We all like to take a trip down memory lane when we are feeling nostalgic or have a bit of the blues. Big moments in history, especially sports history, mean a lot to us and they are why we love sports. 

All sports have their own special moments, when big plays were made and when championships were won over a single play. Golf has had quite a few of those moments, so picking a couple that stand above the rest will be a challenge.

Let us try to do so, anyway. Here are some of the biggest moments in professional golf history.

1999 Ryder Cup – America Vs Europe

This was a match to be remembered. Europe was in the lead on Sunday, and had a solid four lead over America, and it was notable that no team ever came back from even a 2 lead deficit.

It was the singles part of the tournament. Europe almost took it home and defended their championship title. However, the American players were not ready to give up. It came down to two matches and both were tied on the 17th hole. Justin Leonard was the one to break the tie with a well placed putt, sending the crowd into a berserk, everyone cheering and jumping. It was quite the match and quite the ending to a tournament.

1997 Masters – Larry Mize’s Miracle

Larry Mize obviously has a great shot, otherwise he would have missed this one and made it worse. Let us set the scene. He’s on the 11th hole at Augusta, a very hard hole to work with. This hole is bad and most players make a mistake on their second shot, which both Mize and opponent, Greg Norman, did.

Yet, Mize is known to have a great shot and he made it out of the situation, with just enough strength not to end up on the fringes and not strong enough to end up in the water. It was a great shot, much to the dismay of Norman.

1982 US Open – Tom Watson

There are only a few people who are able to hit the ball as hard as Watson from such a technically challenging position. Watson was on the 17th hole at Pebble Beach, a notorious hole which makes players miss the green by a lot. 

Watson was on fire that day and the world remembers him telling his caddy that he was going to hit a birdie. And he did, of course. There were many people afterwards, trying to replicate the shot in practice, but most of them failed, and miserably so. 

1986 PGA Championship – Bob Tway

Going from rough green to a bunker, another rough, Bob Tway was looking in bad shape on the 18th hole. Yet, his opponent was Greg Norman, notorious for his bad luck at the time, apparently. Tway hit the shot for a birdie, and everyone was in awe. There is little doubt that a shot like that can be repeated, even after thousands of tries.

These are some of the best moments in professional golf history.