50 days until The Masters: The greatest shots of all time

Since the first ever tournament was held in 1934 at Augusta, the world’s finest golfers have all fought for the right to win the coveted Green Jacket and the most prestigious of all the sport’s four majors.

There are just 50 days left until this year’s tournament starts, with excitement among millions of golf fans worldwide building up to this event.

Held at Augusta every year since the tournament was first held, the famous old course in Georgia has seen its fair share of amazing shots, some of which were hit by defending champion Bubba Watson.

Watson’s swashbuckling style of play lit up Augusta, making him a deserving champion, and others in the past few decades have done the same.

Whether teeing off at the first hole or trying to come through the intimidating Amen Corner without dropping a shot, the Augusta course is one of the sternest tests that any professional golfer could wish to face.

This year promises to offer the same level of drama, tension and excitement as last year’s Masters did, with the likes of Watson, Tiger Woods, Luke Donald and 6/1 joint favourite Rory McIlroy having to be on their game.

If you’re excited about the Masters like us, you might want to reminisce about tournaments gone by, especially some of the shots that have defined the event.

Here are some of the most memorable shots in Masters history for all you golf fans to enjoy:

Mickelson wizardry (2010)

As every golf fan will know, the mercurial Phil Mickelson can hit just about any shot possible, but this effort from the pine straw on the 13^th hole back in 2010 was a stroke of pure genius.

Down in two (2012)

South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen, a former Masters champion himself, did something that’s even rarer than a hole-in-one. On the par 5 2^nd hole, his approach shot towards the green trickled into the cup to his delight and the crowd’s astonishment.

What a recovery! (2012)

Last year’s champion, Bubba Watson hit some amazing shots before donning the Green Jacket, but this recovery on the 10^th hole in the play-off against Oosthuizen helped to seal victory.

Tiger feat (2005)

No compilation of great Masters shots would be complete without Tiger Woods. His amazing chip shot on the 16^th is one of the most memorable in the sport’s history, never mind the Masters and was used in an ad for Tiger’s sponsors Nike.

That’s A-Mize-ing (1987)

A little further back in time, the steady Larry Mize produced something out of the ordinary to seal a dramatic play-off victory. His chip shot on the 14^th hole for a birdie denied Greg Norman at the death and sent the crowd into raptures.