nine most important shots at Augusta will be putting on the famous Green Jacket next Sunday and planning the dinner menu for the 2012 Champions dinner (as well as pocketing over $1,000,000 and have their face seen around the world and go down in golf immortality). Roll drum, the top nine shots please!
The 12th Hole Tee Shot, Golden Bell
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How can a 155-yard shot intimidate the greatest golfers in the world? With bunkers, azaleas, and yes, Rae's Creek. This devilish shot is one of the most famous at Augusta National. Who can forget Freddie Couples ball hanging miraculously on the lip of the water, only to see Boom Boom go on and win his first and only Green Jacket? Or poor Tom Weiskopf, runner up four times at Augusta, making a 13, yes a 13 on the hole in 1980, still the highest score ever recorded on a hole in tournament play!
Approach Shot, 11th Hole, White Dogwood
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Any par four that is 505 yards long is tough. But the approach shot on this difficult hole has more bail outs than Bank of America. With a fast sloping green towards the pond in front, many players flair to the right. But it worked for Larry Mize in 1987 when he chipped in from140 feet to beat Greg Norman in a playoff. Ask Charles Howell III how difficult the hole is. He carded a nine without a penalty stroke in 2006. Watch this approach shot carefully on Sunday!
2nd Shot, 13th Hole, Azalea
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One of the great shots in Masters history, Phil Mickelson went for it (as he usually does), pulled off an amazing shot on his approach to the 13th hole at Augusta and won his third Green Jacket. Often a side-hill lie, going to an uphill pin, once again guarded by Rae's creek—this shot often defines the winner or loser on Sunday. Ask Tommy Nakajima, who was in the running in 1978, put his ball in the creek, tried to play it out of the creek but hit his shoe for a two shot penalty, then went on to make a nice 13-tying Weiskopf for the highest score recorded on a hole at Augusta.
Tee Shot, 16th Hole, Redbud
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Always a packed gallery, is there any better theater than the 16th tee shot at Augusta on Sunday? The hole always seems to be a turning point, good or bad. The tee shot is key. Leave it above the hole and you are toast, impossible to stop your putt or pitch unless you are Tiger Woods and chip it in the hole. Who can forget the greatest victory ever in 1986, when Jack Nicklaus came smiling before he hit his tee shot, he knew he was going to knock it close, hit it three feet, sank the putt, then went on to win his sixth Green Jacket, his last of his record 18 Majors, and at age 46, shot a sweet little 30 on the back nine. Another plus, listening to pro Verne Lundquist make the call.
18th Hole, Holly, 1st Putt
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Who can forget Phil Mickelson's first Masters victory in 2004 with an 18-foot birdie putt to beat Ernie Els? How about Mark O'Meara's 20-foot birdie putt to beat David Duvall and Fred Couples by a stroke in 1998? How many times has a first putt on 18 been missed (David Duvall five feet, 2001) only to see that player go down? Watch this first putt on Sunday!
2nd Shot, 15th Hole, Firethorn
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Of course Gene Sarazen's second shot at the 15th hole in 1935, from 235 yards with a four wood, the "shot heard around the world" for a two or an albatross could be the most famous, but how about the opposite. The great Seve Ballesteros plunking his second shot in the water in 1986, paving the way for the Golden Bear. The second shot is one of the best shots to watch at The Masters—even the lay up is hard, but it sure worked for Zach Johnson on Easter Sunday. Watch this ultimate risk-reward shot on Sunday—the winner almost always birdies this hole.
17th Hole Tee Shot, Nandina
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Nandina is a good luck symbol in Japan, and after four long days of golf, this tee shot, even though not long, often makes the difference. Golfers must negotiate Ikes Tree off the tee, but for the long hitters, not a problem, unless the nerves arise. A great drive here means the difference between a shorter iron or longer iron into a rock hard, impossibly sloping green. Watch to see who nails it down the middle on this hole on Sunday. In the third round last year, this hole played the toughest, with a 4.458 scoring average, which shows the importance of the tee shot on this shortish 440-yard hole.
14th Hole, Chinese Fir, Approach Shot
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The 14th hole, sandwiched in between the par five 13th and 15th holes, is often overlooked and underrated. Evidence that in the second round last year, it was ranked No. 1 in difficulty, with a 4.495 stroke average. The only hole on the course without a bunker, the 425-yard hole is a testament that par fours do not have to be 500+ yards to give pros fits. The fairway often kicks drives to trouble on the right, and that is where the fun begins. The typical Sunday pin is back right, and with all the undulations on the front of the green, and trouble behind, watch this approach shot carefully on Sunday, and appreciate the 14th as one of the most difficult par fours on the planet without sand or water.
Tee Shot, 10th Hole, Camelia
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If this is where the tournament starts on Sunday, then you better hit it good. The picture does not do it justice, just how much downhill left this shot is. The shot requires a hard draw to gain extra distance, drives that go right will be too far back, and drives that go too far left will have tree problems. Historically, one of the toughest holes at Augusta, ranked No. 1 in difficulty on Thursday last year with a 4.458 stroke average, the momentum can either get going good or bad with this tee shot. Watch which player starts the back nine on Sunday with a shot way down the middle on this hole, and you might be looking at the 2011 Champion!
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