The Masters: Ranking the 25 most exceptional performances at Augusta
By Bill Felber
6: Nick Faldo, 1996 Masters, 276 (-12), Std. Deviation -2.71
The 1996 Masters is recalled today as the one Greg Norman lost. The Australian opened a six-shot lead after three rounds only to fall to 78 on Sunday and lose to Nick Faldo by five.
Often overshadowed by Norman’s collapse, Faldo’s charge deserves to be recognized on its own merits. After all, if Norman had finished with a relatively inauspicious 74 instead of his 78, Faldo still would have won. The story of the day was as much Faldo’s spectacular play as it was Norman’s falter.
Save for Norman’s opening 63, Faldo had actually been the Australian’s equal that week. Both men completed the middle two rounds in 140 strokes.
Through five holes of the final round, Norman retained a five-shot lead over his playing partner. But Faldo got one back with a birdie at the par 3 sixth, and another with a birdie at the par 5 eighth. When Norman birdied the 9th, his lead was down to two.
The back 9 combined Norman’s worst with Faldo’s best, the outcome soon turning into a cascade toward the two-time former champion. Norman bogeyed 10 and 11 to fall into a tie, then hit into the creek on 12 and double bogeyed. Faldo’s lead remained two after both players birdied 13 and 15, but a second double bogey – this time due to an iron hooked into the pond left of 16 – cost Norman two more strokes.
Faldo’s birdie at 18 provided nothing more than affirmation of the obvious; he had beaten Norman by seven strokes on the closing nine holes.