1990s

Faldo v Norman in 1996 and Tiger Woods' incredible 12-shot victory in 1997 were the standout moments in a decade which saw more European success.

Some things change, others stay the same: if the 1980s were about the oldest champion, the 1990s were about the youngest. Meanwhile, the Europeans kept on winning. It started in 1990 when Nick Faldo became only the second man to successfully defend the Green Jacket, once more claiming his win in a play-off, this time defeating Raymond Floyd. Six years later Faldo would complete an astonishing third win. He started the final round six shots adrift of his playing partner and the tournament leader Greg Norman, but completed a fine 67 whilst the Australian - so desperate to win a first Green Jacket after years of near misses - disintegrated in the harsh gaze of the world. 1996 also saw the Masters launch its very first website. In between times Ian Woosnam claimed his only Green Jacket in 1991 and Bernhard Langer won a second in 1993. Europe also saw a new Augusta star emerge - the enigmatic Spaniard Jose Maria Olazabal who was stylish in victory in 1994 and heroic when winning for second time in 1999. Just 12 months before that success Olazabal had been so wracked with pain that he had to crawl to the bathroom from his bed but he recovered from nearly one year off the course to slip his arms back into the Green Jacket. It was not the only emotional win in the 90s - in 1995 Ben Crenshaw completed victory one week after the passing of his mentor Harvey Penick. Fred Couples (in 1992) and Mark O'Meara (in 1998) also claimed victory for America, Couples' win being especially notable for the way his ball clung miraculously to the bank below the 12th green rather than sinking into the water in the final round. But no win resonated in this decade quite as much as Tiger Woods' success in 1997. The remarkable 21-year-old not only became the youngest winner of the event, the winner with the record lowest total, or the winner with the largest winning margin. He was also the first black winner. The cheers that greeted his win didn't merely echo around Augusta National; they reverberated around the world. FOCUS ON - TIGER WOODS When Earl Woods visualised his son reaching the top of the golfing world, he saw him at Augusta National. The importance of becoming the first black to conquer those fairways was proved when in 1997, in his first Masters as a professional, Woods smashed the history books, breaking 20 records and equalling another six. "Green and black go together well, don't they?" Earl asked his son afterwards. In 2001 and 2002 he won again, becoming just the third man to defend the Green Jacket, and he added a fourth title in 2005. The lengthening of the course since Woods' first win is widely perceived to have been an attempt at Tiger-proofing it from a repeat of 1997 and it might have worked. Although Woods has finished in the top six in each of the last five years he is yet to capture a fifth win.