Schwartzel claims title with a late birdie run
No course in the world, no tournament in golf, penalizes and rewards like Augusta National and the Masters.
In the thrilling final round of the 75th Masters on Sunday, eight players from six continents rode the roller coaster back nine of Augusta, either leading or tied for first place. In the end, it was the least-known but most-deserving player who emerged.
Making birdies on the last four holes, Charl Schwartzel of South Africa closed in spectacular fashion to win his first major title. The 26-year-old fired a final-round 66 to finish at 14-under par, two shots clear of Adam Scott and Jason Day, countrymen hoping to deliver Australia its first Masters title.
| LEADERBOARD |
| Final round |
| At Augusta (Ga.) National |
| 7,435 yards, par 72 |
| Charl Schwartzel 69-71-68-66 — -14 |
| Jason Day 72-64-72-68 — -12 |
| Adam Scott 72-70-67-67 — -12 |
| Tiger Woods 71-66-74-67 — -10 |
| Geoff Ogilvy 69-69-73-67 — -10 |
| Luke Donald 72-68-69-69 — -10 |
| Angel Cabrera 71-70-67-71 — -9 |
Instead, it is Schwartzel, the son of a chicken farmer, who will take the green jacket back to Johannesburg on a significant anniversary. When South African Gary Player won the Masters 50 years ago, he was the first non-American to capture the tournament.
“It’s a phenomenal feeling,” Schwartzel told reporters. “I never saw Gary Player play. He’s a wonderful ambassador for golf.”
Sunday was a wonderful day for the sport. Four-time Masters champion Tiger Woods electrified Augusta, playing the first eight holes in 5-under par. When Woods lined up a 5-foot putt for eagle on No. 15, he had a chance to take the lead. But his putt slid by and he had to settle for a birdie and a tie for the lead. Missed putts on the back nine, however, were the story for Woods, who shot a final-round 67, finishing four strokes back.
“I got a nice start,” Woods said. “Then on the back nine, could have capitalized some more.”
Woods’ start put heat on leader Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, who came undone on No. 10, where he hit trees on three shots on his way to a triple bogey. Two holes later, McIlroy four-putted for a double bogey. He finished with a final-round 80.
“I just unraveled,” said McIlroy, 21, who started the day with a four-stroke lead. “I hit a bad tee shot on 10, then never really recovered.”
Meanwhile another Australian, Geoff Ogilvy, tied for the lead as he made five straight birdies on the back nine. Also flirting with the lead were 2009 champion Angel Cabrera of Argentina, Luke Donald of England and K.J. Choi of South Korea. But no one could stand up to Schwartzel’s charge.
He opened with two miraculous shots. At No. 1 he chipped in with a 6-iron from well off the green, 90 feet from the pin, for a birdie. At the par-4 No. 3, he holed a shot from the fairway, using a sand wedge from 114 yards out for an eagle.
“I said in the back of my mind, ‘It’s gotta be your day,’?” said Schwartzel, a six-time winner on the European Tour who was playing the Masters for just the second time.
Then came his brilliant finish. Schwartzel tied for the lead with a 15-foot birdie putt on No. 16, took the lead with a 12-footer on No. 17 and clinched the title with a 15-footer on No. 18. It was the first time in tournament history that the winner closed with four birdies.
“There’s so many roars that go on around Augusta. It echoes through those trees,” Schwartzel said. “Sometimes I would look at [the leader board], and it would not register what I was looking at, and it sort of helped.”
