Masters 2012: Greatest Final-Round Performances in Golf History

This year's Masters Tournament is turning out to be anyone's game, as no one player has really dominated the competition thus far.  The top five players on the leaderboard are all separated by single strokes, so the stage is set for someone to have a great day and just blow everyone out of the water.  The question is, who will it be?

Masters veteran Phil Mickelson had a great Day 3 to put himself just one stroke behind leader Peter Hanson, so could there be a repeat of 2010 when he had a great final day to win his third green jacket?  Also, let's not count out Louis Oosthuizen, who finds himself in third place after not making the cut at Augusta the previous three years.

No matter how you look at it, today has the means to become a historic one in the history of the Masters. So let's go through the annals and look at some of the greatest final-round performances in the tournament's history.

Charl Schwartzel: 2011

Kicking off our tribute is Schwartzel, the South African who kept his focus and willed his way to the green jacket last year.  On the final day, he stayed cool and calm, as he only had one bogey over 18 holes.

Throw in the fact that he closed out with four straight birdies, giving him a score of 66 for Sunday, and his grace under pressure earns him some well-deserved recognition here.

Phil Mickelson: 2010

The 2010 Masters was a competitive one, as guys like Phil Mickelson, Lee Westwood and even Tiger Woods were constantly in the mix for first place.  Entering the final day, Mickelson was a stroke behind Westwood with Woods hot on his tail.

Yet, Lefty proved that Augusta was his house that weekend in a gutsy performance that will go down in history.  He shot a 67 that day and overcame some great odds on hole No. 13.  There, he was stuck behind a tree and chose to go for the green rather than just get back on the fairway.  Thanks to his trusty six-iron, it worked, and he finished the day on top.

Jack Nicklaus: 1986

It's impossible to do a tribute such as this one and not include a golf legend like Nicklaus.  This particular instance of his greatness is notable because, entering the final round of the '86 Masters, he wasn't even among the top leaders, and many thought the 46-year old's career was over.  Still, The Golden Bear came out of his cave and unleashed the fury.

Nicklaus parred the first eight holes, but then he went into overdrive with three consecutive birdies before bogeying on the 12th.  But with an eagle on the 15th hole, followed by two more birdies, he found himself on top with a one-stroke lead.  Thanks to the golf gods giving those trailing him some bad luck over the final holes, he ended up taking home his sixth and final green jacket.

Gary Player: 1978

Remember 1980's Miracle on Ice?  Gary Player's performance on the final day of the 1978 Masters was the Miracle on the Green, as he fought and clawed his way to first place.

You see, Player started the day seven strokes behind top position and proceeded to have a simply incredible Day 4.  He shot a 64 on the day and of the final 10 holes, he had seven birdies.  On the back 9, he shot a then-record 30.

At tournament's end, he finished in first place, just one stroke ahead of three others, and took home his third and final green jacket.

That said, it's no secret that Augusta National is a historical hot spot.  Major comebacks have happened there before, and given the state of the leaderboard this year, another one is about to happen.  Who will be the lucky man this year?  Well, we'll just have to wait and see, so stay tuned!