The biggest choke jobs in sports history

Palmer led the U.S. Open by seven strokes with only nine holes remaining. He shot +4 over the final nine holes, while Billy Casper caught Palmer by shooting -3. Casper then defeated Palmer in an 18-hole playoff.

The legend of the Cubs' futility grew in 1969 when the team blew a nine-game division lead to the Mets, losing 17 of 25 games in September. The Mets went on to win the World Series.

Bill Buckner. Baseball fans already know where this one is headed. Boston's first baseman made arguably the most infamous error in baseball history on Mookie Wilson's soft grounder to lose Game 6 of the World Series after leading 5-3 in the 10th inning and 3-2 in the Series. The Mets also claimed Game 7 to win it all.

Norwood had a chance to win the Super Bowl for the Bills with a 47-yard field-goal attempt against the Giants. Trailing by one point, Norwood missed the field goal wide right, and the Giants won 20-19.

Leading by 32 points at halftime in the AFC Wild Card game, the Oilers fell asleep in the second half. Bills backup quarterback Frank Reich led the charge, as Buffalo came back to win 41-38 in overtime.

Webber was the leader of the "Fab Five" Michigan team that got to the National Championship Game against North Carolina. Trailing by two points near the end of regulation, Webber tried to call a timeout when the Wolverines no longer had one remaining. The mistake effectively sealed the deal for the Tar Heels. Of course, the refs also missed Webber's traveling violation during the same possession.

The heavily favored Chiefs hosted the Colts in the AFC Divisional Round after claiming the AFC West with a 13-3 regular-season record. After getting off to a 7-0 first-quarter lead in frigid temperatures, Jim Harbaugh's Colts came roaring back. Chiefs kicker Lin Elliott missed field goals of 35, 39 and 42 yards in a 10-7 loss. The game would live in infamy for Chiefs fans and add to coach Marty Schottenheimer's playoff nightmares.

Norman had a six-shot lead in the final round at the Masters before shooting a 78 on the final day. Not only did he lose the lead, but Norman also finished five strokes behind Nick Faldo.

Van de Velde approached the final hole at the British Open needing to double-bogey or better to win. Somehow he couldn't manage that, with a notorious triple-bogey that forced a playoff before losing to Paul Lawrie.

New York had a chance to win at the end of the game despite blowing a 38-14 second-half lead to the 49ers. Long snapper Trey Junkin, called out of retirement days earlier, had a bad snap on a 41-year field goal, sealing the win for San Francisco.

The curse in Chicago was alive and well after the Bartman game in the NLCS. Leading the Marlins 3-2 in the series and holding a 3-0 lead in Game 6, a foul ball down the left field corner looked like it would be caught by left fielder Moises Alou before a fan named Steve Bartman made an attempt at the ball. Without that out, the Cubs would implode to give up eight runs in the inning. They lost that game and eventually the series.

Was the 2004 ALCS a bigger comeback for the Red Sox or a choke for the Yankees? Either way, it was legendary. The Red Sox eventually ended their World Series curse by sweeping the Cardinals, but their playoff run will be remembered for winning four straight games with their backs against the wall vs. the Yankees.

Mickelson approached the final hole in the U.S. Open with a one-shot lead before he sank. He couldn't even salvage a bogey to force a playoff, shooting a six on a par four as Geoff Ogilvy claimed victory.

Romo had a great career in Dallas, but he will always be remembered for his playoff failures. The first came in 2007 when he botched a field-goal snap on a 19-yard chip shot that would have advanced the Cowboys in the playoffs. After dropping the snap, Romo tried to scramble for the end zone but was tackled at the 1-yard line as the Seahawks won 21-20.

There hasn't been a bigger September collapse recently than that of the Mets. The team had a seven-game lead in the division as of Sept. 12, but their late-season struggles coupled with a surging Phillies team forced New York to stay home in October.

Leading by four points with 1:15 left, Memphis' nightmare at the free-throw line started. The Tigers missed four of their final five free throws, allowing Kansas to send the game to overtime. The Jayhawks ran away in OT to win the national championship with a 75-68 victory.

The Rangers had a chance to win the World Series in the ninth inning of Game 6 with a 7-5 lead. Down to their last strike, the Cardinals got a two-run double off the bat of David Freese. Texas would take the lead again in the 10th on a two-run homer before Lance Berkman tied the game with an RBI single. Freese would cement his legacy in baseball history with a walk-off home run in the 11th, as the Cardinals ended up winning the series in seven games.

Alabama head coach Nick Saban doesn't make many mistakes, but his choice to attempt a 57-yard field goal at the end of regulation against Auburn cost the Crimson Tide the game and the season in 2013. Tied at 28, the Tigers' Chris Davis returned the missed field goal 100 yards to win the game.

Little-known Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler made arguably the biggest play in Super Bowl history due in large part to a questionable play call by the Seahawks. Seattle trailed 28-24 with second-and-goal on the 1-yard line with 26 seconds left. With only one timeout remaining, the Seahawks opted to throw a slant rather than hand the ball to running back Marshawn Lynch, and Butler made the incredible interception.

Twenty years after Greg Norman's collapse at the Masters, Spieth suffered a similar fate. Leading the tournament by one shot going into the 12th hole on Sunday, Spieth inexplicably quadruple-bogeyed. He finished the tournament tied for second behind Danny Willett.

Atlanta looked well on its way to a shocking Super Bowl win vs. the Patriots with a 25-point lead. That's when Tom Brady went to work. The Patriots scored a remarkable 25 unanswered points during regulation to go to overtime tied at 28, as the Falcons failed to run out the clock. New England won 34-28 in overtime on a James White touchdown.