The
2013 Masters will go down in history, it was historic, memorable,
heartbreaking, heart-warming and controversial. Golf's First Major
was everything that everyone in golf would wish to see, four days of
drama came to an epic conclusion on a sodden April afternoon in
Augusta, Georgia and those who watched on television or were there in
person will never forget what they saw. Sky Sports ran a them
throughout their coverage featuring a book of The Masters and this
tournament, this Major Championship, had enough storylines to write
three feature films as epic as the Lord of the Rings, it was truly
unpredictable and almost fairytale stuff from beginning to end. It
was almost so unbelievable that you couldn't write it.
The
week's first chapter was written by a star from the east, a star that
will be burning bright for many, many years into the future. Tianlang
Guan, a 14-year-old from Guangzhou, China, winner of the Asia-Pacific
Amateur Championship last year became the youngest ever participant
in The Masters Tournament and coming into the event he was given no
chance by anyone of breaking 80, let alone making the 36-hole cut. Not
only did Guan stun everyone with rounds of 73 and 75 to make the cut
via the 10-shot rule he made no worse than a bogey on any hole
throughout the week and had no more than two putts on any of the 72
greens, his four-round total of 300 was 12 shots over par. The child
prodigy will have another chance to earn an invitation to The Masters
in 2014 when he competes in the 2013 Asia-Pacific Amateur
Championship later this year, his achievements will surely inspire
many young people in China to take up the game.
By
comparison Rory McIlroy is a veteran at the age of 23, 9 years older
than Guan, and following a confidence-building week at the Valero
Texas Open was one of the favourites coming into the week, but once
again this year it was a disappointing week for the world number two.
Rounds of 72 and 70 put the PGA Champion in position to attack the
lead on Saturday but a round punctuated by a treble and double bogey
on the back nine took him right out of the picture as he slumped to a
79 and for a third successive Masters his challenge would be
de-railed by one disastrous round. With the pressure off on Sunday
McIlroy made four birdies with one solitary bogey to post a round 10
shots better in the final round and finished the tournament at
2-over-par, 11 shots off the winning score.
The
story coming into 2013 was all about Rory's rivalry with Tiger Woods,
but they have had polar opposite seasons with McIlroy struggling and
Woods winning three times and Woods was the overwhelming favourite to
win The Masters coming to Augusta. A round of 70 was a solid start
for the world number one as he sat 4 shots behind the first day
leader Marc Leishman, and birdies on 5, 7 and 8 put him right in
contention for a fifth green jacket. Following a pushed drive on the
fifteenth Woods was in the trees and had no option but the lay up and
try to make birdie the hard way, with a wedge shot remaining over
water Tiger looked primed to take the lead and his approach arrowed
at the hole but unluckily glanced off the pin and spun violently back
off the front edge of the green into the water. It was a desperately
unlucky break for Woods and a lesser man would have lost his
composure and made 7 or 8, but Tiger composed himself and dropped the
ball and played a fine approach to set up a bogey. He went on to
three-putt the last hole and post 3-under-par for the first two
rounds, 3 behind and in with a great chance of winning at Augusta for
the first time in 8 years. When I woke up on Saturday morning I
checked twitter and started seeing rumours about Tiger possibly being
disqualified. I then tuned into Sky Sports Masters breakfast and sure
enough the rumours had foundation, incredibly and quite blatantly
Tiger had taken an illegal drop. He had decided not to play from the
drop zone and keeping the point where the ball crossed the hazard and
the point at which he played in line with the hole he returned to
drop the ball as close as possible to the point on which he played
the original shot.
The
problem was he didn't play the ball from as close as possible to the
original spot from which he played the shot, and admitted so in his
post-round interview on Friday evening. He admitted to dropping the
ball 2 yards further away so that he could land the ball short of the
hole. David Howell and Billy Foster, speaking on Masters breakfast,
both said they saw no possible way Tiger Woods could remain in the
tournament, and EVERY professional I have seen speak or write on
social media, many of which I know personally, said that Tiger must
be disqualified. But in a week where Tianlang Guan was harshly
penalized for slow play the rules of golf were at the centre of
outrage once again. Allegedly the Augusta National Golf Club
tournament committee had reviewed the incident prior to the
completion of Tiger's round, but mysteriously they had not informed
him or anyone else of this and waited until Saturday morning to make
any sort of announcement. Because they had reviewed it and because of
a little-known rule change in 2011 Woods survived disqualification
and was penalized 2 shots after signing for a round of 71. Even then
it can be argued strongly that Tiger Woods should have been
disqualified for signing for the wrong score, it was quite remarkable
that the 4-time Masters champion was allowed to play on.
He
was and straight away on Saturday Woods bounced back with birdie at
the first hole and further birdies at 7, 12, 13 and 15 to reach
3-under-par, the same score he was on prior to the penalty. He ended
round three some four shots behind the joint leaders Angel Cabrera
and Brandt Snedeker and the possibility of a charge for the title on
Masters Sunday was still alive for the 14-time Major Champion. Going
into the final round there were 13 potential winners all within five
shots of the leading duo, two of those were legendary figures of
European golf, one of which was still waiting for a Major title in
his 61st appearance in golf's grand slam championships.
At
the end of 2012 my favourite to win The Masters was Rory McIlroy but
with his poor start my eye started to drift to an Englishman who has
a great record at Augusta and played superb golf in his first start
of the year in Dubai. Lee Westwood finished in fourth place at the
Emirates Golf Club in February and with his move to Florida I had a
great feeling that he would be better equipped to get the job done on
Sunday, and following rounds of 70, 73 and 71 the former world number
one was 5 shots back, the same as Nick Faldo in 1989. He began with a
par at the first following finding the bunker off the tee and then
played a stunning second shot on the par five second hole to set up
an eagle chance, he two-putted for birdie and moved to within four
shots of the lead. And another birdie at the 7th, very
much a bonus on a tough hole, certainly got me excited about his
chances. But despite his short game being much improved it definitely
cost him the chance of a second nine charge as he missed a very
presentable chance for birdie at 8 and he screwed up the ninth hole
and made a bogey when the likes of Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods
would have made par. Effectively dropping two shots on 8 and 9 meant
he was in need of a miraculous last nine holes and help from the
leader, and despite birdieing the fifteenth hole he could not take
advantage of the opportunities that his fantastic long game
presented. It is now 61 chances that have come and gone for the
Englishman and you have to wonder how many more times he can continue
to contend and come up short without losing the plot. It must be so
incredibly frustrating to continually get so close and not finish it
off, he has now finished in the top ten on 15 occasions including 3
of the last 4 Masters Tournaments and 7 of the last 13 Major
Championships.
Westwood
was playing with a legendary figure of European golf who has tasted
success in the Majors, the first world number one Bernhard Langer
rolled back the years with birdies on the first three holes to get to
within 3 of the lead but back-to-back bogeys on the 6th
and 7th stalled his challenge and back-to-back
double-bogeys on 12 and 13 ended it completely. It was fun while it
lasted and for a time was one of several compelling storylines, in a
week when a 14-year-old stunned the world and made the cut a
55-year-old was making a charge at the leaders on Masters Sunday.
Only in golf can there be these incredible stories.
Another
remarkable story was the comeback of Denmark's precocious young
talent Thorbjorn Olesen. Shooting 78 on Thursday and beginning with a
bogey on Friday he was a full 13 shots behind the leaders and on
course to miss the cut but with birdies at 2, 8, 11, 13 and 18 the
Dane made the cut at 4-over with the help of the ten shot rule. He
took full advantage, making 14 birdies and an eagle in the last 36
holes to finish on 4-under and book his return to Augusta National
Golf Club for 2014 with a tie for sixth place.
Several
players featured in final round at Augusta, but it came down to five
of the last six starters on Masters Sunday.
Australia
has been cruelly the denied in The Masters over the years and just as
in 2011 they had three players in contention on Sunday as the country
looked to exorcize the demons of Greg Norman in the 1980's and
1990's. Two of them were playing together in the final round, first
round leader Marc Leishman and 2011 runner-up Adam Scott, by the time
they were on the course their fellow countryman Jason Day had made a
storming start rolling in a putt for birdie to move one behind at the
first and then outrageously holing from the front greenside bunker at
the second for eagle to take the lead. Masters Sunday had begun.
Scott
began exactly in the way you would not want to start your Masters
final round when chasing the lead, with a bogey. He bounced back at
the third with a birdie but he was now two behind Day and overnight
joint leader Brandt Snedeker, who rolled in a putt at the first for
birdie. Many
good judges picked Brandt Snedeker as the man that would be wearing
the green jacket but once again under the unique pressure of a Major
he wilted in the heat of battle, bogeying the 4th and 5th
holes to fall two shots behind and despite making a birdie at the 8th
he would fall away on the back nine with four bogeys to finish the
day 3-over-par and -4 for the tournament.
Jason
Day would bogey the 6th and 9th to fall back to
6-under and the Argentine Angel Cabrera looked a good bet to claim a
second green jacket following a birdie at the 7th hole
which moved the 2009 champion to 9-under-par and clear of the field
as the Masters reached the second nine on Sunday. Both Cabrera and
Snedeker missed the 10th hole wildly to the right into
Bubba Watson country, it would cost both a bogey and Cabrera's lead
was down to two shots on Scott and Day. Australian Marc Leishman
would join the conversation at the 11th with a birdie to
take him to 6-under and tied with Scott, Day and Snedeker, two shots
behind the Argentine. Another who was still in with a chance despite
his “mistake” at the 15th on Friday was Tiger Woods
and birdies at the 9th and 10th hauled him to
within five of Cabrera, he would birdie 13 and 15 to reach five under
and finish in fourth position. Thankfully for golf Tiger Woods did
not win this Masters otherwise the tone of this blog and many others
would have been very different indeed.
The
complexion of the tournament then changed on the back nine when
Cabrera reached the 13th and his tee shot found the pine
straw on the right side of the hole, for some reason when he did not
need to go for the green he took the shot on and found the creek, it
would cost him a bogey and would hand the ascendancy to Jason Day.
The 25-year-old runner-up in 2011 birdied 13, 14 and 15 to reach
9-under and at that point held a 2 shot lead which looked like being
enough to give the talented Australian a first Major title and just
his second PGA Tour win. But just as he did on Saturday evening Day
demonstrated that he is not comfortable in the heat of a major right
at the end and bogeys at 16 and 17 saw him finish on 7-under-par.
With Scott making birdies at 13 and 15 and Cabrera rolling in a putt
at the 16th for birdie there was briefly a three-way tie
on 8-under with two holes to play before Day's error on 17.
With
Day in the clubhouse on 7-under Scott knew he just needed to par in
to finish as the leading Australian and maybe become The Masters
champion, but he knew a birdie at the 18th could give him
the title outright, and he played his approach out to the right side
of the green to benefit from the slope and the ball came to rest in a
familiar position on Masters Sunday. As Faldo, Tiger, O'Meara and
Singh had faced before Adam Scott had what he believed could be the
putt to win The Masters on the final hole from the right side of the
green. He drained the putt into the centre of the hole and the
reaction was euphoric, the mild-mannered Aussie roared “C'mon
Aussie” and punched the air twice before a massive high-five with
caddie Steve Williams. It was a magical Masters Moment.
But
what followed was every bit as good, maybe better. On a day, a week,
of storylines Angel Cabrera, the world 269 and 2009 Champion with son
Angel caddying for him played what I have to argue is one of the
greatest shots of all time. It reminded me of Shaun Micheel's winning
approach to the final hole at Oak Hill 10 years ago in the PGA
Championship, and it set up a stunning birdie to take the tournament
to a playoff for the fourth time in a decade. Scott now had to
compose himself for what could be a life-changing and career-defining
hole or two.
The
rain got steadily harder on a day which was overcast from the start
and in a week where the course conditions changed on a daily basis.
With the rain heavier than at any point and the light fading the two
headed back to the 18th tee to begin the playoff. You
could excuse both if their play in the playoff didn't live up to the
finish in regulation, but these two are genuinely great golfers and
they both found the centre of the fairway with superb drives up the
hill again. Playing into the green first Scott's approach came up
marginally short of pin-high and rolled back off the front edge of
the green, Cabrera incredibly followed suit and both faced chips from
the front edge to save par and remain in the tournament. Cabrera's
chip burned the edge of the hole and set up a certain par. Scott came
up slightly short but rolled in a three-foot putt to take the playoff
to the tenth hole, the same hole on which Cabrera was victorious in
2009 and on which Bubba Watson played his miraculous shot from the
trees.
Scott
elected to use his driver off the tenth tee and found the down-slope
of the fairway to gain extra yardage and leave himself a shorter
approach, it was a perfect pressure drive on one of golf's great
holes in golf's greatest arena. Cabrera incredibly followed with a
nailed, low drawing iron to match the drive of the Australian.
Playing first the Argentine's approach found the heart of the green,
leaving himself an uphill putt for birdie, Scott responded. His
approach was perfect for length and he would have a putt at birdie.
Cabrera
borrowed ever so slightly too much and the ball agonizingly missed on
the high side, leaving Scott a putt for history and the whole of a
nation held its breath. The atmosphere was electric and for those who
were in the gallery on Masters Sunday it was a moment never to be
forgotten. Scott admitted in his post round news conference that the
fading light was making it very difficult for him to see the line and
trusting the judgement of caddie Steve Williams he rolled the putt
into the hole and this time the euphoric reaction was because he had
made history. The cheers rang up along the tenth hole back to the top
of the hill for Australia's first Masters champion Adam Scott.
And
so ends one of the most remarkable, dramatic, historic and
controversial major championships of all-time. This Masters
Tournament had it all and it had a champion of genuinely great
character, personality and ability. A genuinely global golfer who has
won on every continent, won his national Open, The Tour Championship,
The Players Championship, a World Golf Championship and now a Major
Championship. Social media was abuzz with congratulatory
messages for Adam Scott but a tweet by Jay Coffin, who is the
Editorial Director of GolfChannel.com, really really got me annoyed.
“He
globe-trotted for the first decade of his career, chased the money.
Now, it's about majors and he's limited his schedule to focus.”
Adam Scott did not chase the money, Adam Scott took exactly the same
route to the top as his idol and hero Greg Norman. He played on the
European Tour and played in Asia, he won his first tournament in 2001
at the Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa and duelled Justin
Rose on Sunday for the title and he won tournaments in every year
apart from 2009 somewhere around the world coming into the 2013
season.
His
most recent win was the 2012 Australian Masters, for which he got the
gold jacket. His win at Augusta gets him a green one. Maybe this
November we will get the photo opportunity of a lifetime for an
Australian golfer, with him wearing both at the same time.
Pictures courtesy of @SkySportsGolf and Getty Images
I
would like to bring The Masters on HooperstarGolfer.blogspot.co.uk to
a close for 2013 by thanking the following people and organizations
for sharing, re-tweeting and commenting on my blogs in the last two
weeks, it has helped to generate a fantastic response and a great
number of views for the blog. I hope you all enjoyed the tournament
and my blog.
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