Seventy-one times the horses have gone to the gate for the final round at Augusta National. Rarely has the final day — and particularly the final nine holes — failed to produce a memorable conclusion.

Here are 10 of the most memorable final days seen at the Masters:

No. 10

1956: Conditions were miserable all week with drizzle, rain and high winds; Bobby Jones said it was the worst in the tournament's 20-year history. Jackie Burke shot a 71 — only two players broke par that day — to beat amateur Ken Venturi by a shot. Burke came from eight shots back and his closing round was 7.2 shots better than the average score. Venturi began with a four-shot lead and hit 15 greens, but three-putted five times to sabotage his chances.

No. 9

1959: Art Wall, better known for his 45 career holes-in-one, passed a dozen players on the final day with his closing 66. He became the first player to win the tournament with a birdie on the final hole. After Bobby Jones stopped by to chat for a minute with Wall and playing partner Julius Boros, Wall birdied five of his final six holes. It was Wall's only major championship.

No. 8

1997: This was notable for so many reasons. Tiger Woods shot a 69 to win his first Masters, a tournament-record 12-shot victory over Tom Kite. Woods set a record at 18-under par in his third Masters appearance, his first as a professional. And the embrace shared by Tiger and his father, Earl Woods, forever remains a piece of Masters lore.

No. 7

2004: The first major championship won by Phil Mickelson was fraught with drama. Mickelson birdied five of the final seven holes, including an 18-footer on the 18th hole, to steal the victory from a stunned Ernie Els, who closed with a 67. It was the fourth time the tournament had been won with a birdie on the 18th hole.

No. 6

1975: Jack Nicklaus played one of his greatest rounds, shooting 68 to hold off Johnny Miller and Tom Weiskopf by one stroke. His 40-foot birdie on the 16th hole proved to be the difference. "I saw Bear tracks on the green," said Miller, who was watching from the tee with Weiskopf.

No. 5

1977: Tom Watson answered a series of broadsides from Jack Nicklaus, who was playing a group ahead and applied pressure all day. Watson shot a 67 and made a birdie on the 17th hole which, combined with a Nicklaus bogey at the 18th, gave Watson his first of two Masters. The victory, the second of Watson's eight majors, forever erased his image as someone incapable of closing the deal.

No. 4

1995: Ben Crenshaw was a bundle of frayed emotions. He had buried his beloved longtime teacher Harvey Pennick earlier in the week, rediscovered his putting stroke and somehow held it together at Augusta for his second Masters title. A final-round 68 enabled him to beat Davis Love III by one shot. His tearful breakdown on the final hole exposed his humanity and explained to the casual observer why Crenshaw is one of the club's favorite champions.

No. 3

1978: Seven birdies on his final 10 holes propelled 41-year-old Gary Player to a 64 — including a 30 on the final nine — and gave the South African his third Masters championship. Player began the final round tied for 10th, 40 minutes ahead of the leaders, and seven shots behind front-runner leader Hubert Green.

No. 2

1996: Greg Norman gets most of the attention for shooting a 78 and wasting the six-shot lead he began with on the final day. But Nick Faldo must be given credit. Faldo shot a 67 on Masters Sunday — only five other players were in the 60s that day — and that's traditionally good enough to win.

No. 1

1986: Perhaps the greatest final round played in major tournament golf. Period. It was a perfect storm for greatness: the game's most accomplished player, Jack Nicklaus, on a great venue, against great competition (Seve Ballesteros, Greg Norman, Tom Kite) at an age (46) where most are eyeballing the Champions Tour. Nicklaus shoots a 65 - 30 on the final nine to win his 18th and final major championship. Grown men sat at the 18th green and wept with joy.

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