major moments
The 10
Greatest Major Moments In a desperate effort to inject some much-needed inspiration into his own floundering game, Mak Lok-lin recalls the greatest events in Major championship history in this, the second installment of his “Top-10 Series”
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ven I have to admit that the Auchtermuchtie Close Duffers Bowl is not the most renowned competition in golf. Some might say that, as the field consists of the worst four first round losers of the Auchtermuchtie Close itself, it isn’t the toughest challenge in the game either. Nevertheless, having never won a match in the Duffers Bowl in 18 attempts, I decided that the issue was my mental attitude and went seeking inspiration from the great Major winners and their moments of brilliance.
Tom Watson
Perfect at Pebble: Tom Watson's chip-in at the 71st hole to beat Jack Nicklaus for the 1982 US Open title 36
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1982 US Open, Pebble Beach Golf Links Tom Watson called his chip-in on the notoriously difficult 17th “the best shot of my life. It had more meaning than any other shot of my career”. Arriving at the tee of the windswept par-3, Watson needed a par-par finish to tie Jack Nicklaus, who was sitting pretty in the clubhouse. Selecting a 2-iron, Watson drew his shot a hair more than he intended and the ball bounced through the green into thick fescue. Given the bad lie and with only a sliver of green between himself and the hole to work with, a near-certain bogey was on the cards. Miraculously, Watson managed to land the ball gently just inches onto the putting surface from where it ran unerringly into the centre of the cup for birdie and a one-shot lead. After Watson holed a 15-footer on the par-5 18th for another birdie to seal his first (and only) US Open by two strokes, Nicklaus approached the Kansas-born Watson and said: “You little son-of-a-bitch, you are something else. I’m proud of you.” 37
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Tiger Woods 2005 Masters, Augusta National Golf Club
Bobby Jones 1923 US Open, Inwood Country Club
Locked in a duel with a dogged Chris DiMarco, Woods had uncharacteristically whittled away a fourshot lead and was in grave danger of losing his record of winning every Major championship in which he led after 54-holes. His tee shot on the par-3 16th was typical of his day: a 7-iron pull that left him in a swale below the level of the putting surface. After countless practice swings, Tiger then played a delicate chip that ran up the strongly contoured green before turning 90 degrees and heading back down towards the hole. The ball hung on the edge of the cup for what seemed an age (with, to Nike’s delight, the “swoosh” clearly visible) before dropping in for the most unlikely of birdie twos. The shot proved invaluable as Woods closed bogey, bogey to fall into a playoff, where he defeated DiMarco at the first extra hole. The win was especially important for Woods as it marked the end of a near three year dearth of Major wins, following his decision to restructure his swing. In the following 13 Majors leading up to his recent break, Tiger finished in the top-four on 11 occasions, a streak that included five wins.
Jones had been tipped as a future great ever since his first Major appearance as a 14-year-old in 1916. But when he still hadn’t won a title by 1923, many doubted if he could control himself enough to do so. At Inwood Country Club in New York, it looked like another tournament had been lost when he threw away his lead, finishing bogeybogey-double bogey to fall into a playoff with Bobby Cruickshank. Jones later said: “I didn’t finish like a champion. I finished like a yellow dog”. Putting cowardly canine concerns aside, the following day Jones and Cruickshank matched each other through 17 holes of the playoff. After his drive on the 18th, Jones was facing what he used to call a “sheer delicatessen” shot, one requiring touch and aggression from a difficult situation that only a truly gifted golfer could pull off. His ball was lying in dirt at the edge of the rough, with 192-yards to the pin over water. While Cruickshank chose to lay up, Jones drilled a 2-iron to eight feet, setting up his first major and kickstarting a dominance of the game that had never been seen before.
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Byron Nelson 1945 PGA Championship, Moraine Country Club
The “Grand Slam” is defined as winning all Majors in a calendar year. Given the PGA in 1945 was the only Major played that season, winner Bryon Nelson could lay claim to achieving the most difficult feat in golf. The PGA was the ninth victory in Nelson’s astonishing run of 11 straight titles. However, it is little known that he had badly injured his back in the Chicago Victory National Open the week before. Needing treatment at the world-famous Mayo clinic, it was no certainty that Byron would even play never mind continue his streak. But despite being in constant pain and losing 12 pounds in weight, he defeated Sam Byrd 4 and 3 in a one-sided final.
Sweet Sixteen: Tiger's scarecely believeable chip-in at the 2005 Masters helped end a three-year drought at the Majors
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Classic Champs: Sarazen (left) and Jones won 20 Majors between them
Dubbed “the shot heard ’round the world”, Gene Sarazen's albatross (double eagle) at the 1935 Masters is credited with dramatically raising the profile of the tournament and it eventually being awarded Major status. Born Eugenio Saraceni in the same year as Bobby Jones (1902) it was appropriate that Sarazen’s most famous shot was played at his great rival’s tournament. Trailing leader Craig Wood by three shots late on in the final round, the ‘Squire’ decided to go for the green at the par-5 15th in two rather than lay up. Incredibly, he struck his 4-wood 235-yards straight into the cup to eliminate the deficit at a stroke (pun intended!). He eventually took the title after a 36-hole playoff with an understandably flabbergasted Wood. The news of the shot itself was transmitted by CBS in their radio coverage of the tournament (they had initiated limited coverage the year before) and it was this that made the shot so memorable: people heard it happen “live”. It is worth noting that almost 60 years later, American journeyman pro Chip Beck found himself at the same hole in exactly the same position — three strokes back of leader Bernhard Langer with the option to go for the green and a muchneeded eagle. Instead, Beck elected to lay up short of the water guarding the green and was roundly criticized for doing so. He ended up parring the hole and eventually lost by four shots.
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Gene Sarazen 1935 Masters, Augusta National Golf Club
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Roberto De Vicenzo 1967 Open, Royal Liverpool Golf Club
Jack Nicklaus 1962 US Open, Oakmont Country Club
Having burst onto the scene with his second place finish in the 1960 US Open while still an amateur, 1962 was Nicklaus’ rookie year as a pro and he joined a very small group of players whose first professional win was a Major championship title. This also triggered the start of a rivalry with runner-up Arnold Palmer that boosted the popularity of the sport among middle-class Americans to record levels. The 1962 Open was held at Oakmont, giving Latrobe-born Arnie “home” advantage. Arnie’s Army was very vocal in their support of their man, and very disparaging about the appearance and weight of the young challenger (“Ohio Fats” was one of the less disparaging nicknames given to the burly Columbus native). Nicklaus claimed to have been completely unaware of the heckling going on, but members of his family and friends were involved in a number of incidents where they challenged some of the more egregious comments. Thankfully such behaviour wasn’t seen again on tour, at least not until the US crowds got more than a little carried away with their heckling of Monty during the 1999 Ryder Cup. Often described as an Arnie meltdown, rather than a Nicklaus win, the reality was that Nicklaus simply handled the pressure far better than his infinitely more experienced opponent. Over five rounds (including the playoff), Nicklaus recorded only one three-putt whereas Palmer had 13 according to his own estimate. It’s a given that if Palmer had putted better he would have won handily, but the stats confirm that Nicklaus’ approach shots were relentlessly accurate and his putting nerveless. Nevertheless, Arnie’s profligacy is highlighted by a stat from 2007 when Sergio Garcia led the PGA Tour with 19 three-putts – for the entire season! This victory confirmed Nicklaus overnight as a credible challenger to the then dominant Palmer, Casper and Player, and he won two more tournaments in 1962. By the end of the following year he had amassed three Major titles and nine top-10 finishes in Majors. Nicklaus, of course, remains the leading Major winner of all time, with 18 titles to his credit.
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The Open at Merion was Hogan’s first Major and his first time playing 36 holes in a day since his near-fatal car accident 16 months previously. Legs bandaged and in constant pain, he had dropped shots at the 15th and 17th and came to the closing hole needing a par to tie Lloyd Mangrum and George Fazio. Having driven into the middle of the fairway on the notoriously difficult 448-yard par-4, Hogan played a majestic 1-iron into the heart of the green to set up the par he required. He won the 18-hole playoff the following day. Ben’s shot was immortalised in one of the most famous golf photographs of all time, taken by Hy Peskins (pictured here). Little known fact: Mangrum was one off the pace at the 16th hole of the playoff when he picked up his ball to blow away a bug — but, amazingly, he hadn’t marked it first. The resulting two shot penalty essentially handed the tournament to Hogan.
Champagne Moments (clockwise from top left): Royal Roberto wins at Hoylake; the 1962 US Open was a tale of two legends; Christina Kim soaks Karrie Webb on the final green at the 2006 Kraft Nabisco; Hogan's famous 1-iron to the 18th green at Merion 40
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Bob Thomas/Getty Images (de Vicenzo); Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images (Hogan)
Ben Hogan 1950 US Open, Merion Golf Club
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Karrie Webb 2006 Kraf t Nabisco Championship, Mission Hills Country Club
Despite a massing a l most 50 tournament wins in an outstanding career, Karrie Webb hadn’t won a Major since the 2002 British Open and was seen as a spent force when she arrived in Rancho Mirage for the 2006 Kraft Nabisco Championship. Starting the final round seven strokes adrift of the leaders, the Aussie put all that to one side as she rolled back the years with a stunning round of 65, which ended incredibly with her holing a wedge from 116-yards for eagle and a playoff berth against Lorena Ochoa. Hailed as the most exciting end to a round in LPGA Tour history, Webb would go on to take the title on the first extra hole. The win marked Webb’s return as a global force, and she won four more tournaments in 2006, becoming only the third player to win more than $2 million in a season.
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Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images (Palmer/Nicklaus); Getty Images (Webb)
The Argentinean won over 230 titles around the world and had 16 top-10 finishes in Majors, but his only Major triumph came in the 1967 Open Championship at Hoylake when he was 44, making him the oldest winner of the 20th century. He held off a charging Jack Nicklaus to win by two, a margin he created with the shot of the tournament. On the 16th he hit a magnificent 3-wood 240 yards over the out of bounds to the green of the par-five to set up an easy two-putt birdie. He later called it the shot of his life. De Vicenzo had beaten Nicklaus in two challenge matches leading up to the Open and put £50 on himself to win when he saw the bookies were offering odds of 66/1. His betting winnings were considerably higher than the cheque he received for winning the championship. De Vicenzo became famous for the scoring error that handed the 1968 Masters to Bob Goalby and his “What a stupid I am” comment afterwards. However, I prefer to remember another comment he made, describing the perfect shot: “"It produces a mixture of pleasure, happiness, wisdom, self-esteem; as if one were being caressed by the clouds."
Lord Byron, Augusta National, 1946
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A Rhone Valley Royal
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Padraig Harrington 2008 Open Championship, Royal Birkdale Golf Club
Paddy Power: Harrington's eagle at the 17th sealed his second consecutive Open Championship title 42
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As these glorious memories played in my mind, I emerged reborn from my Zen-like state, gavaged with inspiration, testosterone squirting from my ears and proceeded to win the first hole easily. OK, I admit it was largely because my opponent conceded when he discovered he had shoved an extra HAVE YOUR SAY club in his bag, but nevertheless my Do you have a favourite Major moment not listed here? 9 and 7 defeat represents my best If so, we’d love to hear from you. performance yet in the “Duffers”. I Please email us at letters@hkgolfermagazine.com can’t wait for next year! WWW.HKGA.COM
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Few would doubt Harrington’s credentials as a battler, but after his victory at the 2007 Open at Carnoustie, where he outlasted Sergio Garcia in a four-hole playoff, not many predicted the Irishman could replicate the feat at Birkdale the following year. Likeable Paddy, as silly as it all seems now, was considered a “One Major Man.” Harrington, of course, answered his critics in the best way possible by defending his Open crown — and he did it with one of the most memorable shots in recent Major history. Coming down the stretch on the blustery Lancashire links, Harrington held a two-stroke lead over colourful Englishman Ian Poulter with the demanding 17th and 18th to play. A resurgent Greg Norman was also lurking should the Irishman falter. After a perfect drive left him within range of the wickedly sloping green at 17, Paddy eschewed the obvious temptation to lay up and fired a brilliant 5-wood from 249-yards to just four feet to set up an eagle and effectively retain his title. Three weeks later, Harrington sealed his place in the history books by winning the final Major of the year at the USPGA at Oakland Hills. In doing so, he became the first European to win the title in 78 years and the first from Ireland to do so.
g uess for my f irst wine column I should start at one of the most amazing wine cellars in the world: Robuchon a Galera, at the Hotel Lisboa in the heart of Macau. We all know that Robuchon is fantastic; it is the only French restaurant in the enclave to have been awarded three Michelin stars. But as a wine lover, what always amazes me is that the prices on its wine list, an enormous tome roughly the size of a telephone book, make you both happy and very thirsty. Hong Kong and Macau might be the only places in the world where there is no import tax or VAT on wine, but take it from me, a wine merchant: the wine prices at Robuchon are more than reasonable and far below the market price. Recently, I had lunch at Robuchon with Nicolas Jaboulet of the famous Rhone-based wine-making family of the same name. Jaboulet is a legendary producer and among its best wines are those from a beautiful small hill in the Rhone Valley called Hermitage. It is here that they produce their signature wine: the Jaboulet Hermitage la Chapelle. Ja mes Suck l i ng a nd Robert Parker Jr., two of the world’s leading wine critics, absolutely rave about this wine, especially the legendary 1961 vintage of the Jaboulet Hermitage la Chapelle. 1961 was a truly exceptional vintage in Bordeaux and Rhone, and the wines produced t hat ye a r were si mply perfect. I was thinking about ordering a bottle of the 1961 until Nicolas i n formed me t hat at a recent Christie’s auction the 1961 went for €18,000 a bottle. But guess what the price at Robuchon was? MOP$59,000, which is less than a third of the auction price. Still a lot of money— and far over my budget— but all things considered a real bargain. Even more amazingly they still had 12 bottles in stock. WWW.HKGA.COM
We decided to order a 2003 Jaboulet la Chapelle instead. 2003 was a very hot summer in France. Sun is good for producing wine; too much sun can be a problem. But luckily for us the vintage came out very well. The wine had a beautiful nose full of intense dark fruit flavours and a hint of white pepper. Its colour was nice and dark and the intensity came out in the taste. The wine was drinking perfectly: soft spices, dark fruit and blackcurrant flavours, with a touch of that white pepper again in the mouth. I found the wine to be very well balanced and easy to drink. We decanted the wine and after about 40 minutes it really started to open up and balance out with longer and more intense concentrated flavours and soft tannins. Wow, this was good, but unfortunately we had work to do in the afternoon, otherwise I would have ordered another bottle. As our lunch came to a close, Nicolas reminded me that Rhone is where Syrah first found fame. The Jaboulet family has been producing the Hermitage la Chapelle for over one hundred years but the grape has become more commonly associated in recent years with Australia, where it is known as Shiraz. Indeed, during the 1950s, the pioneering Australian winemaker Max Schubert was so taken with Syrah from the Rhone Valley that he eventually ended up producing arguably the most famous Australian wine of them all: Penfold’s Grange Hermitage, which was named after that same beautiful small hill in the Rhone Valley where the Jaboulet family continue to make their fabulous Hermitage la Chapelle to this day. —Patricio de la Fuente Saez Patricio is the managing director of Links Concept, one of Hong Kong, Macau and China’s leading distributors of wine and spirits. Visit www. linksconcept.com for more information.
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