By: HISTORY.com Editors

1996

Greg Norman blows six-shot Masters lead in epic collapse

Published: October 14, 2021Last Updated: May 27, 2025

On April 14, 1996, third-round leader Greg Norman loses a six-shot lead in the final round of the Masters golf tournament and finishes second—one of the worst collapses in sports history. Nick Faldo wins the green jacket, finishing five strokes ahead of Norman. "I played like a bunch of [expletive]," the Australian tells reporters afterward. "I just didn't get the job done."

In shooting a 78 in the final round, Norman had four bogeys and five double-bogeys. The tournament marked the seventh time in eight major championships that he failed to hold a final-round lead.

Faldo, who shot a final-round 67, embraced Norman after completing his round. "I don't know what to say to you," he told him. "I just want to give you a hug."

Norman's collapse startled sports fans and sportswriters alike.

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"For Greg Norman's lifetime, for yours, for mine, for eternity, wherever golf is played and remembered, in pro shops, pawn shops, locker rooms, card rooms, bars, churches, in Augusta, Ankara, and Alaska, the 1996 Masters will be recalled simply as the one Greg Norman blew," wrote Tampa Tribune columnist Tom McEwen.

Wrote David Casstevens of the Arizona Republic of Norman's final round: "It was like watching a man drown. As Norman headed to Amen Corner, and the most famous stretch of holes in golf, you wanted to throw him a rope, a lifeline. Here, Greg, grab hold."

Norman won 91 tournaments during his pro career, including two British Opens, but never won a major tournament in the United States.

Timeline

Also on This Day in History

Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on April 14th

1775

First American abolition society founded in Philadelphia

The Society for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage, the first American society dedicated to the cause of abolition, is founded in Philadelphia on April 14, 1775. The society changes its name to the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery and the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage […]

1828

“Webster’s American Dictionary of the English Language” is printed

Noah Webster, a Yale-educated lawyer with an avid interest in language and education, publishes his American Dictionary of the English Language on April 14, 1828. Webster’s dictionary was one of the first lexicons to include distinctly American words. The dictionary, which took him more than two decades to complete, introduced more than 10,000 “Americanisms.” The […]

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1865

John Wilkes Booth shoots Abraham Lincoln

President Abraham Lincoln is shot in the head at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. on April 14, 1865 by assassin John Wilkes Booth. President Lincoln died the next day.

1910

Taft becomes first U.S. president to throw out first pitch at MLB game

On April 14, 1910, President William Howard Taft becomes the first president to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at a Major League Baseball game. The historic toss on opening day is to star Walter Johnson, the Washington Senators’ starting pitcher against the Philadelphia Athletics at National Park in the nation’s capital. Senators owner Clark […]

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1918

American pilots engage in first dogfight over the western front

Six days after being assigned for the first time to the western front, two American pilots from the U.S. First Aero Squadron engage in America’s first aerial dogfight with enemy aircraft. In a battle fought almost directly over the Allied Squadron Aerodome at Toul, France, U.S. fliers Douglas Campbell and Alan Winslow succeeded in shooting […]

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1932

Loretta Lynn is born

Loretta Lynn, a singer who greatly expanded the opportunities for women in the male-dominated world of country-western music, is born in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky on April 14, 1932. Unlike some country-western stars that sang about a rural working class life but lived an urban middle class existence, Loretta Lynn’s country roots were unquestionably authentic. Born Loretta […]

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1935

“Black Sunday” Dust Bowl storm strikes

In what came to be known as “Black Sunday,” one of the most devastating storms of the 1930s Dust Bowl era sweeps across the region on April 14, 1935. High winds kicked up clouds of millions of tons of dirt and dust so dense and dark that some eyewitnesses believed the world was coming to […]

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1944

Explosion on cargo ship rocks Bombay, India

The cargo ship Fort Stikine explodes in a berth in the docks of Bombay, India (now known as Mumbai), killing 1,300 people and injuring another 3,000 on April 14, 1944. As it occurred during World War II, some initially claimed that the massive explosion was caused by Japanese sabotage; in fact, it was a tragic […]

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1960

Montreal Canadiens win fifth consecutive Stanley Cup

On April 14, 1960, the Montreal Canadiens defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs to win the Stanley Cup for a record fifth year in a row. The Canadiens reached the Stanley Cup Finals after sweeping the Chicago Blackhawks in four games, while the Maple Leafs defeated the Detroit Red Wings, four games to two. The championship […]

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1969

Katharine Hepburn and Barbra Streisand tie for Best Actress Oscar

On April 14, 1969, during the first internationally televised Oscars ceremony, Ingrid Bergman exclaims “It’s a tie!” upon opening the Best Actress envelope—the first tie in a major acting category in three decades. The award went to both Katharine Hepburn, for her turn as Eleanor of Aquitaine in The Lion in Winter, and Barbra Streisand, […]

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1986

U.S. bombs terrorist and military targets in Libya

On April 14, 1986, the United States launches air strikes against Libya in retaliation for the Libyan sponsorship of terrorism against American troops and citizens. The raid, which began shortly before 7 p.m. EST (2 a.m., April 15 in Libya), involved more than 100 U.S. Air Force and Navy aircraft, and was over within an […]

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1988

Soviets agree to withdraw from Afghanistan

Representatives of the USSR, Afghanistan, the United States and Pakistan sign an agreement calling for the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan. In exchange for an end to the disputed Soviet occupation, the United States agreed to end its arms support for the Afghan anti-Soviet factions, and Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed not to interfere in […]

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