ESPN Golf Blog

Posted by Jason Sobel

If you ever watch one of those NFL Films segments in which competitors are miked up throughout a game, you'll inevitably hear some virtuoso wide receiver or behemoth linebacker bellow the following mantra: "Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games!"

There aren't many big-time golfers who would repeat the same phrase, but it would be appropriate considering this list of the top 18 shots of 2008. While non-winners, a Nationwide Tour player and even a pair of preteens are featured, the majority of these shots were taken by golfers on their way to claiming major championship titles or other important victories. And it's topped by one that won't soon be forgotten in the annals of golf history.

1. Tiger Woods
The situation: U.S. Open, fourth round, par-5 18th hole, fourth shot.

The shot: At no point during Woods' first 3 shots on the final hole of regulation at Torrey Pines did his play scream "birdie." Down 1 stroke to already finished Rocco Mediate, Tiger hit his drive into the left bunker, knocked an indifferent lay-up into the right rough and spun a good-but-not-great wedge to 12 feet. What happened next is what separates Tiger from just about every other golfer who ever lived. It's not that he rolled the putt into the side door to force the playoff; it's that everybody watching -- in attendance behind the ropes, on TV, everywhere -- fully expected him to make it. And that's just what he did. Even under the most intense pressure, with a debilitating injury, under the direst of circumstances, he produced exactly what was expected of him. Shot of the year? Absolutely -- and a perfect microcosm for Woods' career.

Woods' take: "That was actually one of the worst parts of the green. It's so bumpy down there. And I just kept telling myself two and a half balls outside the right, but make sure you stay committed to it, make a pure stroke and if it plinkos in, or plinkos out it doesn't matter, as long as I make a pure stroke. And I did. I hit it good. It took forever to break, but it finally snuck in there at the end."

2. Padraig Harrington
The situation: British Open, final round, par-5 17th hole, second shot.

The shot: Trying to retain his British Open title in an ever-burgeoning wind at Royal Birkdale, Harrington encountered a dilemma on the course's penultimate hole. Should he lay up and put himself in good position for his third shot? Or should he go for the green and try to clinch the Claret Jug right there? Paddy chose the latter, taking the risk and earning the reward by curling a 5-wood from 249 yards to within 3 feet of the hole. From there, he posted eagle -- and the title no longer remained in doubt. As if he needed another award, this shot by Harrington was voted the 2008 European Tour Shot of the Year.

Harrington's take: "Once I hit it, it was perfect. It's one of the few times I think I've ever heard my caddie say good shot to me before the ball is finished. He doesn't realize he's doing it, and I will rib him about it later. As soon as the ball was in the air he said good shot to me, which is totally out of character for him. Normally he waits until the ball has actually stopped before he says anything."

3. Tiger Woods
The situations: U.S. Open, third round, par-5 13th hole, third shot; par-4 17th hole, third shot; par-5 18th hole, third shot.

The shots: When discussing Woods' all-time accomplishments, we must be careful not to toss out too many superlatives, lest the last "greatest shot ever" slides down the list in favor of the next one. This six-hole stretch may not have been as groundbreaking as anything he did at the 1997 Masters, or as dominant as the 2000 U.S. Open, or as dramatic as the 2000 PGA Championship, but it most certainly was the most compelling stretch of holes of Tiger's career. Playing on an increasingly painful knee, he holed a 70-foot eagle putt on 13, chipped in for birdie on 17 and knocked in another eagle from 30 feet on 18. The look on Woods' face -- part relief, part joy, all focus -- said it all.

Woods' take: "I can't tell you what's coming. It's just one of those emotional things. Whatever happens, happens. Either way, it just kept going in."

4. J.B. Holmes
The situation: Ryder Cup, Day 3, par-4 17th hole, second shot.

The shot: Technically, the United States clinched the Ryder Cup when Miguel Angel Jimenez conceded a gimme putt to Jim Furyk late in the affair, but Holmes' victory signified that it was only a matter of time before Paul Azinger's squad had it sealed. On what would be the final hole of his singles match against Soren Hansen, the Kentucky native, known more for his mammoth drives than his short game, stuffed a wedge from 79 yards to 2 feet. And yes, he made the putt.

Holmes' take: "I was going right at it. I had 79 yards to the flag. I mean, I'm a professional golfer; I can't shoot away from the pin. … You've got to make birdie. It's not a real hard hole, especially hitting it in there and I've got 79 yards, so I've got to go for birdie there."

5. Phil Mickelson
The situation: Crowne Plaza Invitational, final round, par-4 18th hole, second shot.

The shot: Stop us if you've heard this one before. With a tournament title on the line, Mickelson blasted his drive on the final hole way left into the trees. Unlike a few other crucial defeats in his career, however -- most notably the 2006 U.S. Open -- Lefty quickly made amends after this one. With seemingly no room to reach the green, he proved the old axiom that "trees are 90 percent air," lacing a gap wedge -- one of five wedges in his bag that week -- into makeable birdie range, later draining the putt for a 1-shot win. He called the shot "probably top-five" in his career.

Mickelson's take: "I'm as surprised as anybody I was able to make a 3 from over there. … It just came off perfectly. I never saw it. Once it took off, I never saw the flight of the ball because it was hidden from the trees, the overhanging trees in front of me. But I kind of ran out to the fairway and saw it end up 8 feet. That was a pretty cool feeling.''

6. Darren Clarke
The situation: BMW Asian Open, final round, par-4 18th hole, third shot.

The shot: It had been nearly two full years since Clarke's wife, Heather, passed away due to cancer. Understandably, in the time since he had only resembled a shell of his old self as a golfer, dropping from 20th in the world ranking to 236th. In Shanghai, Clarke got himself into contention for the title, only to bogey three of four holes prior to the 18th. There he hit his approach to 40 feet and somewhat miraculously holed the birdie putt to win by a single stroke -- as emotional a victory as any during the 2008 season.

Clarke's take: "It was always going to be a difficult hurdle for me to get back into the winners' circle after Heather had passed away," he said. "My mind started going forward from the 14th onwards, I lost my concentration and started thinking about Heather and the boys and in this game unless you keep your concentration for the whole way, you make mistakes. That's what I did. But on the last green I gathered myself and said, 'Hit a good putt.' Luckily I did and it went in."

7. Padraig Harrington
The situation: PGA Championship, final round, par-4 18th hole, fourth shot.

The shot: Searching for his second straight major championship title, Harrington was in a precarious position. After driving into a fairway bunker on the right side, then leaving his second shot in Oakland Hills' thick rough, the Irishman chipped to 15 feet. Knowing a missed par attempt plus a make from playing partner Sergio Garcia -- whose ball was inside of Harrington's on the green -- would equal a victory for Garcia, Paddy coolly read the line and dropped his putt into the bottom of the cup for his third career major win.

Harrington's take: "It was an easy putt to read. It was a double-break; I hit it a cup right of the hole, and it was slightly downhill. So I didn't want to hit it too hard, and I rolled it down there and it broke from a cup right to just outside the left edge. And now I knew the pace was just about right, so as it was just getting to the hole, I wanted to see it break, and I could see it breaking, and I was just saying, 'Go on, keep going, keep going, break.' Thankfully, it just got inside the left half and dropped. Very nice, as I said, to see the line on a putt when you're under pressure like that. And that's probably why I holed it."

8. Annika Sorenstam
The situations: U.S. Women's Open, final round, par-5 18th hole, third shot; Women's British Open, final round, par-4 18th hole, third shot.

The shots: Never let it be said that Ms. 59 didn't make a graceful exit. Though Sorenstam failed to win a major in what she says is her final season on the LPGA Tour, she did go out on a high note in these instances. In the U.S. Open at Interlachen, she holed a 6-iron from 199 yards for eagle to conclude an otherwise disappointing round of 78. At Sunningdale, it was another 6-iron approach shot that set up a 20-foot birdie putt to finish her major championship career.

Sorenstam's take: "When I made the corner from the leaderboard [on 18 at the Women's British], it says, 'Annika, you'll be missed.' And I thought that was very special and I waved at the guys and they clapped and I came up 18 and everybody was cheering. You know, it just makes you feel good when you get that type of applause. I've been out here for 15 years, and I've experienced a lot of joy, a few setbacks, but overall, it's been great. All of a sudden, everything just reflects on your mind and you're just grateful."

9. D.A. Points
The situation: Miccosukee Championship, final round, par-4 18th hole, second shot.

The shot: Trailing on the final hole of the Nationwide Tour's penultimate event of the season, Points slam-dunked a wedge shot from 125 yards for eagle. Some 10 minutes later, playing the same hole in a playoff against Matt Bettencourt, Points hit an almost identical shot, landing it 4 feet from the hole and eventually making birdie for the win. As if that wasn't enough excitement, there was a little matter of a job on the line. With the victory, Points clinched a PGA Tour card for the first time since 2006.

Points' take: "It was the perfect number for me, but when it was in the air you never really knew if it was going to be good or not. When the cheering got louder, I didn't know whether to cry or jump up and down."

Jason Sobel is a golf writer for ESPN.com. He can be reached at Jason.Sobel@espn3.com.