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Watson Wins Playoff to Claim Masters Title
Triple-Bogey Nightmare Dooms Mickelson's Masters bid
Wonder Shot Stunned me, Says Oosthuizen
Masters 2012 Final Round Scores
Factfile on Masters Winner Bubba Watson
Masters Flop for Woods, McIlroy
Westwood Still Hopes for Elusive Major win
Watson Wins Playoff to Claim Masters Title
AUGUSTA, Georgia, April 8, 2012 (AFP) - American Bubba Watson parred the second sudden-death playoff hole to defeat South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen and capture the 76th Masters on Sunday for his first major golf championship.
The 33-year-old US left-hander became the eighth first-time major winner in a row and only the third southpaw to claim the green jacket symbolic of Masters supremacy after three-time winner Phil Mickelson and Canada's Mike Weir.
"I never got this far in my dreams, to talk," Watson said when asked to put his emotions into words. "It's a blessing for sure."
After donning the green jacket, Watson was more composed.
"It's a dream come true," Watson said. "It's amazing. It's a blur. The last nine holes I don't remember anything. But I guess I cried all my tears out."
Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open champion, and big-hitting playing partner Watson battled down the final holes of the back nine at Augusta National, each finishing with a four-round total of 10-under par 278.
After both parred the first playoff hole, the par-4 18th, the tension-filled scene moved to the par-4 10th.
Watson hit his tee shot way right into trees and Oosthuizen hooked his right into short rough. Oosthuizen hit his approach to an upslope just short of the green.
Watson followed off pine straw through a gap in the pines with an astounding lob shot onto the green that rolled to a stop 10 feet from the hole.
"I was down there before. Had a good lie," Watson said. "Had a gap where I had to hook it. I'm pretty good at hooking it and I put it up there 40 yards and it rolled up their close."
Oosthuizen rolled his third shot to the back edge of the green and missed a curling 20-foot par putt, then tapped in for bogey to leave Watson two putts to win the title.
"I had an opportunity at 10. I should have put one down the middle," said Oosthuizen. "Great stuff to him. He deserves it. It was a great day. We had a lot of fun."
Watson rolled the first inches past the hole then tapped in to win the title, sharing a tearful hug on the 10th green with mother Molly moments later.
Oosthuizen lost despite making an amazing albatross from the second fairway, only the fourth "double eagle" in Masters history and the first ever fired at the par-5 second hole, with a 4-iron from 253 yards.
The ball bounced onto the green, then rolled down a slope to the left and into the cup as the crowd roared in delight as "Oosty" leaped into the lead and Watson, having watched history, began working to make up a four-shot gap.
"I just kept my head down, knowing there were birdies to be had down the back nine," Watson said. "I just kept grinding it out."
After the albatross, Oosthuizen stumbled with bogeys at the par-3 fourth and par-4 10th but bounced back with birdies at the par-5 13th and 15th holes to reach 10-under.
Oosthuizen lipped out on a long eagle putt at the par-5 13th but birdied to reach nine under, then hit a testy eight-foot par putt at 14 and a 10-footer for birdie at the 15th.
But Watson answered a bogey at the par-3 12th with four birdies in a row, the last of them a six footer at the par-3 16th, to grab a share of the lead.
Watson also had birdies from four feet at 13, six feet at 14 and two feet at 15 after an eagle putt miss-hit.
Both parred 17, Watson lipping out on a long birdie putt while Oosthuizen got up and down from a bunker, and 18, Watson tapping in and Oosthuizen sinking a tense four-footer to force the playoff.
On the 18th, each had a birdie putt, Oosthuizen's 15-footer missing just right and Watson's 10-footer missing just left, setting up the deciding drama.
Three-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson, fellow American Matt Kuchar, World No. 3 Lee Westwood of England and 54-hole leader Peter Hanson of Sweden shared third on 280.
England's Ian Poulter finished seventh on 283, one shot ahead of Australian Adam Scott, England's Justin Rose and Irishman Padraig Harrington.
Scott and American Bo Van Pelt scored holes-in-one at the 170-yard par-3 16th.
Mickelson damaged his hopes at the par-3 fourth when he hooked his tee shot left into trees, hacked out in two shots, found a bunker and took a triple bogey.
"It was tough," Mickelson said. "It was just a bad break."
Pre-tournament favorites Tiger Woods, World No. 2 Rory McIlroy and World No. 1 Luke Donald struggled to disappointing ends.
Woods fired a 74 to share 40th, his worst Masters finish as a professional, on five-over 293 to match his worst-ever 72-hole Masters score, the other coming in his 1995 debut as an amateur.
He was only one-under par on the par-5 holes he toured in 15-under in 2010.
"I didn't play the par-5s at all this week," Woods said. "It was an off week at the wrong time."
McIlroy, a 22-year-old Northern Irish prodigy who won last year's US Open after squandering a last-day Masters lead, fired a 76 to join Woods on 293.
"I was hoping to do a lot better," McIlroy said. "I felt like I had a good chance going into the weekend and it just didn't happen."
England's Donald fired a 68 and finished on 291.
Triple-Bogey Nightmare Dooms Mickelson's Masters bid
AUGUSTA, Georgia, April 8, 2012 (AFP) - A triple-bogey nightmare for Phil Mickelson at the par-3 fourth hole in Sunday's final round of the 76th Masters doomed the 41-year-old American left-hander's bid for a fourth green jacket.
Mickelson fired a par-72 to finish in a share of third on eight-under par 280 at Augusta National, two strokes behind another US southpaw, champion Bubba Watson, and playoff loser Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa.
"It's disappointing that I didn't grab that fourth green jacket," Mickelson said.
Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open champion, hit an albatross from the second fairway to seize the lead at 10-under and Mickelson was two strokes back when he hooked his No. 4 tee shot off a grandstand railing and left into the trees.
Disdaining the notion of taking a penalty stroke and going back to the tee, Mickelson turned his club upside down to blast out of the tangle in two shots, then plopped a lob into a greenside bunker before getting up and down for six.
"The pin was the hardest par on the golf course," Mickelson said. "You can't be in that bunker. And you can't be too far to the right and make par. I took the risk of trying to hit it a few times."
Mickelson rejected returning to the tee for the problems the pin offered.
"Then I've got the hardest shot again and again the hardest par, so I'm looking at 5 at best, probably 6. I felt like it was worth the risk and it may have cost me, what, half a shot at most."
Mickelson battled back with birdies at the par-5 eighth, 13th and 15th but it was too little and too late, only getting him back where he was before disaster struck.
"It's disappointing I didn't make it happen on the back nine and get the putts to fall, even though I felt like I was hitting them pretty good," said Mickelson.
"They were just coming right to the edge and not peaking in. I gave them all good chances. I just couldn't quite get them to go."
Mickelson birdied 15 for the fourth day in a row and took his third birdie, against one eagle, at 13, but failed to become the first player in Masters history to birdie the 18th hole in all four rounds with a near miss at the end.
"Hit a lot of good shots, just couldn't quite capitalize on the green," Mickelson said.
Asked what he would take away from his near-miss major week, Mickelson was philosophical.
"What will I take from this day? Third place," Mickelson said. "It's not what I was hoping for."
Wonder Shot Stunned me, Says Oosthuizen
AUGUSTA, Georgia, April 8, 2012 (AFP) - The wonder shot played by Louis Oosthuizen for a rare albatross on the second hole of Sunday's final round in the Masters ironically may have held him back, the South African said.
It was only the fourth double eagle -- a two on a par-five -- in Masters history and at that stage propelled the stocky South African into a two-shot lead, having started the day three shots behind leader Peter Hanson of Sweden.
But he promptly dropped a shot on the next hole and did not make another birdie until the 13th before going on to lose a heartbreaker to Bubba Watson on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff.
"You know, it was tough after that double eagle," he said, referring to his tremendous four-iron from 253 yards effort at the 575-yard hole.
"I mean, you know, when something like that happens early in your round, you think that this is it. That was my first double eagle ever.
"So it was tough. It was tough the next five holes to just get my head around it and just play the course.
"But I felt like I found my rhythm going down 11, and you know, played well in from there."
The 29-year-old from Mossel Bay on the southern coast of South Africa was a runaway winner of the British Open at St Andrews in 2010 and great things were predicted for a player who has one of the purest swings in golf.
But injuries held him back after that and it was only in the last few weeks that he has been back to playing at his best.
A third-place finish at last week's Houston Open signalled his threat and an opening 68 at Augusta National on Thursday was impressive.
A big incentive here was the fact that close friend and fellow South African Charl Schwartzel won here last year to follow in the footsteps of Trevor Immelman and Gary Player who became the first international winner of the tournament in 1961.
And when Watson clattered his drive deep into trees down the right-hand side of the 10th fairway on the second hole of the playoff, it looked like he was about to join that select group.
But, on a hole he likes the shape of, Oosthuizen did much the same, although his ball rebounded back out into light rough.
The South African was short with his approach and then watched as the inventive Watson hit an amazing pitch shot from out of the trees to about 10 feet from where he eventually two-putted to win his first major.
"I have no idea where he was," said Oosthuizen.
"From where I stood when the ball came out, it looked like a curveball going to the right. So I knew he had to hit a big hook. But an unbelievable shot.
"I left myself in a really awkward spot with that chip and just didn't get the check on it that I thought it would.
"But that shot he hit definitely won him the tournament."
Still, second place represented a massive improvement for Oosthuizen at Augusta National. He missed the cut in his three previous Masters campaigns.
Masters 2012 Final Round Scores
AUGUSTA, Georgia, April 8, 2012 (AFP) - Collated scores on Sunday during the final round of the 76th Masters golf tournament at par-72 Augusta National Golf Club:
278 - Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) 68-72-69-69, Bubba Watson (USA) 69-71-70-68
*Watson wins on second hole of sudden-death playoff
280 - Lee Westwood (ENG) 67-73-72-68, Matt Kuchar (USA) 71-70-70-69, Phil Mickelson (USA) 74-68-66-72, Peter Hanson (SWE) 68-74-65-73
283 - Ian Poulter (ENG) 72-72-70-69
284 - Adam Scott (AUS) 75-70-73-66, Justin Rose (ENG) 72-72-72-68, Padraig Harrington (IRL) 71-73-68-72
285 - Jim Furyk (USA) 70-73-72-70
286 - Kevin Na (USA) 71-75-72-68, Graeme McDowell (NIR) 75-72-71-68, Sergio Garcia (ESP) 72-68-75-71, Fred Couples (USA) 72-67-75-72, Hunter Mahan (USA) 72-72-68-74
287 - Bo Van Pelt (USA) 73-75-75-64, Ben Crane (USA) 69-73-72-73
288 - Geoff Ogilvy (AUS) 74-72-71-71, Charles Howell (USA) 72-70-74-72, Brandt Snedeker (USA) 72-75-68-73, Fredrik Jacobson (SWE) 76-68-70-74, Francesco Molinari (ITA) 69-75-70-74
289 - Anders Hansen (DEN) 76-72-73-68, Jason Dufner (USA) 69-70-75-75, Paul Lawrie (SCO) 69-72-72-76
290 - Rickie Fowler (USA) 74-74-72-70, Keegan Bradley (USA) 71-77-73-69, Vijay Singh (FIJ) 70-72-76-72, Scott Stallings (USA) 70-77-70-73, Jonathan Byrd (USA) 72-71-72-75
291 - Luke Donald (ENG) 75-73-75-68, Angel Cabrera (ARG) 71-78-71-71, Zach Johnson (USA) 70-74-75-72, Nick Watney (USA) 71-71-72-77, Sean O'Hair (USA) 73-70-71-77
292 - Thomas Bjorn (DEN) 73-76-74-69, Bill Haas (USA) 72-74-76-70, Bae Sang-Moon (KOR) 75-71-69-77
293 - Aaron Baddeley (AUS) 71-71-77-74, Tiger Woods (USA) 72-75-72-74, Rory McIlroy (NIR) 71-69-77-76, Henrik Stenson (SWE) 71-71-70-81
294 - Martin Kaymer (GER) 72-75-75-72, Kevin Chappell (USA) 71-76-71-76, Webb Simpson (USA) 72-74-70-78
295 - Patrick Cantlay (USA) 71-78-74-72, Ross Fisher (ENG) 71-77-73-74, Steve Stricker (USA) 71-77-72-75
296 - Stewart Cink (USA) 71-75-81-69, Robert Karlsson (SWE) 74-74-77-71, Charl Schwartzel (RSA) 72-75-75-74, David Toms (USA) 73-73-75-75
297 - Scott Verplank (USA) 73-75-75-74, Hideki Matsuyama (JPN) 71-74-72-80
298 - Miguel Angel Jimenez (ESP) 69-72-76-81
299 - Edoardo Molinari (ITA) 75-74-76-74, Martin Laird (SCO) 76-72-74-77, Yang Yong-Eun (KOR) 73-70-75-81
301 - Trevor Immelman (RSA) 78-71-76-76
302 - Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (ESP) 74-75-76-77
306 - Kelly Kraft (USA) 74-75-77-80\
Factfile on Masters Winner Bubba Watson
AUGUSTA, Georgia, April 8, 2012 (AFP) - Factfile on 2012 Masters winner Bubba Watson:-
BUBBA WATSON (USA)
Born - November 5, 1978
Age - 33
Birthplace - Baghdad, Florida
Home - Scottsdale, Arizona
College - University of Georgia
Height - 6'3"
Weight - 180 lbs
Turned pro - 2000
Joined PGA Tour - 2006
PGA Tour Victories - 4
Major wins - 1 (2012 Masters)
Past Masters Champions List
AUGUSTA, Georgia, April 8, 2012 (AFP) - List of winners of the Masters golf tournament:
(USA) unless otherwise stated
2012- Bubba Watson (USA)
2011- Charl Schwartzel (RSA)
2010- Phil Mickelson
2009- Angel Cabrera (ARG)
2008- Trevor Immelman (RSA)
2007- Zach Johnson
2006- Phil Mickelson
2005- Tiger Woods
2004- Phil Mickelson
2003- Mike Weir (CAN)
2002- Tiger Woods
2001- Tiger Woods
2000- Vijay Singh (FIJ)
1999- Jose Maria Olazabal (ESP)
1998- Mark O'Meara
1997- Tiger Woods
1996- Nick Faldo (ENG)
1995- Ben Crenshaw
1994- Jose Maria Olazabal (ESP)
1993- Bernhard Langer (GER)
1992- Fred Couples
1991- Ian Woosnam (WAL)
1990- Nick Faldo (ENG)
1989- Nick Faldo (ENG)
1988- Sandy Lyle (SCO)
1987- Larry Mize
1986- Jack Nicklaus
1985- Bernhard Langer (GER)
1984- Ben Crenshaw
1983- Seve Ballesteros (ESP)
1982- Craig Stadler
1981- Tom Watson
1980- Seve Ballesteros (ESP)
1979- Fuzzy Zoeller
1978- Gary Player (RSA)
1977- Tom Watson
1976- Raymond Floyd
1975- Jack Nicklaus
1974- Gary Player (RSA)
1973- Tommy Aaron
1972- Jack Nicklaus
1971- Charles Coody
1970- Billy Casper
1969- George Archer
1968- Bob Goalby
1967- Gay Brewer, Jr.
1966- Jack Nicklaus
1965- Jack Nicklaus
1964- Arnold Palmer
1963- Jack Nicklaus
1962- Arnold Palmer
1961- Gary Player (RSA)
1960- Arnold Palmer
1959- Art Wall, Jr.
1958- Arnold Palmer
1957- Doug Ford
1956- Jack Burke, Jr.
1955- Cary Middlecoff
1954- Sam Snead
1953- Ben Hogan
1952- Sam Snead
1951- Ben Hogan
1950- Jimmy Demaret
1949- Sam Snead
1948- Claude Harmon
1947- Jimmy Demaret
1946- Herman Keiser
1945- No tournament - World War II
1944- No tournament - World War II
1943- No tournament - World War II
1942- Byron Nelson
1941- Craig Wood
1940- Jimmy Demaret
1939- Ralph Guldahl
1938- Henry Picard
1937- Byron Nelson
1936- Horton Smith
1935- Gene Sarazen
1934- Horton Smith
All tournaments at Augusta National Golf Course - Augusta, Georgia
Masters Flop for Woods, McIlroy
AUGUSTA, Georgia, April 8, 2012 (AFP) - For a pair billed to be the best double act at the Masters in years, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy were a box office flop this week.
The two players who were touted to dominate the 76th edition of the tournament both departed early on Sunday as the battle for the green jacket, which goes to the winner of the Masters, carried on without them.
Woods, a 14-time major champion chasing the all-time record of 18 majors won by Jack Nicklaus, came in with a two-over 74 that left him on five-over 293 for the tournament and set for the worst Masters finish of his professional career.
The 36-year-old American shared 22nd in 2004 for his worst Masters pro showing, his two-over 290 total that year and in 2003 level for his worst 72-hole Augusta pro total. As an amateur he was 41st on 293 in 1995 and missed the 1996 cut.
After snapping a 28-month win drought by capturing the US PGA Arnold Palmer Invitational two weeks ago, Woods has struggled in his quest to win his first major since the 2008 US Open.
McIlroy, a 22-year-old Northern Irish prodigy who won last year's US Open after squandering a last-day Masters lead, settled for a closing 76 that, by coincidence, brought him level with Woods well down the field on 293.
Woods agreed that his surprising struggles on the course's four par-5s, where he was only one under for the tournament compared to 15-under in 2010, had been crucial to his 18th Masters campaign.
"If I look back on the week, I played the par-5s atrociously," he said. "This is a golf course you just have to dominate the par-5s and I did not do that at all this week."
Woods has been working with coach Sean Foley on a drastic remodelling of his swing in order to accomodate the leg injuries that laid him low for much of last year.
But despite the triumph at Bay Hill, he feels that he has yet to fully assimilate what he is being asked to do.
"I get out there and I just don't trust it at all," he said. "I fall back into the same old patterns again, and I just need to do more reps (repititions). Thank God my short game was good this week and my putting was really good."
"You're not going to play well every week. Unfortunately it was this week for me.
"I had the wrong ball striking week at the wrong time. You know, just got to keep building, keep working and keep progressing."
McIlroy, who will now turn his attentions to successfully defending the US Open crown he won so convincingly at Congressional Country Club in Washington last year, said that it had been "a disappointing weekend, just one of those things."
"I played pretty well over the first couple days and then just came out on Saturday and really just didn't have it that front nine, and that sort of killed me for the rest of the tournament.
"But I'll come back next year and try my best again.
"Just got to go out to San Francisco and try to get another major."
Westwood Still Hopes for Elusive Major win
AUGUSTA, Georgia, April 8, 2012 (AFP) - Lee Westwood was down but not out after another attempt to win a major came up agonisingly short at the Masters on Sunday.
The 38-year-old Englishman covered the back nine at Augusta National in 32 for a four-under par total of 280, but that turned out to be two shots too many to get into the sudden-death playoff that saw Bubba Watson beat Louis Oosthuizen.
That now makes it six top-three finishes in his last 10 majors for Westwood, who has risen to the world No. 1 ranking, won tournaments around the world and starred in the Ryder Cup, but never, so far in his career, won one of the four major championships.
Once again, it was his putting that let him down.
"The story of the week is you have got to putt well to win the Masters and I haven't putted well," he said.
"Came out and missed a two-footer on the third inexplicably and that is not the kind of thing that will give you confidence for the rest of the round.
"So I didn't really make that many putts. The longest I made was 10 foot on 18. I made a good one at the right time, but that's not really good enough."
Westwood now has 10 top-five finishes in his career in major tournaments and with his 39th birthday falling later this month, he knows that time is not on his side.
But he insists he has not given up yet.
"Keep plugging away and working out. Don't give up. I don't feel like giving up just yet," he said.