Tom Watson

Despite that British Open victory, Watson's reputation for hitting the wrong shot at the wrong time resurfaced. "I choked plenty before I finally won," Watson said in a March, 2001 interview with Golf Digest. "And some since." But at the 1977 Masters, Watson nailed four birdies on the final six holes to beat Nicklaus by two at Augusta National. Cautious play that day was not an option. "I knew I had to make some birdies to win," Watson said. "I couldn't make pars to beat Jack."

Among Watson's challenges was an approach shot on No. 12 with a bug resting on his ball. "I asked a USGA (United States Golf Association) official could I lift it and he said, 'Of course you can't," Watson recalled. "Nicklaus makes birdie and this little bug was on the back of my ball." But Watson made par on 12. The two dueled again a few months later, at the British Open in Turnberry. Watson prevailed by a stroke, shooting 65s each of the last two rounds.

Then came "The Shot" in 1982. "No matter how many victories have may still have left in him, Watson will always be remembered for The Shot," said Florida-based golf writer Edward Kiersh on the Cigar Aficiando web site. Locked against Nicklaus again, this time at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, California, Watson found himself in jeopardy on the 17th hole, "a ticklish par-3 hugging the coastline," Kiersh wrote.

Watson's tee shot landed in a grass thicket with a brutal downslope. A bogey loomed. "Then came what many golf aficionados call The Miracle," Kiersh wrote. "Standing ankle-deep in the rough, with the winds buffeting his slight torso, Watson hit a very high chip shot that seemed to have enough momentum to roll six to eight feet past the cup. Yet the ball broke right, straight into the cup." The crowd screamed in delight, and Watson birdied No. 18 to secure the trophy.