Held each spring in Georgia amidst Augusta National's parade of Azeleas, Dogwoods and Magnolias, the Masters presents professional golf's most beautiful pressure cooker. “If I were going head to head with him, I wouldn’t be afraid of him or fear anything supernatural. From Gene Sarazen's, What made the Golden Bear's victory on that fateful Sunday in '86 so amazing wasn't the fact that he made such a dramatic comeback in a pressure-filled environment, but that he did so at the age of 46, when most of the golfing world had already put him to pasture.
Heading into the 1986 Masters, Jack Nicklaus was 46 years old and winding down his career. Verne Lundquist Best Calls of All Time!
He had clawed within four of the leader, who was now Greg Norman. Dunhill British Masters. Norman buried the birdie putt, his fourth straight, to tie for the lead. Design by 80'S Top Games 80'S Top Games
Modified Stableford scoring: Double-Eagle = 8 pts • Eagle = 5 pts • Birdie = 2 pts • Par = 0 pts • Bogey = -1 pt • 2+ Bogeys = -3 pts In the audio clip below, Nicklaus says his motivation was lacking: Is there one moment that stands out in his mind? After long deliberation, he holed his putt on 17 for sole possession of the lead for the first time in the tournament. ESPN's up-to-the-minute leaderboard of the PGA Championship golf tournament Then he dropped another birdie on the 13th hole and the murmurs suddenly turned into disbelief and wild cheering. Echoes of victories past are rumored to swirl amongst Augusta National's treetops.Memories of dramatic Masters moments loom large. 16. How did it feel to be Jack on that fateful day? Memories of dramatic Masters moments loom large. One of them happened on 13, when Jack turned to Lyle and said, “Did you hear what Jackie just said to me?” Jackie, Jack’s son, was on the bag that weekend as his caddie.
1986 Masters Tournament Final Round Broadcast - Duration: 3:03:51. Mono-Version 1.0. Nicklaus shot a 74 on Thursday and a 71 on Friday. What was it like shocking the world in such glorious fashion? He knew that number was more than likely 65.As he was lining the putt up on 17, Nicklaus heard a large groan from the crowd across the valley. Nicklaus then hit his tee shot on 16 to within 3 feet and after holing his birdie putt he was within one shot of Ballesteros who was playing the 15th hole. Nicklaus had stormed back, shooting 30 on the back nine, to win his sixth Masters title and became the oldest Masters champion at age 46.Both Ballesteros and Norman have stated the most regretful shots of their careers were during the final round. One of them was his main rival the last ten years of his career, and a man ahead of Nicklaus on the leader board heading into Sunday, Tom Watson.To start the final round Jack played even par through the first eight holes, which, although he wasn’t hurting himself, wasn’t doing much for his chances of moving up the leader board.It was on the ninth hole that the Golden Bear began to make his move. Jon Rahm Then he had to sit back and wait. I half expected the trees to bow down in homage to Nicklaus.”The par three 16th hole had its usual Sunday accessible pin location, and Jack took advantage, sticking his shot close and making the birdie putt.On 17 Nicklaus was faced with an 18 foot putt for birdie, a putt he simply needed to have if he had any chance. All Rights Reserved. “It was a surreal experience. I’m 46.”Jack birdied the 13th, and then after his eagle putt on 15 dropped, Augusta National officially went nuts.“The ground felt like it was moving,” writer James Achenbach wrote in Golfweek. There are so many moments during that back nine on Sunday that stick in my head. He hadn't won a PGA tour event in two years and it had been six years since his last major championship. "And the diminutive Corey Pavin had said, "I think the players now respect him more for what he has done and what he has meant to golf than they respect him for his game. He two-putted for par on 18 to post −9 and a one shot lead.Ballesteros three-putted the 17th to fall out of contention, but Kite had 12 feet for birdie on 18 to tie Nicklaus. Frank Chirkinian was working as director of the telecast that week for CBS, and he told “I think it pumped him up, actually, and you could tell by his reaction when that putt went in how pumped up he was.”It is that image of Jack, as the putt drops on 17, with his putter pointed upwards, that we remember the most from that magical day.Nicklaus got his par on 18 and posted his 65. Norman, left for dead after his double-bogey on 10, birdied 14, 15 and 16 to pull within one shot of the lead.