Masters 2012: Where Bubba Watson's Win Ranks Among Tournament's All-Time Best

It took 74 holes, but Bubba Watson is now among all-time greats as the winner of the 2012 Masters Tournament.

Since 1934, there have been so many outstanding competitors to win this event. A victory automatically justifies a person's standings among golf's elite.

Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer, Sam Snead, Gary Player and now Watson all have their place in the history of the sport.

This year's version of the championship was as entertaining as they come, but how does it rank among the history of Augusta?

It was not anywhere near the most dominant performance. That belongs to Woods in 1997.

That year saw a 21-year-old shoot an aggregate score of 270, good for 18 strokes below par. He won the tournament by a record 12 strokes.

This final was also not necessarily the closest. There have been 14 different tournaments to go to a playoff, most recently in 2009 with Angel Cabrera taking first place.

It was thrilling from beginning to end, but it did not have the high amount of emotion of some past events. Nicklaus winning for the sixth time in 1986 as the oldest champion ever was exhilarating for all of those in attendance. 

Even Phil Mickelson's first major win in 2004 brought one of the biggest ovations in recent memory. 

Still, 2012 should go down as a memorable year in the golf world.

Without key stars like Woods or Rory McIlory in contention, a new batch of great players held the attention of the world watching at home.

So many different golfers had a chance to win throughout the week.

Lee Westwood opened the tournament with a 67, but Fred Couples stole the show by taking a share of the lead into the weekend. Peter Hanson led going into the final round, but Mickelson was the story after a great comeback.

However on Sunday, the positioning changed almost immediately when Oosthuizen was able to move on top of the leaderboard with a miraculous double-eagle on the second hole—the fourth ever in the history of the Masters. 

Oosthuizen kept lead almost until the end, when Watson made his move with one of the better finishes in tournament history.

Then, when everyone thought the Florida native was done after a poor drive in the second playoff, Watson came back with a great shot onto the green. Two putts later, he was the winner.

It will be years until we see the true legacy of this tournament. A lot of it depends on how Watson is able to build off this performance towards more success.

Regardless, fans were treated to an incredibly entertaining Masters that ranks as one of the best ever.