The 6 greatest ever Masters moments

US Masters / Dan Fitch / 06 April 2011 / Leave a Comment

Jack Nicklaus was responsible for our greatest Masters moment.

On the eve of this year's tournament, Dan Fitch takes a look at the greatest ever Masters moments.

The Masters tees off on Thursday and golf lovers everywhere will be looking forward to four days of action from the world's best players.

If the tournament is half as entertaining as the the following Masters, then we'll be in for a treat. Here are the six greatest ever Masters moments.

Sandy Lyle was level with Mark Calcavecchia as they began to pay the last hole and it looked like he was destined to finish in second place when his tee shot found the fairway bunker. Lyle's bunker shot was perfect though, spinning back to give the Scot a chance of a birdie. He calmly sunk the putt to become the first British winner of the Masters.

There have been few more emotional winners in gold than Jose Maria Olazabal when he picked up his second Mastres title in 1999. Two years earlier he had been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, which left the Spaniard practically bedridden. It was only with the help of the renowned sports injury expert Dr Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt that Olazabal was able to get back playing golf and Jose would pay tribute to his saviour in his winning speech.

When the Augusta local Larry Mize made a three-man play-off in 1987, it was thought that he was there to make up the numbers while the heavyweight talents of Seve Ballesteros and Greg Norman fought it out. Instead Seve was eliminated at the first extra hole to leave Mize in contention with Norman. It looked like The Great White Shark would win when Mize missed the green on the second hole, only for the outsider to shock everyone by holing from around 140 feet with his sand wedge.

Tiger Woods Masters victory in 1997 was not just his first Major title, but a statement of intent. Not only did he become the Masters' youngest ever champion at 21 years and 104 days, but he also broke the records for the lowest ever aggregate score with 270 and the biggest margin of victory, beating the second-placed Tom Kite by 12 strokes.

The 1996 Masters is not likely to be remembered as a tournament that Nick Faldo won, but rather the Masters which Greg Norman lost. The Australian had a six shot lead going into the last day, only to lose his nerve and allow his partner Faldo to snatch victory. This was a final day that you couldn't take your eyes off, even if it was somewhat painful to watch.

Despite having won five Masters titles, Jack Nicklaus was not given a prayer in 1986, which is no surprise considering that he had failed to finish higher than 39th in his previous seven tournaments and hadn't won at Augusta since 1980. On the final day Nicklaus was trailing Greg Norman, but rolled back the years with a brilliant final nine to become to oldest Masters champion, aged 46.

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Ryan Giggs: The ultimate team man but not the greatest

Football Food For Thought / Paul Moon / 27 February 2011 / Leave a Comment

He may be a little greyer and a yard slower but Giggs is still absolute class

"His contribution to Manchester United is obvious and overwhelming in equal amounts. Originally an out-and-out lightning quick winger winger, he has since learnt to adapt to an offensive playmaking role within the side, blending skill, movement and experience with football intelligence."

Ryan Giggs has been around longer than the Premier League and won just about every club honour up for grabs. But where does he rank alongside the greatest United legends and where was the one area he let others down, asks Paul Moon.

Ryan Joseph Giggs OBE (born 29 November 1973) is the most decorated player in English football history and a credit to the game. His incredible haul of 32 winners' medals include 11 Premier League wins and two Champions League titles, quite remarkable achievements. But where does he rank in the Manchester United hall of fame?

On the January 31 2011 he was named Manchester United's greatest ever player by a worldwide poll conducted by United's official magazine and website. Without wishing to sound churlish or attempting to devalue his marvellous achievements, the award sits somewhere between the sentimental and frivolous, as was his BBC Sports Personality of the Year award in 2009 by the way.

The reality is that the winner of the 'greatest player ever' category must surely rest between Sir Bobby Charlton, Eric Cantona, George Best and Denis Law. And that's without nominating Cristiano Ronaldo or Bryan Robson. That said, Giggs is the best 'clubman' United has ever had and some distance ahead of Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Roy Keane.

His contribution to Manchester United is obvious and overwhelming in equal amounts. Originally an out-and-out lightning quick winger winger, he has since learnt to adapt to an offensive playmaking role within the side, blending skill, movement and experience with football intelligence. His final ball has improved year on year and he has that unique ability to affect games and make a difference. One has also to pay homage the remarkable levels of fitness he still shows; let's not forget he's closer to his 40th birthday than his 30th.

The way he conducts himself on and off the pitch is similarly impeccable and in 20-years of playing football for his club he has never been sent off. In the days of over-zealous refereeing, that's no mean achievement.

It will surprise some that he actually signed on for archrivals Manchester City as a youth in 1985-87 but since then has spent his entire senior career at Manchester United where he holds the club record for competitive appearances and the club record for team trophies won by a player. Devout loyalty to a club is commendable and should be applauded but is it possible he would have become an even better player had he transferred abroad?

He is a player who clearly looks after himself but paradoxically this approach has produced the one stain on his career to date! It is something of a disappointment that he has not always shown the necessary resolve to play regularly for his country. Since 1990 he has too often missed international commitments through alleged injuries, only to somehow recover in time for his next club fixture. In his long career he has averaged just three games per year, playing a total of 64 games for Wales. Of course Wales have never been involved in a major tournament during that period but still; he's missed far too many games.

I'm sure one day he will manage Wales and inherit a similar set of circumstances. I'm sure he'll find that just as frustrating as the likes of John Toshack and Mark Hughes did as regards him.

The pace has gone a little and those marauding runs down the wing are few and far between these days but his influence within this youngish United side is there for all to see. United may yet win the league title, the FA Cup and the Champions League, just like they did back in 1999. No-one would begrudge Giggs a second treble of that nature...

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Will Greenwood: Wales v England is the greatest game

Match Previews / Will Greenwood / 03 February 2011 / Leave a Comment

England captain Lewis Moody won't be available but everyone knows about the intense rivalry between England and Wales

World Cup winner Will Greenwood knows more about scoring for England against Wales than any man in the history of the game. This week he launches his Betfair Six Nations zone with some some exciting bets on Friday's match, picks the winners from the rest of the weekend's action and selects five bets for the tournament...

As the opening Six Nations match in a World Cup year and with the history between the two nations, Wales v England on Friday night is going to be immense. It's the greatest game in the greatest stadium and I wish I could pull my boots on and have one last crack at the Welsh.

England are deserved [1.66[ favourites to get off to a winning start but it won't be easy. They're a better side than Wales on paper but the atmosphere in Cardiff is unbelievable, the Millenium is a beautiful stadium and it will be buzzing at kick-off. This match will be less about individual performances, more about team mettle, standing up in the Dragon's cauldron and coming away with no regrets.

Warren Gatland's attempts to wind up Dylan Hartley were brilliant. Martin Johnson has responded, ex-players like Jeremy Guscott and Jonathan Davies have got involved and all these niggles add to the occasion. Getting stuck in before a match as big as this one is just what you want to see.

There are plenty of battles to relish all over the pitch but the bottom line is that each player must out do his opposite number. Mike Tindall and Shontayne Hape's clash with James Hook - if he plays there - and Jamie Roberts in the centre is key, while two of the nicest guys in the world, Toby Flood and Stephen Jones, can't be nice on Friday night. The contest up front is intriguing too; England must go after the Welsh scrum as they have a clear advantage, but the home side will aim to dominate in the line-out.

The Welsh fans will sing for the whole eighty minutes and their players will get a massive lift from the partisan atmosphere. England scrum-half Ben Youngs can silence the home support by scoring a try and I hope he celebrates as he did when he went over for Leicester against the Scarlets a few weeks ago. Youngs has the arrogance about him that England players need in order to succeed in Cardiff. People think arrogance is a bad thing but in rugby it can be an asset.

I'm encouraged by the progress England have made in the last few months. They will have learned from their autumn defeat to South Africa and been buoyed by the victory over Australia. They have come together and there is great spirit in the camp.

I expect England to win this one and go into their three home games with momentum. I scored the winning try when the Red Rose last triumphed in Cardiff, in 2003, the score that day was 25-9 but I expect the home side to get a few more points on the board on Friday. I don't expect England to cover the 12.5 points in the winning margin market but they can win by around 25-17, which would cover the 2.5 handicap. I'm backing England -2.5 at [1.9] and I can't wait. Truly, it's going to be immense.

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