Denny Shute, 1933 Ryder Cup
The American and British teams were tied, with only one match still on the course: American Denny Shute vs. Briton Syd Easterbrook. The two were all-square coming to the final hole, but Shute had the upper hand - he was looking at a 20-foot birdie putt to win the Ryder Cup. But several minutes later, Shute had 3-putted, missing a comebacker of 3-5 feet and giving Great Britain the victory.
Sam Snead, 1939 U.S. Open
Snead reached the final hole, a par-5, needing a par to win the tournament. But Snead believed he needed a birdie to win, and played aggressively. When his drive found the rough, Snead couldn't recover and wound up with a triple-bogey 8. He finished in a tie for fifth.
Ben Hogan, 1946 Masters
When Herman Keiser reached the final green, he held a 1-stroke lead over Ben Hogan, playing a couple groups behind Keiser's. Keiser proceeded to 3-putt, falling into a tie. But not to worry, because when Hogan reached the green - still tied for the lead - he also 3-putted. After rolling his birdie putt for the win past the hole, Hogan's 2-footer for par didn't even touch the cup.
Arnold Palmer, 1961 Masters
Gary Player and Arnold Palmer battled back-and-forth every round of the tournament, until this Masters was decided by the back bunker on the 18th green. Player's approach to the final green found that bunker, but he got up and down to finish at 8-under. When Palmer, leading by one, approached the green moments later, he, too, found the back bunker. But Arnie's blast out sent the ball flying over the green, through the crowd and down the slope near a TV tower. Palmer pitched back up to the green, but the ball rolled 15 feet past the pin. He missed the putt, scored a double-bogey, and Player became the first non-American to win the Masters.
Hubert Green, 1978 Masters
Green came to the final hole at Augusta more than a half-hour after Gary Player had finished a round of 64. Player had a 1-shot lead over Green, who hit a good drive and then a great approach to within three feet of the cup. It looked like there would be a playoff. But Green had to back away from the putt when he heard a radio announcer calling the action. When Green took the stroke, he pushed it a little to the right and the 3-footer slid by. Green missed the playoff and Player won the Green Jacket.
Hale Irwin, 1983 British Open
This one rarely shows up on lists of chokes, because Irwin's gaffe didn't come in the closing holes. Still, it's a brain-freeze of epic proportions, one that wound up costing Irwin a spot in a playoff. Irwin was on the leaderboard when he missed a 20-foot birdie putt at No. 14 in the final round. He was a little upset at the effort, and when he went to tap in the putt - which was just a couple inches from the cup - he whiffed. That's right, he completely missed the ball, trying to backhand it into the cup. He wound up finishing one shot behind eventual winner Tom Watson.
Greg Norman, 1986 Masters
Norman played great down the stretch and was tied for the lead with Jack Nicklaus as the Shark played No. 18. However, his approach to the green sailed way right and into the grandstands. He dropped and pitched toward the hole, then barely missed a 10-foot part putt to fall out of a playoff.
Patty Sheehan, 1990 U.S. Women's Open
The Hall-of-Famer was in the midst of a great year, a year in which she would win a career-best five tournaments. And for most of the week, it looked like the U.S. Women's Open would be another victory. Sheehan had a 12-shot lead early in the third round. But she wound up giving it all back, shooting a 76 on the final day to lose to Betsy King by a stroke. Sheehan played the last 33 holes at 9-over.
Thomas Bjorn, 2003 British Open
Bjorn led Ben Curtis by three strokes with four holes to play. But he dropped a stroke at the 15th, then disaster struck on the par-3 16th at Royal St. George's. Bjorn put his tee shot into a deep greenside bunker. When he attempted to blast out, the ball caught an upslope on the green and couldn't quite get over the hump. It rolled right back down into the bunker. Bjorn tried again - and the same thing happened. Finally, on his third attempt, he got the ball out. But he made double-bogey to fall into a tie, then bogeyed the 17th to complete the collapse.
Colin Montgomerie, 2006 U.S. Open
It looked like Monty might win his first major at the 2006 U.S. Open. He snaked in a curling 45-foot birdie putt on No. 17 and approached the No. 18 tee with a tie for the lead. After a perfect drive, things looked great for Montgomerie. But he switched clubs at the last minute - changing from a 6-iron to a 7-iron - and then chunked the approach, coming up very short of the green in heavy rough. His blast-out traveled to the back of the green, and a long par putt rolled well past. He wound up with a double-bogey six, tied for second.
