No matter how ‘over’ you think the Masters is, and no matter how far ahead the leader is at Augusta National, this is a tournament that exposes fragility in any player, regardless of their reputation.
For all the iconic victories the Masters has produced, it has also been the stage for some of the most painful collapses in golf history. In these moments, players, seemingly in complete command, have watched a Green Jacket slip agonisingly from their grasp.
Amen Corner, a stretch of the holes 11, 12 and 13, is usually where a player’s fear mostly comes out. This string of par 4, par 3, and par 5 is brutal, but as a viewer, compelling.
Rory McIlroy unfortunately has an entry in this list, and might be eligible for another if the 2026 Masters doesn’t go his way, having led by six at the halfway stage.
But mistakes can happen all over the golf course. Here are the biggest meltdowns in the history of the event.
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Biggest meltdowns in Masters history
Greg Norman – 1996
If there is a defining Masters collapse, this might be it.
Greg Norman arrived on Sunday in 1996 with a six-shot lead and on his way to finally winning a Green Jacket that he had almost grasped in 1986 and 1987.
Norman shot a final-round 78, while Nick Faldo produced a relentless, mistake-free 67 that turned the tables. After bogeying the 11th hole, Norman found the water at the par-3 12th, making a double bogey. Faldo led by two shots with six holes left, and the writing was on the wall.
By the time Norman found the water again on the 16th, the contest was over. Faldo won his third Green Jacket by five shots.
Jordan Spieth – 2016
Twenty years on from Norman, the Masters delivered another collapse that felt almost impossible in real time. Jordan Spieth, the defending champion, was in complete control as he stood on the 10th tee on Sunday.
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He had stretched his lead to five shots and looked certain to claim back-to-back Green Jackets. Then came Amen Corner. A bogey at the 10th was a small wobble, and another on the 11th was another subtle hint.
But on the 12th, Spieth hit two balls into Rae’s Creek and walked off with a quadruple-bogey 7. In a short space of time, Spieth was now playing catch-up to Yorkshire’s Danny Willett. Like Faldo, Willett shot a super 67 to take the title.
ALSO: Sir Nick Faldo: I knew when Greg Norman was in trouble during his 1996 Masters collapse
Rory McIlroy – 2011
Rory McIlroy’s final round in 2011 unfortunately still sticks in the mind. At just 21 years old, McIlroy carried a four-shot lead into Sunday and seemed poised to win his first major.
His golf had been free-flowing, but as we’ve seen on many occasions, Augusta demands a mental edge in the final round, too. The pivotal moment came at the 10th, where McIlroy hooked his tee shot wildly left, leading to a triple bogey.
From there, the round spiralled. He then bogeyed 11, double-bogeyed 12, and his 2011 campaign was sadly over. An 80 remains one of the highest final rounds recorded by a 54-hole leader at Augusta.
To his immense credit, South African Charl Schwartzel made birdie on each of the last four holes to win his sole major.
Ed Sneed – 1979
Ed Sneed’s 1979 Masters is a painful one, too. Standing on the 16th tee on Sunday, Sneed held a three-shot lead over Tom Watson and a four-shot lead over Fuzzy Zoeller, so he had one arm in the Green Jacket. He made bogey at 16, bogey at 17, and bogey at 18.
His lead was gone, and he was dragged into a playoff with Zoeller and Watson, who would go on to win – a remarkable win given he was a Masters debutant. He is still the most recent debutant to win the event.
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Scott Hoch – 1989
This one is not so much an extended collapse, but a single moment that will always be remembered. During the final round, six different players held the lead at one point.
Scott Hoch and Ben Crenshaw shared the lead down the 18th hole. Hoch had a makeable putt for a birdie and the win, but it slid by. He tied Faldo, and Crenshaw made a bogey to fall out of the frame.
Hoch stood over a putt of barely two feet on the first playoff hole in 1989 to win the Masters, up against the formidable Faldo.
He missed what was his third putt to win the event, and Faldo had a reprieve. On the very next playoff hole, the 11th, the Englishman holed his putt and claimed his first Green Jacket. Hoch’s miss remains one of the most replayed and most painful moments in Masters history.
Roberto De Vicenzo – 1968
Roberto De Vicenzo’s mistake in 1968 is perhaps the most infamous administrative error in the tournament’s history.
After the final round, De Vicenzo signed for an incorrect scorecard, recording a par on the 17th hole instead of the birdie he had actually made.
His playing partner Tommy Aaron incorrectly marked the four and De Vicenzo failed to see the mistake before he signed the scorecard. Rules stated that the score was set in stone, and this cost him a place in a playoff with Bob Goalby, who was crowned champion.
“What a stupid I am”, were the famous words of De Vicenzo.
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