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Masters showdowns: A look at the best final rounds between players in the final pairing

brian mull
·6 min read

Brooks Koepka and Jon Rahm have outplayed the field over the first 54 holes and will be paired together again in the final round of the 87th Masters Tournament.

A two-man duel between two of golf’s best should make for a compelling afternoon and continue a tradition of memorable battles at Augusta National Golf Club over the final 18 holes.

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2022: Scottie Scheffler / Cam Smith

Scheffler entered the final round with a three-shot lead over his playing companion Smith, who quickly closed the gap with birdies on the first two holes. Scheffler regained momentum with a pitch-in for birdie on No. 3 and maintained a comfortable lead. A double bogey on 12 sealed Smith’s fate.

Scottie Scheffler pumps his fist after chipping in on No. 3 during the final round of the 2022 Masters.
Scottie Scheffler pumps his fist after chipping in on No. 3 during the final round of the 2022 Masters.

2018: Patrick Reed / Rory McIlroy

Reed opened with three consecutive rounds in the 60s, and at 13 under led McIlroy by three shots. The patrons were fully behind McIlroy in his effort to complete the career Grand Slam but his putter refused to cooperate. He missed a 4-footer for eagle on No. 2, one of four misses inside six feet in a closing 74. Reed shot 71, surviving the charges of Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth to win by one shot.

2017: Sergio Garcia / Justin Rose

In a thrilling battle between longtime Ryder Cup teammates, Garcia made a 12-foot birdie putt on the first hole of sudden death to claim the victory. The duo traded haymakers down the stretch. Garcia eagled 15 to pull even. Rose birdied 16 to regain the lead but made bogey on 17 to square the match again.

Sergio Garcia celebrates during the Green Jacket ceremony following the final round of the Masters Tournament Sunday at Augusta National Golf Club, Sunday, April 9, 2017, in Augusta, Georgia.
Sergio Garcia celebrates during the Green Jacket ceremony following the final round of the Masters Tournament Sunday at Augusta National Golf Club, Sunday, April 9, 2017, in Augusta, Georgia.

2014: Bubba Watson / Jordan Spieth

The competitors shared the lead entering the final round as Spieth tried to become the first Masters debutant since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979 to claim the green jacket. Spieth seized the lead early but momentum shifted to Watson when he birdied 8 while Spieth three-putted for bogey. Spieth rinsed his tee shot on 12 to drop another shot and Watson cruised to a second green jacket with five pars to shoot 69 and win by three shots.

2012: Bubba Watson / Louis Oosthuizen

Both players produced one of the most memorable shots in Masters history on this epic Sunday. Oosthuizen made the only albatross on No. 2 in tournament history to take charge early. The players ended tied in regulation. Watson pulled off an amazing escape on the first hole of sudden death, hooking a sand wedge out of the right trees and onto the green, two-putting for par and the victory.

2005: Tiger Woods / Chris DiMarco

Perhaps the singular iconic moment in golf occurred on the 16th hole in this Masters - yet it still needed a playoff to be resolved. Woods chip-in from behind the 16th green for birdie gave him a two-shot lead over the scrappy journeyman, but bogeys on the final two holes sent the men back to 18 for a playoff (DiMarco lipped out a birdie chip on 18 that would have won him the green jacket). On the extra hole, Woods made birdie, earning his fourth Masters title.

Tiger Woods misses a putt on 17 and throws his putter April 10, 2005. After the third round, completed Sunday morning, Woods was alone in first place by three strokes over Chris DiMarco.
Tiger Woods misses a putt on 17 and throws his putter April 10, 2005. After the third round, completed Sunday morning, Woods was alone in first place by three strokes over Chris DiMarco.

2002: Tiger Woods / Retief Goosen

Everything was set up for a showdown between Woods, the defending Masters champion and Goosen, the reigning U.S. Open champ. But it never really materialized because Goosen made three bogeys on the front nine and fell five shots behind, cementing Woods’ position as the No. 1 player in the world.

2001: Tiger Woods / Phil Mickelson / David Duval

This showdown between three of the best in the game had all the ingredients for a Masters unlike any other and was the best chance for Duval or Mickelson to prove they could take down the mighty Tiger at the height of his power. Mickelson trailed by one after 54 holes but settled for a final-round 70. Duval faltered with a bogey on the 16th and Woods escaped with a closing 68 for a one-shot victory over Mickelson to complete the Tiger Slam.

The crowds at the 18th green cheer as Tiger Woods celebrates his second Masters Championship after he sunk a putt for a birdie, in round 4 of the Masters Tournament Sunday at the Augusta National Golf Club on April 8, 2001.
The crowds at the 18th green cheer as Tiger Woods celebrates his second Masters Championship after he sunk a putt for a birdie, in round 4 of the Masters Tournament Sunday at the Augusta National Golf Club on April 8, 2001.

1994: Jose Maria Olazabal / Tom Lehman

Olazabal became the second Spaniard to win the Masters, building a two-shot lead with a 35-foot eagle putt on the par-5 15th. The men were tied heading into the second nine but Lehman made bogey on 12 and, despite a three-putt bogey on 17, Olazabal held on for a one-shot victory.

1992: Fred Couples / Ray Floyd

It was an ideal Sunday script. Couples, the No. 1 player in the world, versus his mentor, the 49-year old Ray Floyd, the 1976 Masters champion. Couples opened the day with a one-shot edge and was clinging to the lead when his ball clung to the bank short of the 12th green. He saved par and played solid golf to the clubhouse for a two-shot victory and lone major title.

1991: Ian Woosnam / Tom Watson

The veteran Watson and top-ranked Woosnam were tied on the tee box of the 72nd hole after a classic battle. But the 41-year-old Watson made double bogey and Woosnam holed an eight-foot par putt to hold off Jose Maria Olazabal by one shot.

Ian Woosnam celebrates his 1991 Masters victory.
Ian Woosnam celebrates his 1991 Masters victory.

1989: Nick Faldo / Scott Hoch / Ben Crenshaw

There are two lasting images from this Masters, the first of Faldo’s three green jacket victories. Hoch missing a 2½-foot par putt on the first playoff hole, No. 10, that would’ve given him the title. And Faldo raising his arms in celebration after sinking a birdie putt on 11 to win. Crenshaw battled Hoch all day in the final pairing but made bogey on 18 in a driving rain to miss the playoff by one shot.

1988: Sandy Lyle / Mark Clacavecchia

Lyle became the only Scotsman to win the Masters, hitting a majestic 7-iron from the fairway bunker at No. 18 to set up a closing birdie and one-shot victory over Calcavecchia, who closed with 70 and was watching from the clubhouse.

1987: Larry Mize / Seve Ballesteros / Greg Norman

Mize was arguably the most unlikely champion of the 1980s, and the Augusta native earned immortality with one of the tournament’s greatest shots. Ballesteros dropped out of the three-way playoff with a bogey on No. 10 and Norman seemed to have the advantage when his second shot found the green at 11. But Mize holed a improbable chip from the fairway right of the green to join golf’s most exclusive club.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Masters golf: Best final-pairing showdowns in Augusta National history