4 Tiger Woods
2005 Masters, Augusta National Golf Club
Locked in a duel with a dogged Chris DiMarco, Woods had uncharacteristically whittled away a four-shot 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.
5 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.
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