Where did it rank?

[dave.]

The 86 Masters, Turnberry 77, this US Open was up there with those imo.

[VtDivot]

Hard to top the 86 Masters.

I kind of liked the Beem/Woods shootout for the PGA. That was a great finish.

This was a dramatic tourney tho for sure.

[ualtim]

This one will be a classic. If Tiger had made those eagle putts on Sunday rather that Saturday, it would be top of the list. Top 5 overall in my opinion.

[irishtiger]

Originally Posted by dave.

The 86 Masters, Turnberry 77, this US Open was up there with those

I agree, most engaging tournament I've watched in years
...but I still think the 86 Masters tops it

[Adam Pettman]

I've been watching golf for 3 years now and this tournament is up there with the ryder cup as a spectacle.

[Eracer]

#3 all time, right behind Jack's '86 Masters and Arnie's come from behind win at the '60 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills (I wish I could have seen that one.)

[LyleG]

Originally Posted by Eracer

#3 all time, right behind Jack's '86 Masters and Arnie's come from behind win at the '60 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills (I wish I could have seen that one.)

I would go as far as to say that Arnies win in 60 might even be ahead of Jack at the Masters. He drove the green on 1 and went from there. I also consider Tiger's 97 Masters win to be extremely special. This was a young kid who shot 40 on the front 9 and still went on to set a tourney scoring record. He played the best 63 holes of golf ever imo. This, though exciting and compelling because of the characters (rocco) and the injury (tiger), was never really a show of terrific golf. Yes Tiger sunk some long putts, but overall he didnt play well, and if anything showed how weak the PGA tour field has become.

So my list would be:

Arnie in 60
Jack in 86
Tiger in 97
Johnny Millers 63 at Oakmont

[Stanters]

From what I've read the 1913 US Open was more than a bit special. (I think Ezra took the coffee mug that year)

Some others I'd stick right up there

Seve vs Nick Price 1988 Lytham
Hogan 1950 US Open
Nicklaus vs Palmer 1967 Masters
Gary Player Masters 1978


All great performances and epic confontations, no point really in comparing them as they all had their own idiosyncratic elements that made them special but I reckon we will remember this tournament for quite some time and even to be mentioned alongside the other names in this thread says enough.

[ualtim]

I still think the all time best Major of all time was the 1913 US Open when a young unknown (at the time) caddy beat 2 of the best players in the world in a playoff.

Francis Ouimet's win made golf popular in the US. It inspired the likes of Bobby Jones and those who followed.


Hard to argue with the 1986 Masters either. If Rocco had won, I think that the 2008 Open would vie with Jack's 1986 Master's win.

[Eracer]

Obviously not in the same league, but the 2002 International at Castle Pines had a memorable final round.

I think it was the best final round this year on the PGA Tour. It got rolling on the fourth hole, when Beem sank a putt for birdie and then birdied five of the next six holes. When he birdied the 12th hole for a 10-point lead, it looked all but over. But then bad weather moved in, forcing a delay. No surprise there: In the International's 17-year history, there has been a weather delay every year.

After returning from the one-hour, 11-minute delay, Beem suffered a stiff back, which wrecked havoc on his game. Who knows what he would have shot without the delay? Still, the key to Beem's round was his play on the 17th hole. Lowery was just beginning his heroics, and it looked as if Beem could simply play safe and walk away with the win. But he didn't -- he attacked the 17th hole, making a 15-footer for eagle. While this was happening, Lowery birdied No. 14, eagled 15 then double-eagled 17 for an incredible run at the title. But it wasn't enough: Lowery needed to make a 10-footer on the final hole for the win, but missed. Beem clinched the victory by one point. I hear that sometime this week one really big party is going to be thrown in Beem's hometown of El Paso, Texas.

[figjam]

I think when taking everything into account this will rank as one of the all time greats. The crowd really added something to the whole spectacle and the roars on 18 for Tiger on Saturday and Sunday were as loud as I've ever heard on a golf course (on tv of course). It had more truly magic moments than any tournament I have seen in years and some of the shots Tiger hit down the stretch on Sunday and Monday were incredible. It will certainly be considered Tiger's greatest victory so far.

I didn't get to see the Watson/Nicklaus shootout at Turnberry, but by sheer numbers and the gap they put in the field on the weekend that must rank as the all time greatest major shootout. But for my money Tiger's win was the greatest major championship since Seve's Open wins in 84 and 88, which are two of the greatest major championships ever in my opinion. And no list would complete without Jack's 86 Masters.

[Highdraw34]

I liked the 99 open. Everyone loved Payne Stewart and that scene at 18 at Pinehurst is classic. I think you gotta rank the disaster finishes pretty high as well. Van de Veld and Mickleson's chokes are classic.

[mddubya]

I can't remember the year, but Norman's melt down would rank up there for me. It was like a car wreck, you didn't want to watch, but were compelled to anyway.

[figjam]

I agree with last two posts that some of the most entertaining majors feature chokes down the stretch. Don't rate Norman's Masters choke as highly as Mickelson or Sergio though, as Normans choke started on the first tee and he hacked around the whole day and was out of contention by the 12th hole. Watching Sergio and Mickelson choke dwon the 72nd hole with the championship there for the taking rate pretty high for entertainment value. I could never get sick of watching those two bozo's throw away majors thrugh spectacular chokes.