Top 10 Major Meltdowns

6

Ed Sneed

1979 Masters,

Augusta National Golf Club

After three rounds the surprise leader was the relatively unknown Ed Sneed, who at 12-under-par, led by five strokes from Tom Watson, his nearest challenger. Paired with Craig Stadler in the final round, Sneed started shakily, making the turn in 38, which reduced his lead over Watson by two shots. Steadying himself with a brilliant bunker shot to save par at the famous 12th, Sneed reached the tee of the 16th with a three-stroke advantage. But then he started missing putts. Three stabbing both the 16th and 17th, Sneed then flared his approach to the final green into an unusual lie on the edge of a bunker. After a ruling, which determined that he was permitted to remove a discarded cigarette butt from behind his ball, Sneed knew he had to get up and down for his first Major title and avoid a playoff with Watson and Masters debutant Fuzzy Zoeller.  Chipping to six-feet below the hole, Sneed’s putt to win was tentative and he left it hanging on the lip, while his caddie spun away in frustration. His meltdown complete, Sneed would lose the ensuing playoff when Zoeller holed a 12-foot birdie putt on the second extra hole. “I was bewildered, not bitter or full of self-pitty,” Sneed said afterwards. “I knew in my heart I had outplayed and outsmarted the field, but I didn’t feel very smart at 6 o’clock that Sunday afternoon.”