19TH-HOLE DEBATE
The Most Popular
Masters Wins I’ve spent 40 years covering professional golf. These were the most well-received victories BY E MICHAEL JOHNSON
Rory McIlroy’s win at the Masters was a lot of things: His first green jacket. His first
major in more than a decade. The com- pletion of the career Grand Slam. One of the most popular wins in the history of the tournament. But was it the most popular? As you read, remember, we’re talking about the popularity of the win, not the enormity of the achievement. 5. JACK NICKLAUS, 1986 It was my first year in golf publishing, and I wasn’t there, but it was no doubt a very popular win. A 46-year-old in too- tight slacks shooting 30 on the final nine for an all-time sixth jacket is the stuff of legend. Yet Nicklaus wasn’t always the most warm and fuzzy of players, and much like the New York Yankees, his consistent greatness almost worked against the likability factor. 4. TIGER WOODS, 1997 Say what, No. 4? I know, you’d like to have a word. Hear me out. The Tiger of 1997 was a young phenom who we were interested in, in awe of and fascinated by, but we did not yet have the personal connection with him as golf fans that we did later in his career. Not even close. The 1997 Masters was a master class in dismantling a championship golf course and field and ushered in a new era of golf, but all the feels were be- tween Tiger and Earl, not Tiger and us. 3. TIGER WOODS, 2019 OK, I’m about to duck . . . and I agree this is where it gets razor close. I was at this Masters, and the energy from the 12th hole on was off the charts. The come- back of a lifetime, check; a feel-good sto- ry for the ages, check; a redemption of
massive proportions, check. But it was missing one thing for me: If Tiger had lost, I don’t think golf fans as a whole would have been crushed –
back to salvage everything. Golf fans are invested in McIlroy at the Masters in a way that resonates very personally. Add in the fact it looked like he lost the tournament a couple of times late only to come up big in the playoff – and oh, that reaction – made it all the better. 1. PHIL MICKELSON, 2004 Much like McIlroy, pre-LIV Philly Mick was a fan favourite. Unlike Rory, Lefty had yet to win a major and had endured some crushing losses, the kind that both sting and make for a sympathetic figure who is easy to root for. Plus, his style of play was riveting. Being on the grounds for the final round was unlike anything I had ever seen. It wasn’t just the back- nine play and the winning birdie and mini-jump, but the pure joy that ensued. Long after the ceremony folks were wandering around, not wanting to leave.
REJOICE Mickelson’s maiden win was deeply personal for patrons at Augusta.
disappointed severely but not crushed. He had four Masters and 14 majors, and let’s face it, some people simply don’t like Tiger. Not many, but some. 2. RORY MCILROY, 2025 I was really, really, REALLY tempted to place this in the top spot, but that might be recency bias speaking. How- ever, there is no doubt the win, while sloppy beyond belief, was and is huge- ly popular for many reasons: the angst every golfer can relate to, the filling in of an important last line on the résumé, the coughing up of leads but coming
GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA 19
MAY 2026
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