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A Legend is born as Spieth wins the Masters

By: Golf Shake | Mon 13 Apr 2015


Post by Sports Writer Derek Clements


PRESSURE? What pressure? Jordan Spieth produced a performance at Augusta National that was reminiscent of the legendary Ben Hogan to win the first of what will surely be many, many majors at the age of 21.

The second-youngest champion after Tiger Woods, he won by four and led after every round. He left the best players in the world shaking their heads in disbelief. The same thing happened back in 1997 when Woods won The Masters with a 270 total, 18 under par. Most sane people thought we would never see the like again. Spieth equalled it with a 70. A legend has been born.

Jordan Spieth

Four years ago another 21-year-old, apparently with the golfing world at his fingertips, went into the final round of The Masters with a four-shot lead. He was supposed to fulfil his destiny by stretching that lead and going on to win his first major.

He struggled for nine holes, but just about held on. Then came the 10th hole, where he carved his drive left into uncharted territory. He failed to get out of the woods, left his third short and eventually walked off the green with a triple-bogey. Another shot went at the 11th. He hit the par-three 121th green but, with his brain frazzled, he four-putted. And when his drive at the 13th failed to find the fairway, his head slumped onto his hands. The image of him, with his forehead resting on the end of the shaft of a driver that had been 100% reliable for 54 holes defined his challenge.

He looked like a little boy lost. He looked like a favourite son who needed somebody, anybody, to put a comforting arm around his shoulder and tell him everything would be all right. Barely two months later, it was. He won his first major, the US Open, by a mile. His name was Rory McIlroy and he has since gone on to add a further three majors to his collection.

He was supposed to complete his career Grand Slam at Augusta National this year, but never really looked like doing so. And guess what? Another 21-year-old, looking for his first major, began the final round of the 2015 Masters Tournament with a four-shot lead. There was never any chance that he would let it slip.

Not as naturally gifted as McIlroy, for sure, the American is blessed with a calm mind and an approach to the game that doesn't involve his thought processes whizzing around at 500mph. And a touch on the greens that is the best this correspondent has ever seen.

The first thing that had to happen was that somebody in the chasing packing had to start rolling in birdie putts, even an odd eagle,

Justin Rose, his playing partner, birdied the first two, but Spieth birdied the first and third so the gap remained four. It seemed that every time Rose pulled one back, Spieth would regain it at the next. At the eighth hole Spieth recorded his 25th birdie of the week to equal Phil Mickelson's record. And when Rose dropped a shot at the ninth, the lead had increased to five.

On that same hole, Tiger Woods screamed in pain as he struck a tree root while playing from the pine straw. He hadn't hit a fairway and his challenge, such as it was, had ended. But he did enough at this Masters to show that there might, just might, be another major or two in the locker. I take my hat off to him.

The other most likely contenders were Mickelson and Dustin Johnson. The Dustinator started poorly, which was exactly what he didn't want, but he began to roll in the birdie putts. Mickelson was, well Mickelson, thrilling the crowds one minute with brilliant shots, leaving them despairing the next as he struck a wayward drive or missed a putt for par.

As we got into the business end of the event, Spieth was 17 under, his nearest challengers Rose and Mickelson on 12 under, Dustin Johnson and Hideki Matsuyama 10 under.

And then the young maestro birdied the 10th for birdie number 26 and another Masters record tucked under his belt. He was 18 under and six ahead. In the midst of all this brilliance, Spieth also proved what a class act he is - at the seventh, Rose produced a fantastic par-saving pitch. And the first person to acknowledge it?  Spieth, of course.

The leader did the most difficult thing at the par-three 12th by hitting the green, but he then three-putted and when Mickelson holed out for birdie at the 13th, the gap was down to four. If there was one single shot that sealed it for Spieth it was his approach to that same par-five 13th. With the ball above his feet, the logical thing was to lay up. Instead he rifled his second over Rae's Creek and sent the patrons into a frenzy when the ball struck the putting surface and finished 12 feet away.  He missed the putt but yet another birdie extended the lead to five again.

Quietly, and almost without anybody noticing, McIlroy had progressed to 10 under. It  should have been 12 under at the 15th but he left his eagle putt two inches short. Minutes later Mickelson produced a piece of magic that produced a huge roar, holing a bunker shot for an eagle at the 15th to join Rose on 14 under.

Yet another piece of history was recorded along with Spieth's birdie at the 15th - he became the only man ever to get to 19 under par at Augusta.

McIlroy holed a 20-foot putt on the final green to finish with a 66 that was error free. If he had been offered a 12-under total of 276 at the beginning of the week, he would have taken it.  Mickelson holed a terrific putt to save par on the 18th green and claim joint second place on 14 under par with Rose. Woods finished five under. In total, 32 of the field finished below par.

Spieth was uncatchable by this point despite Mickleson trying to conjuring up some magic.  With pars on 16 and 17 and despite a bogey on the 18th Spieth recorded a record equally 18 under par to write his name in the history books.

Records were broken, history was made, a legend was born.

Photo Credit: Twitter @JWhitakerGolf


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