(Tiger Woods dominated the front nine at Augusta with a 31 so far. But, can he keep his impressive comeback going?)
The following is the second half of a live blog of the final round of the 75th Masters golf tournament held on Sunday, April 10th, 2011. It was written between 3:35 p.m. and 6:10 p.m. Central standard time.
Hello, again! In case you want to read part one, click here. Otherwise, let's keep this mofo' going!
3:36 p.m.- The leaderboard before we get any further:
1. Rory McIlory: -11 (8)
2. Charl Schwartzel: -10 (9)
2. K.J. Choi (who made the birdie attempt at the 9th): -10
3. Tiger Woods: -9 (12)
3. Adam Scott: -9 (9)
3. Angel Cabrera: -9 (8)
3. Luke Donald: -9 (10)
8. Jason Day: -8 (9)
3:40 p.m.- A very disappointing chip shot at the 13th hole for Tiger Woods. Now he has to hit a lengthy putt to get a birdie. Remember, the 13th hole has been the easiest hole all week. If Woods doesn't make this, it appears that the momentum which he gained in the front nine might be gone.
3:48 p.m.- After hitting one of his worst shots all week, Woods misses a lengthy birdie putt at the 13th hole. His score remains at 9 under par. Meanwhile, both McIlroy and Cabrera both pared the 9th. You know what that means? We are officially at the back nine at Augusta, my friends! Let's the fun begin!
3:51 p.m.- McIlroy hits a tee shot wide left at the tenth to start off his back nine. Could we now see a four way tie for first. Meanwhile, fellow U.K. native, Luke Donald (from England), who has quietly been in the pack this whole time, hits one into the water at the 12th. Not the type of shot you want to have when you're down by two strokes. Let's hope that isn't the shot that officially eliminates him from competition for the rest of the afternoon. To summarize, not a good previous five minutes for residents of the British Isles.
3:54 p.m.- My goodness! I knew that McIlroy's tee shot was bad. However, I never knew that it was this bad.
By the way, that is an original photo taken by me. See, I can post some of my own photos and videos, too!
3:58 p.m.- Ouch! A painful birdie miss by Woods at the 14th. Then again, that seems to be the story all week, hasn't it? Either his putts have gone the right trajectory, but have finished rolling a foot or two short, or he hit it with the right speed, but it always ended up a bit to the right or a bit to the left. Now, he HAS to do something at the 15th if he wants to get into double digits. If not, I'm afraid that the epic front nine was just a case of a golfer peaking too early at a tournament where the golfing gods despite it.
4:00 p.m.- It is now 5 p.m. in Augusta. What many people thought would be the afternoon where we crown golf's newest superstar with the sport's top prize has turned into anyone's ballgame. This is especially the case now with McIlroy making a complete mess at the 10th hole, even hitting a damn tree, and looking like he will drop at least two strokes when he gets finally finishes it! And that, my friends, is what makes Masters Sunday better than every reality TV competition combined and one of sport's best annual events, because you have drama that really can't be compared.
4:06 p.m.- Well, it's happened: a triple bogey from Rory McIlroy at the tenth. So in a span of four hours, McIlroy hsa gone from the 21 year old poised to win his 1st Major to the this tournament's version of Nick Watney. Watney led the 2010 PGA by three strokes, only to end up finishing out of the top five. And that, my friends, is why you should never leave any doubt of a young golfer winning golf's biggest prize.
4:09 p.m.- The roar were reverberating all around Augusta as Tiger Woods, struggling for most of the back nine, hit a wonderful second shot on the par-five 15th hole. He now has a really good chance at getting an eagle and solo possession for the lead. As this was happening, K.J. Choi makes a par putt at the 11th to remain tied for first while Adam Scott and Angel Cabrera join him and Schwartzel at the top. If you're not loving every minute of this, then you're not a golf fan. The current leaderboard in what has been a very thrilling afternoon in the golfing world:
1. K.J. Choi: -10 (11)
1. Adam Scott: -10 (12)
1. Charl Schwartzel: -10 (11)
1. Angel Cabrera: -10 (10)
5. Tiger Woods: -9 (14)
5. Jason Day: -9 (12)
7. Rory McIlroy: -8 (10)
7. Geoff Olgivy: -8 (14)
4:14 p.m.- No eagle for Tiger Woods at the 15th, but he still gets the follow-up birdie. Now, there are FIVE golfers at the top of the leaderboard. Can this afternoon possibly get any better?
4:20 p.m.- Bo Van Pelt, a man that I have yet to mention until just now, eagled the 15th to get into -8. Meanwhile, Scwartzel pars the 12th to remain at the top while Woods hits a decent first shot at the 16th. Last time he won The Masters, he made one of the most greatest shots in golf history at the 16th. Can he create some more magic in the coming moments?
4:24 p.m.- No birdie for Tiger at the 16th, but what a tense and suspenseful moment it was! Also, it seems that Tiger's tone seems to have changed from confident to desperate. He knows that -10 isn't going to cut it, so he's reacting to every missed eagle and birdie opportunity in the past few holes with his usual dramatics and, yes, slight immaturity. He does make the par putt, though, which keeps him in that five-way tie for first. Overall, you're looking at eight players within two shots of the lead; eight potential players sitting in Butler Cabin within the next two-three hours. I tell you, folks, this tournament is making the 2009 Masters look like the 2010 PGA Championship!
4:27 p.m.- Choi bogeys the 12th, while Day birdies the 13th. In other words, five players still remain on top of the leaderboard, it's just a different combination this time.
4:28 p.m.- CBS decides to take a break from the suspense going on in holes 12-16 to show Phil Mickelson tapping a par putt at the 18th to finish the tournament at -1. Boy, could you imagine how this tournament would've been like had Mickelson had a Tiger-esque round of his own? It would be like a cherry on top of a delicious chocolate sundae!
4:29 p.m.- Cabrera bogeys the 12th, meaning there are now four people at the top. Yes, I know that I'm blogging some new info every minute now. Why shouldn't I?
4:32 p.m.- The situation with Rory McIlroy has now gotten sad. He has double bogeyed the 12th hole, meaning that he is now +6 in the tournament, and +5 in the past thirty minutes. Now, he looks like he's rushing to finish the round. I feel for him, like one would have felt for Norman in '96. But, on the bright side...at least the crowd on top of the leaderboard has declined by one, so...
4:35 p.m.- The big winner of the day so far is the country of Australia, still looking for its first breakthrough victory at The Masters. Currently, with the help of Geoff Oglivy's birdie at the 16th his fourth straight), there are five people on top of the leaderboard at -10, three of which are Aussies. This country has had three second place finishers in Masters history. Could this finally be the day the "Aussie, aussie, aussie...oi,oi,oi" chant can be heard throughout the course's Georgia pines.
4:38 p.m.- And, finally, for the first time since McIlroy's triple bogey at the 10th, we have our solo leader: Adam Scott, who has far too long had a career that could best be described as underachieving, birdies the 14th to take the lead at -11. The question now remains...how long can he hold it?
4:40 p.m.- Here comes Bo! Bo Van Pelt, who only seems to show up on the TV screen whenever he putts an eagle, has himself another eagle at the 15th to get to -10. Meanwhile, Choi, who once was tied for the lead at -11 a few hours ago, now has himself another bogey to get back down to -9. The current, updated leaderboard, complete with the amount of holes completed:
1. Scott: -11 (14)
2. Schwartzel: -10 (13)
2. Day: -10 (13)
2. Woods: -10 (17)
2. Van Pelt: -10 (15)
2. Oglivy: -10 (16)
7. Cabrera: -9 (12)
7. Choi: -9 (12)
4:45 p.m.- Jim Nantz: "Boy, we're gonna need an emergency 18th! This is just too good." I completely agree, Jim. I completely agree.
4:48 p.m.- Adam Scott hits it into the 15th hole stands with his second shot. Not the kind of thing that you would want to do as the leader by one. Does anyone want -11 at this point? Meanwhile, Charl Schwartzel pars the 14th to remain at -10. Schwartzel is playing the round like his reputation: quietly. After coming out of the gate with a birdie and eagle in the first three holes, he goes +1 for the rest of the day and has remained at -10 for the longest time. You talk about seen but not heard...this is it!
4:51 p.m.- Remember the shot Luke Donald hit into the water at 12th, and how that was supposed to eliminate him from contention? Well, he's come back, and is now tied for the lead at -10 with a birdie at the 16th. Unbelievable. Another update the leaderboard, which I now apparently have to do every ten minutes:
1. Scott: -11, even though he's in trouble
2. Woods/Day/Donald/Schwartzel/Oglivy/Van Pelt: -10
3. Cabrera/Choi: -9
4:54 p.m.- After a round that has seen a 31 on the front nine, multiple fistpumps and cheers from the Augusta patrons, Tiger Woods has finally wrapped up his impressive Sunday with a par putt at the 18th hole at -10 (and a day-best 67). He's now the leader at the clubhouse, with eight players between -11 and -9 left to finish their day. Overall, it's one of the best performance that Tiger Woods has ever had trailing at a major. Geoff Oglivy, too, finishes with a 67 and a final score of -10. Now, they wait....as do we, to see what more drama unfolds next.
5:02 p.m.- 2004, 2005, and 2009. These are the years where my three favorite Masters tounrament have been held since I started following this sport. If the drama continues the way it is, the 2011 Masters should surpass all three of them as my favorite. Here is the leaderboard as CBS enters hour five of their Masters coverage (note: finished round are now highlighted in italics for now on):
1. Scott: -11 (15)
2. Woods: -10 (F)
2. Schwartzel: -10 (14)
2. Oglivy -10 (F)
2. Van Pelt: -10 (16)
2. Donald: -10 (16)
6. Van Pelt: -9 (16)
6. Cabrera: -9 (14)
6. Choi: -9 (14)
5:04 p.m.- Your leader, Adam Scott, after overcoming a bad second shot at the 15th with a par, hits a masterful shot at the 16th to get himself within three feet of the whole and a chance to get to -12. I think this drama might be coming to an end with a decisive birdie at that hole very soon.
(By the way, what was up with the poor crowd reaction at the 16th hole? Come on, you guys, you're watching one of the most exciting Masters tournaments in recent memory! You should be into EVERY shot at this point, good or bad.)
5:07 p.m.- It's moments like these where I'm actually glad that CBS decided to air the IBM/AT&T/Exxon-Mobil ads.
5:08 p.m.- A bogey for Bo Van Pelt, his second in two straight holes (16 and 17). He is now at -8. Thanks for playing, Bo. Now the field of players with a chance is down to eight.
5:11 p.m.- Ten seconds after Charl Schwartzel birdies the 15th to get to a tie at -11, Scott counters with a birdie of his own at the 16th to get to -12. At this point, the tournament has gone from a five-way tie at -10 to a two horse race for the lead, with the others catching up. Still, there's still plenty of things that could happen within the next half hour, so I'm not officially considering it a Schwartzel vs. Scott battle for the rest of the tournament. After all, the 17th hole has been known to give a few golfers some trouble over the years (ask Kenny Perry).
5:16 p.m.- Wow, what a tough break for the Englishman, Luke Donald! After bogeying the 17th, he hits a beautiful second shot at the 18th, actually hitting the flagstick, only to see the ball roll down dozen of yards.The birdie attempt to get to -10 is ruined. One down, seven left with a chance.
5:19 p.m.- That roar that you heard while watching Rory McIlroy make his par putt at the 15th to get to -5? It was at the 16th, where Charl Schwartzel made a birdie putt to tie Scott at -12. Alright, so NOW it's a battle of Schwartzel vs. Scott, with the others just hoping that both of them screw up somehow.
5:21 p.m.- You know what's the most beautiful thing about a live blog? Writing someone off during a sporting event, only to see them come back not once, but multiple times. That has been the case with me and Luke Donald. I call him done after his shot into the water at 12th? He comes back to get to -10. I call him done after the unlucky second shot at the 18th? He counters with a magnificent birdie putt to end his day tied for the clubhouse lead at -10. Mr. Donald, I would like to be the first to officially apologize to you for my rapid reactions, and may I just say: LUUUUUUUKE!
5:25 p.m.- All of the day's happenings are at seventeen, which is where both Scott and Schwartzel are. Before I update you on the happenings over there, one more update on the leaderboard:
1. Scott/Schwartzel: -12
3. Day/Woods/Oglivy/Choi/Donald/(and now) Cabrera: -10
5:27 p.m.- Scott remains tied for the lead at -12 after a great par putt at the 17th hole. Jason Day, his playing partner, get a birdie of his own to get a solo possession of 3rd place. I'm afraid to say it, since I have seemingly been hoping for the first ever nine-man playoff in golf history to make the day even better, but it appears that it has now become a five man race, with Scott and Schwartzel tied at -12, Day one back at -11, and both Cabrera and Choi still playing with a -10 score. The players that ended their day at 10 under par (Woods, Oglivy, Donald)? I'm afraid that they're out of contention.
5:30 p.m.- Schwartzel goes from hitting his tee shot into the second cut to being ten feet away from a birdie and the outright lead.. Fantastic. Angel Cabrera, who has been within two shots of the lead seemingly all afternoon, bogeys the 16th, which puts him at -10 and (barring two miraculous birdies at 17th and 18th) out of contention. The remaining golfers with a shot at winning it are Charl Schwartzel, Adam Scott, Jason Day, and K.J. Choi. The horse race for the 2011 Masters final crown is heading towards the final 100 meters, my friends! As always, should be exciting to see how it unravels.
5:31 p.m.- Tough break for Choi, bogeying the 17th hole. His score now drops to -9. It's now officially a three man race for the finish.
5:35 p.m.- And now, for the first time in the tournament, we have a golfer at -13: Charl Scwartzel, who makes a brilliant twelve footer to take the solo lead. Could it be that this unknown South African, whose biggest accomplishment before hand was winning the 2008 Madrid Masters and being Louis Oosthuizen's best friend, will actually come out of this dogfight as the victor? We shall find out in less than fifteen minutes.
5:38 p.m.- All eyes now on the 18th hole, where both Schwartzel, Scott and Day are playing. Schwartzel starts the hole off right with a tee shot down the middle. Meanwhile, at the 18th green, Scott and Day both have some difficulty birdie putts.
5:40 p.m.- Scott misses his birdie opportunity, setting up a must-make par putt for him. Meanwhile, Day birdies the hole to finish the tournament at -12. Now, it's Scott's turn for a par. Will we see Day go back to the scoring table with the clubhouse lead by himself, or will Scott join him?
5:41 p.m.- Scott drills his par putt right down the middle, tying him with his playing partner, Jason Day, for the clubhouse lead at -12. The current scoreboard, with the remaining three players that have a shot at winning this :
1. Schwartzel: -13 (17)
2. Scott: -12 (F)
2. Day: -12 (F)
The question of whether this tournament will end in regulation, or in a playoff, lies solely in the hands of Mr. Schwartzel.
5:43 p.m.- A good second shot for Schwartzel, whose shots for the fairway have been fantastic all week. He now has 15 feet to go for a birdie, and two putts away from a victory in regulation. Here it we go, folks. This is the decisive moment that we have been waiting for the past three hours of this grueling fight to the finish.
5:46 p.m.- This is Jim Nantz's worst nightmare. Usually, he has about 15-20 minutes to think of a final quote to put this tournament to a close. This year, he doesn't even have five minutes!
5:48 p.m.- And there you have it. With the time at Augusta National around 6:50 p.m./ET, Charl Schwartzel, the 26 year old South African, winner of just 7 tounraments total before this week, hits that 15 feet birdie putt that he needed to finish the tournament at -14, and become the winner of the 2011 Masters. It took a three hour long drama that golf fans have never seen before in this tournament, and birdies at 15,16, 17, and 18 from Mr. Schwartzel, but by God, he did it. Not, the only thing left to do is for the man to hand in his scorecard, and pray that he didn't have a De Vicenzo moment during the afternoon.
5:49 p.m.- Jim Nantz's call of the victory? Just a simple: "He needs to get it in two to win...and he gets it in one!" Come on, Jim! Not even a "And Charl finishes Augusta...in Charge!" That was practically set up for the taking!
5:50 p.m.- Is that Schwartzel's wife that he's hugging? If so, looks like he has gotten himself another victory that Tiger Woods couldn't get this afternoon.
5:51 p.m.- Looking back at what has transpired in the past hour and a half, I can't think of a player ending a major championship more perfectly and how Schwartzel ended this tournament. Not only did he birdie the eighteenth, becoming only the sixth player to ever win The Masters in that fashion, but he also birdied the previous three as well. If my knowledge of the sport is accurate, then that's something that no one has done since Jack Nicklaus' unforgettable victory in 1986! Just makes what has happened in this riveting Sunday afternoon look better and better in retrospect.
5:56 p.m.- And now, we officially end play with Rory McIlroy bogeying the 18th, the stamp on what has been a day that he will think back in horror for the rest of his life. Final score: -4, with a final round score of 80. Cringe worthy, to say the least. Let's hope that this young and talented player gets back on his feet and redeems himself as soon as possible. Instead of repeating Tiger's victory in '97, he ends up repeating Greg Norman's choke in '96. Good thing that the boy's of proper drinking age. I'm sure that he's going to want a drink...or eight, to get over it.
5:58 p.m.- Thank goodness that McIlroy still has his humility in tact. That's a good thing to see from a young player.
6:01 p.m.- CBS airs their final commercial break of the event as we are now moments away from the annual presentation of the Green Jacket at Butler Cabin, or as I like to call it the most cheesiest five minutes in all of sports. And now, one final update of today's leaderboard, specifically the top sixteen players who will be getting automatic invite into next year's event:
1. Charl Schwartzel: -14
2. Adam Scott: -12
2. Jason Day: -12
4. Tiger Woods: -10
4. Luke Donald: -10
4. Geoff Oglivy: -10
7. Angel Cabrera: -9
8. K.J. Choi: -8
8. Bo Van Pelt: -8
10. Ryan Palmer: -6
11. Lee Westwood: -5
11. Steve Stricker:: -5
11. Eduardo Molinari: -5
11. Justin Rose: -5
15. Brant Snedecker: -4
15. Trevor Immelman: -4
15. Ross Fisher: -4
15. Rory McIlroy: -4
15. Fred Couples: -4
6:06 p.m.- The best score by a young amateur this week was Hideki Matsuyama from Japan, who finished at -1. When asked what he's going to do when he comes back home, Matsuyama said that he will be helping out in the relief effort for his country following the devastating earthquake that they suffered. Another feel good moment at a Masters Instant Classic.
6:10 p.m.- 2010 champion Phil Mickelson helps Schwartzel put on the Green Jacket, Jim Nantz signs off, and with that CBS's telecast of the dogfight that was the 2011 Masters officially comes to a close. As recent as an hour and a half ago, we had ten players within contention, with no one having a clue as to how this thing is ultimately going to end. We've seen multiple lead changes, the charges of men like Tiger Woods and Geoff Oglivy, the sad, Norman-esque fall of Rory McIlroy from leading by four to finishing in a tie for fifteenth, and numerous, numerous moments lead changes, ties on top of the leaderboard, and thrilling moments to add to the higlights special that will be airing on ESPN Classic next year at this time. And then, with less than ten minutes to go before the clock at Augusta struck 7 p.m., we finally had our answer as to who was going to win. Charl Schwartzel, continuing the international domination in major championships over the past two years (five of the last six majors have been one by a native of a country outside of the U.S.) with one of the most fantastic closing finishes in major championship history (birdieing 15, 16, 17, & 18), by winning the 2011 Masters Tournament 50 years after Gary Player became the first player from his native South Africa to win it. Oh, and that Schwartzel-Mize similarity that I talked about earlier? Now we can add the fact that both are forever Masters champions into it.
It has been quite the afternoon, my friends. Thanks for joining me in my almost six-hour quest to detail every single important moment of what has been arguably the most thrilling Masters final round in recent memory. I will be back tomorrow night, as usual, tomorrow night with a new installment of random thoughts. Until then, let me be the 10,512tth person in the past twenty minutes to congratulate Charl on one hell of a victory! The most consistent, mentally focused players usually end up winning major championships, and that's just what happened this afternoon. Now, if you will excuse me, I'm going to be intently watching tonight's Dallas Stars/Minnesota Wild game in hopes of seeing a Stars loss, giving my beloved Blackhawks a third straight playoff berth and a chance to repeat as Stanley Cup champs. Oh, and make sure to watch "The Killing" if you haven't. That show has the potential to become TV's next amazing drama.
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
UPDATE (04/11): Here are the highlights of yesterday's epic final round, courtesy of ESPN. Now, you can finally see why yesterday was one of the most riveting, thrilling, dramatic, and heartbreaking final rounds of a major championship in recent memory through moving pictures!
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you just have any suggestions or
tips for my next blog entry, e-mail me at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mails are greatly appreciated.
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