15 Spectacular Putting Performances: Good and Bad

It doesn't matter how big or small the event is, there's a lot more to winning or losing a golf tournament than a missed putt.

But it's amazing how we seem to focus on what happens on those final few greens and who handles the flat stick and who doesn't.

Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Tiger Woods, Scott Hoch, Tom Watson, Payne Stewart. All have had spectacular days of the greens and all have had unspectacular ones, too.

Here are 15 of those days, some good, some bad.

Justin Leonard Set off a Big Celebration When This Putt Went in

In the 1999 Ryder Cup at Brookline Country Club, the United States team was down, 10-6, going into the Sunday singles.Justin Leonard was four holes down with seven to play to Jose Maria Olazabal, but won four holes in a row to square the match on the 17th.

His teammates and fans celebrated on the green, angering the Europeans. Olazabal had a 25-foot birdie to tie, but didn't make it, making the U.S. victory official.

Go to the 3:06 of this video to see Leonard's smooth stroke and what happened afterward.

Tiger Woods Created One of Golf's Great Moments on the Island Green

As Tiger Woods' downhill, curling putt from the fringe rolled closer and closer to the hole on the island green 17th at the TPC at Sawgrass in 2001, NBC commentator Gary Koch repeated the phrase "better than most" a few times.

And, of course, Tiger was better than most on just about every occasion in those years, but this was a special putt that has been and will be replayed for years.

Payne Stewart's Emotional Win over Phil Mickelson at Pinehurst

Great theatre in the sandhills of North Carolina.

As Phil Mickelson was just emerging as a superstar, Stewart was already established and punctuated that status with a hard-earned victory for his third major title. How tough was the victory? Stewart was the only play to finish under par and was only one-under at that.

Stewart was killed just four months later in a private plane crash at age 42.

Jack Nicklaus Won His Final Major Title in Style

At age 46, Jack Nicklaus wasn't given much of a chance to win the Masters in 1986.

But he kept steadily making his way up the leaderboard on Sunday afternoon at Augusta National Golf Club with a blistering 65 in the final round, including a 30 on the back nine.

He became the oldest winner of the Masters and the second oldest winner of any major championship behind Julius Boros, who was 48 when he won the 1968 PGA Championship.

The win also gave him a record six Masters victories and was the last of his 18 major championships

Constantino Rocca's Magic Putt Only Delayed John Daly's Open Win

The 1995 Open Championship will be best remembered for what happened on the 72nd hole and little else.

With John Daly looking on, Constantino Rocca nearly drove the green on the 18th hole at St. Andrews, but fluffed his chip and was left was a difficult 60-foot putt from the infamous Valley of Sin. He needed that putt to get into a tie with Daly.

The Italian somehow rolled the putt in, forcing a four-hole playoff with Daly, which didn't go well for Rocca, who was beaten by four shots.

Scott Hoch's Name Will Always Be Related to Choke

Scott Hoch had not one, but two chances to win the 1989 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club.

He missed short putts on the 17th hole in regulation and then again on the first playoff hole.

It was a tragic day for a guy who was a good player with cranky personality. That was his best shot to win a major event and he couldn't calm his nerves enough to make his putter work.

The Sunday collapse is still regarded as one of the biggest in the history of the game.

Mike Weir Struck a Blow for Lefthanders in 2003

Mike Weir was a top-quality professional golfer early in the decade of the 2000s. He spent several weeks ranked in the top 10 of the World Golf Rankings, but finally broke through in 2003.

He beat Len Mattiace in a one-hole playoff and became the first the first lefthander to win the Masters, the first Canadian to win a major championship, and only the second lefthander to win any major. (Bob Charles was the other).

He put together a bogey-free final round, but won the tournament with a bogey when Mattiace imploded on the playoff hole.

Tiger Woods Outduels Little-Known Bob May in 2000 PGA

The 2000 PGA Championship proved what Tiger Woods could do when pushed hard, even by a relatively-unknown journeyman like Bob May.

Woods played well, but couldn't shake May, who led by two shots early in the final round.

But Woods responded by playing the last 12 holes in seven-under par to force a three-hole playoff in which he recorded a birdie and two pars.

Looking back, it may have been the most clutch performance of his career.

Padraig Harrington's Putting the Difference at Oakland Hills

Padraig Harrington made all the putts he needed to on the way to capping off a spectacular run in his career. He defeated Sergio Garcia at Oakland Hills that year, following up on his win in the 2007 and 2008 Open Championships.

He became the first golfer to win two majors in the same year since Mark O'Meara did so in 1998 and the first two win consecutive majors in the same year since Nick Price in 1994.

But just as quickly as his flame ignited, it flamed out in 2010 when he missed the cut in three of the four majors.

Phil Mickelson's First Major Victory in 2004 Was a Putting Exhibition

His first major championship had been anticipated for a quite a while, but when the time finally came, Phil Mickelson played it like a rock star.

He rolled in an 18-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club in 2004.

Ernie Els started a few groups ahead of Mickelson and shot a round of 67 to finish at 8-under par and seem to be in a good position to at least get into a playoff. But Mickelson birdied five holes on the back nine and was able to show off his sorely-lacking vertical leap on the 18th green after sinking the winning putt.

What a Show Retief Goosen Put on at Shinnecock Hills in 2004

Retief Goosen already had a U.S. Open title, winning that at Southern Hills at 2001.

But when he came to a very difficult Shinnecock Hills course in 2004, it became obvious that putting was going to be even more critical than usual in an Open. The USGA made decisions about course setup that left Shinnecock on the edge, especially the greens.

But Goosen got on the board in the second round and then putted his way to the title.

He made a birdie on the slick 16th green on Sunday afternoon and then Phil Mickelson double-bogeyed the 17th to clear the way for a two-shot win.

Late Birdie Putts Won Masters for Mark O'Meara in 1998

As youngsters, professional golfers dream about winning major championships. Most of those victories end in spectacular fashion.

And when Mark O'Meara won the Masters in 1998, his dream ended about as well as could ever be expected.

He made birdie putts on the 17th and 18th holes late Sunday afternoon to win his first major championship.

O'Meara's win came in his 15th try at Augusta National, setting a record for appearances there before a win. That rid him of the tag of "best player to never win a major."

O'Meara also won the Open Championship in 1993 and earned PGA Tour Player of the year honors that year.

Jack Nicklaus Proved Again in 1975 He Was King of Augusta's Greens

Jack Nicklaus showed once again how much he loved Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters by gutting out a one-stroke victory over Johnny Miller and Tom Weiskopf in 1975.

Nicklaus navigated the tricky greens well as he did each of the six times he put on a green jacket. His biggest might have been the uphill, 30-footer he drained on the 16th hole in the final round.

Nicklaus got off to a quick start, shooting 68 and 67 in the first two rounds and then withstood a charge of 65-66 by Miller and 66-70 by Weiskopf with a 73-68 of his own.

Tom Watson Would Have Been an Historic Open Champion in 2009

Tom Watson had a chance to achieve something really, really special in the middle of July 2009.

He was the co-leader after the second round of the Open Championship at Turnberry and led by himself after three rounds.

It came down to the 72nd hole on Sunday afternoon and his chance disappeared when his old nemesis, putts shorter than 10 feet, bit him at a most horrible time. His putt for par was weak and to the right.

He then had to play in a four-hole playoff with Stewart Cink and had no chance. At age 59, he was worn out and was beaten badly in the extra holes.

For a Long Time Tiger Woods Made All the Clutch Putts

Playing on a fractured leg and severely injured knee, Tiger Woods put on his most gutsy performance in the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines.

He hobbled and winced, but when it came down to it, 15 feet from getting into an 18-hole Monday playoff, Woods sank the birdie putt and then went on to beat severe underdog Rocco Mediate in a one-hole playoff after the two tied through 18 extra holes.

It was Woods' third U.S. Open championship and 14th major title. He joined Jack Nicklaus as the only players to have won each of the majors at least three times.

Two days after the victory, Woods announced he would miss the rest of the season following knee surgery.