2019 Masters final scoreboard https://www.masters.com/en_US/scores/index.html
The epic battle between Francesco Molinari and Tiger Woods went back and forth today for 11 holes. Frankie put on a "master class" in putting, time after time holing clutch par putts to save him on a day when his driver was a B- and his iron play was solid but not spectacular.
He stayed in front, fending off all the pressure until the par 3 12th where he was two shots ahead, until his tee shot like so many before him, came up short and got wet. Result? double bogey 5, Tiger made 3 and they were tied at -12 and as Tiger said later "everything flipped"
At one point in time they were joined on -12 by Xander Schauffele who was having his best major, and Patrick Cantley with another 4 players including Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Jason Day and Tony Finau all in and around -11.
He and Tiger both birdied the par 5 13th and made pars on the 14th.
Then at the par 5 15th, Frankie's drive let him down, sliced a little to the right into the pine straw. He then laid up poorly into the patrons on the left side of the fairway, his 90 yard pitch hit a tree branch and got wet. Another poor pitch from the drop and the result, another double, this time a seven and his challenge was over.
Tiger made birdie at that 15th, a three shot swing, then dramatically again at 16 and suddenly he was clear of the field.
He hadn't been spectacular, but he was very good as he said after " I just plodded my way around", and he outwaited and outlasted all the young guns playing ahead, with a final score of 70, -13 275 to win his 5th Masters, his 15 major and one of the greatest comebacks in golf.
He hugged his mother and daughter Sam and son Charlie, the enormous crowd cheering wildly, as Rory put it, "it was a good day for golf"
A word of praise to Francesco T5 at -11. The first mistake he made all week was a bad swing at the 12th which cost him his two shot lead, and the second was his poor layup at 15 which resulted in a tough pitch that hit the tree branch and the ensuing double, giving Tiger that 3 shot swing.
I can't help but think the way he was putting that Tiger likely would never have caught the brilliant little Italian without those two errors. As Tiger said later, "all I did today was plod around trying to stay out of trouble" As it turned out he did, and Frankie didn't.
In our lifetimes we get lucky to see some really great athletes. For example I missed Babe Ruth and Joe Louis etc, but have watched Wayne Gretzky, and Arnold and Jack and Gary when it comes to golf.
Considering the magnificent setting, the crowd totally spellbound, and the way this year's 2019 Masters unfolded with Tiger, the hero of the day having the last say, it was a privilege to be alive, to say I got to watch that drama, on Sunday at Augusta.
Bryan Angus
No comments:
Post a Comment