A LOOK BACK AT THE MASTERS ...
SOME OF THE ANNIVERSARIES THIS YEAR:
75 years ago (1947): In his most recent major championship performance, Jimmy Demaret suffered a 10-and-9 loss to Ben Hogan in the semifinals of the PGA Championship. He more than made up for it in the 1947Masters, becoming the first player to break par in all four rounds at Augusta National.
50 years ago (1972): Jack Nicklaus embarked on his boldest attempt at the Grand Slam. Coming off a runner-up finish at Augusta National the year before to Charles Coody, Nicklaus opened with a 69 and became only the third player at the time to go wire-to-wire, and the first since Arnold Palmer in 1960.
25 years ago (1997): No other Masters was more historic than Tiger Woods truly introducing himself to the world of golf. He became the youngest Masters champion at age 21, the first player of Black heritage in a green jacket and set 20 records along the way. Woods wound up winning by 12 shots, a record that still stands.
20 years ago (2002): The super-sized era of Augusta National began when the club tried to combat technology by lengthening nine of the 18 holes, adding as much as 285 yards. Some called it “Tiger-proofing,” but it wasn't nearly enough to stop Tiger Woods from becoming only the third player to repeat as Masters champion.
10 years ago (2012): The final round of the Masters began with the rarest shot in golf when Louis Oosthuizen holed out with a 4-irorn for the first albatross on the par-5second hole. It ended with a shot that felt just as rare. Bubba Watson, from deep in the pines right of the 10th fairway in a playoff, hooked a gap wedge off the pine needles from 155yards to 10feet for a par to beat Oosthuizen on the second hole of a playoff.
5 years ago (2017): Sergio Garcia played 70 majors as a pro before he finally cashed in by winning the Masters in a playoff over Justin Rose. No one ever waited that long to win a major, and the joy was evident in the Spaniard's reaction when he swirled in a 12-foot birdie putt at the 18th hole to win in a playoff.