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Masters Flashback: 1975 Nicklaus, Miller & Weiskopf

The 1975 Masters has been called one of the best ever. It pitted three of the greatest players of the day with Jack Nicklaus, Tom Weiskoph and Johnny Miller in their prime as they battled all the way to the 72nd hole.

Nicklaus held a one shot lead after he putted out on eighteen and both Weiskoph and Miller had birdie putts to tie the Golden Bear to force a playoff. Neither could get their putts to fall and Nicklaus won his fifth major.

But the turning point on that day wasn’t the eighteenth hole but rather the sixteenth.

Nicklaus has just birdied the fifteenth but he missed his five iron on the sixteenth and left it in a very difficult spot on the green. It was a putt no one ever made. It was an uphill, treacherous putt that had little chance of going in.  nicklaus 1975

Nicklaus’ partner that day was Tom Watson and he had uncharacteristically put two balls in the water. While Watson was trying to hole out Weiskoph and Miller had moved to the sixteenth tee.

So when Nicklaus stood over the putt, the putt that no one ever made, his two closest adversaries had a front row seat. Nicklaus knew that was a huge birdie and as it turned out it was the shot that won him the tournament.

Weiskopf then bogeyed the par three and could only par in. Miller was able to birdie seventeen but his par at eighteen left him tied for second with Weiskopf and one shot behind Nicklaus.

At the time Nicklaus said it was the best he had ever played at Augusta. He cherished this win because he played his best and was pushed by two of the top players playing their best.

“In all the time I have played golf, I thought this was the most exciting display I had ever seen.”

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