Bobby Jones may have discovered an old orchard and transformed it into a golfing paradise. And Jordan Spieth may have felt he'd made it his own. But that old cliché about the Masters only coming alive on the back nine of the final round proved unerringly accurate; and Danny Willett – the son of a preacher man – produced a master-class of his own to win this 80th edition of the tournament.
In savouring success on the hallowed turf, just a matter of weeks after becoming a father for the first time, Willett – just the second English man to win, joining Nick Faldo as the owner of a green jacket – stuck stubbornly and wonderfully to his task to close the deal, a back-nine collapse from defending champion Spieth adding a horror element to the drama. He eventually finished with a 73.
Willett provided his own, rich contribution as a final bogey-free round of 67–- including three birdies on the homeward run - saw him sign for a 72-holes total of 283, five-under par. “I had it in my head that six was the number. I got to five,” he said. It was enough. “It’s awesome, I played great golf.”
Amen Corner
The corner of Augusta National known as Amen Corner again proved critical, a cursed place as far as Spieth was concerned. For, on the Par 3 12th, Spieth’s quest for back-to-back titles fell apart as the American was twice in the pond, two dreadfully struck shots which were alien to much that had gone before, as he ran up a quadruple-bogey seven. It was a ruinous number, one that had come like a bolt out of the blue.
Who had seen it coming?
Spieth’s grip, which had slackened with a double-bogey finish to his round on Saturday, and gave a one-stroke lead over Smylie Kaufman after 54-holes, tightened as he turned the screw on those in pursuit with a magical run towards the end of his front nine. Birdie-birdie-birdie-birdie, his putter was waved like a magic wand
When Spieth rolled in that birdie putt on the ninth, a fourth successive birdie, it gave him a five-stoke lead. It had seemed a case of déjà vu, another straightforward coronation for the Texan. It wasn’t to work out like that, as he self-destructed on the 12th and, up ahead, Willett chased the crown with focus and determination.
Spieth’s walk around Amen Corner was a spoiled one. A bogey on the 11th followed by a quadruple bogey on the 12th as his bid for back-to-back Masters titles unravelled. On the 12th, his chunky tee shot was always destined for the water, hitting the bank and rolling back in; and, his third, from the drop zone, was, if anything, worse. A clunked shot that splashed into the pond. His next was overshot into a rear bunker, and the numbers added up to a seven.
Up ahead, Willett worked a different kind of magic. And if Lee Westwood’s chip-in for eagle on the 13th reminded the younger English man of his own intent, a two shot swing on the 16th – a Westwood bogey to a Willett birdie - gave the new champion control of his own destiny. Westwood would go on to shoot a 69 for 286, a second place finish that breathed new life and desire into his own career.
Chase down
For
Rory McIlroy
, who had walked to the first tee with intent to chase down 54-holes leader Spieth, it was a frustrating finish. A final round 71 for 289, one-over, left the Northern Irish man alongside world number one
Jason Day
in a share of 10th place.
“I just didn’t play the golf I needed when it mattered,” said McIlroy, of his bid to complete the career Grand Slam. “I’ve been in position before [to win] and I haven’t got the job done when I needed to. I don’t think that’s anything to do with my game. I think that’s more me mentally and I’m trying to deal with the pressure of it and the thrill of the achievement if it were to happen.”
Shane Lowry started his final round too far back to think of any charge into the business end, and a triple-bogey seven on the Par 4 third put an end to any pipedreams. Yet, as if to show that the course gives as much as it takes, Lowry’s hole-in-one on the 16th – which earned him some crystal for his home in Dublin - brought some joy. Lowry finished eagle-bogey-birdie for a 75, to finish in the top-40 on the 298 mark.
This was Willett’s time, a wonderful win achieved with calmness. His deliverance had come.
A touch of fate? Destiny? Willett’s wife Nicole’s due date was yesterday, April 10th The baby arrived early, on March 30th, and Willett –only flying over last Monday – was the last player to register.
The best had been left ‘til last.
