Sunday's Birdies and Bogeys

By Alex Myers

April 07, 2012

Shop This Look

Photo By: Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images

Photo By: Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Photo By: Andrew Redington/Getty Images

Photo By: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Photo By: Darron Cummings/AP Photo

Photo By: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Photo By: Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images

Photo By: Andrew Redington/Getty Images

Photo By: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Birdie: Bubba WatsonWe knew him first as a golfer of outsized length, and that part remains true. But Watson also displayed a mixture of savvy and gumption Sunday, bashing powerful but controlled fades around Augusta National's doglegs, and occasionally pulling off wizardry with his wedge. Unlike his last time in a major championship playoff, in the 2010 PGA, Watson seemed unfazed by the magnitude of the moment, hitting his best shots when the stakes were highest. If he can do it once, who's to say he can't do it again and again?

Photo By: Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images

Bogey: Phil MickelsonWith three green jackets to his name and some unproven players all around him, Mickelslon was the least likely player on the leader board to make a costly mental error. But he did that on the par-3 fourth hole, when he missed the green way left, saw his ball bounce off a railing, then foolishly attempted two right-handed shots out of the weeds. A triple bogey would follow, and Mickelson spent the rest of the afternoon trying to make up for his mistakes.

Photo By: Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images

Biridie: Louis OosthuizenThe South African came up painfully short, but his performance proved that his British Open win two years ago was no fluke. Oosthuizen showed steely nerves all day, most notably when he holed a five-foot par putt to get into a playoff. He didn't come away with a second major championship, but at 29, he showed that he'll be a player at the game's biggest events for years to come. Oh yeah, he also pulled off a shot that will be showed on highlight reels for years to come.

Photo By: Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Bogey: Tiger WoodsHis five-over par finish was Woods' worst in the Masters as a pro, what he described as an "off week at the wrong time." Perhaps, but Woods has had more of those at Augusta than he'd like to admit. Having now gone seven years since capturing the last of his four green jackets, it bears asking whether Augusta National is too narrow and too severe for Woods to be consistently a threat. The thinking was that for Woods to capture Jack Nicklaus he'd need to cash in at least a couple more times at the Masters. Given what we've seen of late, that seems like a stretch.

Photo By: Andrew Redington/Getty Images

Birdie: Louis Oosthuizen's albatrossThere is no video of Gene Sarazen's double eagle at 15 in 1935, and perhaps to compensate for that, CBS featured Oosthuizen's hole-out on No. 2 seemingly every six seconds. Not that we can blame them. It was the most remarkable moment in a day that had plenty of them, and it put Oosthuizen in prime position to capture his second major title.

Photo By: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Bogey: Peter HansonIn an unfamiliar spot as the 54-hole leader, Hanson was inevitably going to confront nerves on Sunday, and in a strange way, he was fortunate that Louis Oosthuizen's double eagle took some of the spotlight off him when it did. Still there it was on No. 12, when he trailed by just a shot: a cold shank short and right of Rae's Creek. He ended up making bogey, and was never a real factor thereafter.

Photo By: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Birdie: Masters tournament committeeWith the golf course playing treacherously long the first two days, this Masters risked regressing to the no-fun tournaments of 2007 and 2008. The weekend was different, with hole locations accessible enough to bring Augusta National to life with a steady diet of roars. From Oosthuizen's albatross to aces by Bo Van Pelt and Adam Scott on 16, the club clearly gets it that birdies, eagles, and occasionally more are what define the Masters.

Photo By: Darron Cummings/AP Photo

Birdie: Wayne MitchellThe 59-year-old Mitchell thought he had it good when he secured a spot by the green on the par-5 second hole Sunday. Then he thought he was lucky enough to see Louis Oosthuizen hole out from 253 yards, the first-ever albatross on No. 2. But it was after Oosthuizen pulled the ball out of the cup and flipped it TO HIM that Mitchell seemed to hit the jackpot. But rather than head home with a piece of history that would surely fetch a handsome reward on eBay, Mitchell gave the ball back to Augusta. For nothing? Probably not. But it's the thought that count.

Photo By: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Bogey: Sergio GarciaGarcia finished with a one-under 71, but his chance at winning a first major went by the wayside with a Saturday 75. However, it was his comments afterward that drew even more attention. He told members of the Spanish media he's "not good enough and today I know it. I've been trying for 13 years and I don't feel capable of winning ... I don't know what happened to me. Maybe it's something psychological." Gee, do you think?

Photo By: Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images

Birdie: Bo Van PeltIf Van Pelt could play Augusta National everyday like he does on Sunday, he'd be in business. For a second-straight year, BVP put on a final-round show. Highlighted by a hole-in-one on the 16th hole, a back-nine 30 gave him a 64 -- the low round of the tournament. Unfortunately, he could have used the ace a little more last year when his green jacket hopes were dashed by a bogey on the same hole.

Photo By: Andrew Redington/Getty Images

Birdie: Bubba's tearsFor millions of people watching the final moments of the Masters at home on Sunday, they might not have known much about Bubba Watson. But what was apparent was that he cared. A LOT. For golf to attract a new wave of fans, it needs to establish its stars as talented and three-dimensional. On Sunday there was no better advertisement than a guy struggling to keep it together after the biggest win of his life.

Photo By: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Hero World Challenge

WHEN SHOULD A PUTT BE GOOD?

READ MORE

WHEN SHOULD A PUTT BE GOOD?

READ MORE

Sunday's Birdies and Bogeys

Shop This Look

Next Up

Sunday's Birdies and Bogeys 12 Photos

Sunday's Birdies and Bogeys 12 Photos

Sunday's Birdies and Bogeys 10 Photos

Sunday's Birdies and Bogeys 10 Photos

Sunday's Birdies and Bogeys 12 Photos

Sunday's Birdies and Bogeys 8 Photos

Sunday's Birdies and Bogeys 10 Photos

Sunday's Birdies and Bogeys 10 Photos

Sunday's Birdies and Bogeys 14 Photos

Sunday's Birdies and Bogeys 12 Photos

We Recommend

Sunday's Birdies and Bogeys 13 Photos

Sunday's Birdies and Bogeys 10 Photos

Sunday's Birdies And Bogeys 11 Photos

Sunday's Birdies and Bogeys 10 Photos

Sunday's Birdies and Bogeys 14 Photos

Sunday's Birdies and Bogeys 12 Photos

Sections

Support

Services

Magazine

Newsletter

Social

Sections

Support

Services

Social

Magazine