This month Sports illustrated is celebrating its 70th anniversary, and golf has been a staple of the magazine since its inception. (OK, technically it started with issue No. 2. More on that in a moment.) As part of our celebration, the SI Golf team looked back at the magazine’s extensive golf cover collection – there were more than 150 to browse through – and picked out a few that still caught our eye. Which is your favorite? Let us know on X, formerly Twitter.

Here is our list of favorites in chronological order starting with the second ever SI cover in 1954.

Golf bags, 1954

Milwaukee Braves slugger Eddie Mathews was featured on the first SI cover, on August 16, 1954, which has long been a collector’s item. But what was on the second cover? Simply a photo of a group of golf bags taken at Augusta National in 1954, with no headline or further context. It’s such a wonderfully random piece from a startup magazine that’s just starting to find its footing – and it hangs framed on my wall above where I’m typing right now. — John Schwarb

“The Crosby,” January 23, 1961

There’s something special about seeing iconic places on a golf course frozen in time throughout the years. You can get lost in any era when looking at the 7th green at Pebble, including this beautiful shot from 1960. —Jeff Ritter

US Open Preview, June 10, 1968

The task was to pick our favorites, but this one was so peculiar that I just couldn’t resist taking a closer look. It’s from before my time, but I think that might be a Strat-O-Matic board? Anyway, kudos to the editors for coming up with a cover that almost 60 years later made me stop dead in my tracks and say “huh?” —Jeff Ritter

“End of an era”, September 1, 1969

Like anyone who was lucky enough to spend a little time with Palmer during his lifetime, I cherish the memories of my experiences with him. This particular cover photo is great (just look at the wrinkles on Arnie’s forehead!), but it’s the caption that makes it — the SI editors apparently think that Palmer won’t be as important at 40. They were partially right: Palmer never won another major tournament. But the cover photo missed the mark in the best way possible, because Palmer had an almost incalculable global influence. Some highlights: He won five senior tour majors and breathed life into that tour; he founded a design company that built over 300 golf courses; he helped launch the Golf Channel; he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and, perhaps most importantly, he founded the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando. And so the verdict is in: With this cover photo, the Arnold Palmer era didn’t end. It was just beginning. —Jeff Ritter

“One for Eternity”, April 21, 1986

One of the greatest champions of them all. While this cover doesn’t capture the most iconic moment of the event (SI captured it but didn’t use it for the cover), it is a great shot of the Golden Bear talking to his ball on his way to his sixth and most impressive green jacket. I can’t look at this cover without wishing I had been there to witness it in person. —Jeff Ritter

“Agony at Augusta,” 1996 Masters, Greg Norman

Middle-aged golf fans don’t need the cover text to know what that was. John Biever’s photo shows an all-timer hitting every note with the tip of his Shark straw hat, his logo-gloved hand resting on his knee, holding the 4-iron that failed him (along with other clubs) on a nightmarish Masters Sunday. — John Schwarb

“One Cool Cat”, Sportsman of the Year 2000

At the peak of his powers and a few months before completing the Tiger Slam with his second Masters victory, Woods posed for SI’s SOTY issue in Hawaii, taking inspiration from Charlie Chaplin. The image is unexpectedly playful for a golfer who was in complete control of the sport. —Jeff Ritter

“Master Shot”, 2004 Masters, Phil Mickelson

The story of Phil Mickelson’s early career revolves around his failure to win a major, particularly his 0-for-41 finish as a pro at Augusta in 2004. But he finally broke through with a birdie on the 72nd hole to beat Ernie Els, and when the putt fell, he went flying along with everyone else around the 18th hole. There was more great heartache to come (read on), but at least he was free of the burden. — John Schwarb

“The Crack-Up”, US Open 2006, Phil Mickelson

Phil Mickelson has his head in his hands after squandering a golden opportunity to win the US Open that he never took. Mickelson made a double bogey on the final hole at Winged Foot and said later, “I just can’t believe I did that.” It was one of his six second-place finishes in the tournament. — Bob Harig

In memory, 2016, Arnold Palmer

Following the death of Arnold Palmer at the age of 87 in 2016, SI went with an iconic photo of Arnie from his glory days, accessorized with an iconic cardigan sweater that embodied the Arnie look. — Bob Harig

Masters Preview 2017 Edition

While this image of a pensive Spieth is sharp, and the hype surrounding the 2017 Masters was high, this cover is on my list purely for sentimental reasons—it was my first cover name at the magazine, eight years after SI first hired me as night and weekend editor. It was a thrill to be sitting at my desk in New York when SI’s venerable golf editor Mark Godich strolled by and casually quipped, “OK, you got the cover.” A lot has changed since that moment—I have a wife, two kids and a house in Texas, and golf has evolved in ways few could have predicted. But the 2017 Masters was a good one (with another fantastic SI cover), and seven years later, Spieth is still a fascinating psychological case study. —Jeff Ritter

Masters 2019, Tiger Woods

Words weren’t needed. It may have been the last time Tiger was on the cover, but it was perhaps the best. The cheers, the reactions said it all as Woods won the Masters for the fifth time and his 15th major title – 11 years after his last. — Bob Harig