6 standout finishes at the Masters

Ranking the Masters' 78 conclusions is a fool's errand.

From Ed Sneed's collapse in 1979 to Tiger Woods' breakthrough in 1997, there's just too many iconic moments in the history of Augusta National.

With that in mind, here's three unlikely victories and three meltdowns that still stand out.

Victory

Arnold Palmer (1960)

Palmer won the Masters four times during a six-year span, but his triumph in 1960 was his best.

The King trailed Ken Venturi by one stroke with two holes to play. Palmer stroked a 25-foot putt up a hill for birdie on No. 17 to tie for the lead. He could have played for a playoff. Instead he fired a drive to within six feet of the cup and went on to birdie for a one-stroke win.

Jack Nicklaus (1975)

A seemingly hopeless shot turned into a dagger for Nicklaus.

Nicklaus was one stroke ahead of Johnny Miller and one behind Tom Weiskopf when he fell 40 feet from the cup on the 16th hole. Unfazed, the Golden Bear putted up the slope and leapt into the air when the ball dropped in. The shot tied him for the lead, but also killed his opponents' momentum as Nicklaus went on to win. 

Larry Mize (1987)

It looked impossible.

Mize had missed the green and was 140 feet from the cup on a second playoff hole after going the distance with Greg Norman and Seve Ballesteros. Mize used a sand wedge and chipped a do-or-die shot that miraculously went in, giving the Augusta native a win on his home course.

Defeat

Roberto DeVicenzo (1968)

Never has a 65 been so worthless.

DeVicenzo fired a 65 that in any other scenario would have put him in a playoff with Bob Goalby. Instead, DeVicenzo signed his scorecard wrong, giving himself a four on the 17th hole instead a correct score of three. That one errant mistake handed the green jacket to Goalby and an eternal face palm for DeVicenzo.

Greg Norman (1996)

It's hard to argue against this being the worst collapse in Masters history.

Norman had a six-shot lead over Nick Faldo as he teed off with 18 holes to play. But Norman inexplicably became undone, firing three bogeys in a row that wiped out his lead. Norman sent another into the water and slumped to a shocking 78 as Faldo went on to win. Norman never got so close to victory at Augusta again.

Rory McIlroy (2011)

This can be read as an ugly defeat or the start of something special.

McIlroy was looking good to win his first Masters with a four-stroke lead to start Sunday. But on the 10th hole he hooked his shot well off the course. The recovery cost him a triple-bogey, which he followed with another bogey and then a double. He finished with an 80.

Two months later McIlroy won the U.S. Open. He now credits his 2011 meltdown with helping him become the world's top-ranked player.