Danny Willett wins 2016 Masters after Jordan Spieth's disaster at the 12th
More importantly for Willett, Masters champion, it befits winning a Green Jacket. The cruelty element is that Spieth was obliged to present it to him.
This fairytale began on 30 March, when Willett became a father. Owing to that unpredictable but impending circumstance there had been a question mark as to whether or not he would even take part in this tournament. Less than a fortnight after the arrival of baby Zachariah James, daddy was at the epicentre of one of the most jaw-droppingly exciting afternoons in Masters history. Bare statistics of Willett's final-round 67, five-under total and three-shot win belie exceptional stuff.
Willett is only the second Englishman to win the Masters, the first European to take that prize since 1999 and he is suddenly catapulted into a level of scrutiny completely alien even when he was in the hitherto hardly insignificant placing of 12th in the world.
No tale of this event, though, can pass without deep mention of Spieth's tribulations. Shortly after 5pm on Sunday the defending champion reached seven under and held a five-stroke lead. Spieth subsequently bogeyed the 10th, which barely registered with the crowds, but a dropped shot on the 11th combined with Willett's birdie three holes ahead prompted collective cries of "hang on".
Spieth, 20 years on from Greg Norman's epic capitulation to Nick Faldo here, was to feature in an uncharacteristic horror show of his own. The 12th provided 155 yards of abject terror for Spieth and the first quadruple bogey of his professional career. Willett was three clear by the end of it. American golf fans checked Wikipedia.
Typically, as befitting a champion, Spieth summoned the only instinct he knows but he was to fall short; tied second for a second time in three years will offer absolutely no consolation. His closing stretch became painful to watch.
As the defending champion battled in vain, Lee Westwood and Dustin Johnson did likewise. Westwood, who shares a management company with the champion, was also Willett's playing partner and will take heart from evidence that the claiming of a major title is still not beyond him but elements of jealousy and hurt would be only natural. He shared second place with Spieth.
On an inside wall of the Augusta National clubhouse a series of bronze plaques show the celebratory poses of Masters winners. Willett's image will join them and the fact that it will would have defied belief from the moment Spieth made the 50-yard walk from 9th green to 10th tee, cheered every step of this narrow corridor by adoring crowds. They thought they were acclaiming the 2016 champion.
The improbability of a Spieth meltdown to anything like what transpired will resonate. He showed no mercy when sealing Masters success one year ago, just as glory at the US Open two months later demonstrated the matching of God-given ability with ferocious competitive spirit. When Spieth leads, he wins; he had been in front at Augusta since Thursday. The breaking of that run came in front of an astonished audience.
And yet traces of impending trauma had been visible. Spieth did not seem wholly content all week - and rose to the top of the pile when clearly displaying his B game - to the extent that he called back his coach, Cameron McCormick, from Dallas between rounds three and four. On each of those instances Spieth had appeared on site three hours before tee time to iron out flaws. His driving had proved erratic, as offset by a recurring ability to pull off escape acts.
There had been routinely good fortune, such as at the 4th on Sunday when a horribly carved tee shot, apparently bound for a different zip code, instead rebounded from a tree into semi-rough. Spieth was to make par. This was far from an isolated incident; begging the obvious questionas to how long he could continue unscathed.
Willett was the man to take advantage when Spieth's wheels flew off. Any onlooker could only admire the nerveless manner in which he played the last two holes, with straight pars after making birdie at the 16th, when doubtless aware of the life-changing prize within view. Willett grasped opportunity with confidence.
Rory McIlroy found himself in the unusual position of being an afterthought to this incredible drama. The Northern Irishman's Masters quest was ruined on Saturday in reality but a dropped shot on the opening hole of round four seemed to emphasise his fate. The 26-year-old had too much ground to make up and too many players in his way. He shot a fourth round of 71 for a share of 10th and the knowledge that a clean sweep of majors must wait at least another year. He was candid as to why. "I don't think it's anything to do with my game," McIlroy said. "I think that's more me mentally, I'm trying to deal with the pressure of it and the thrill of the achievement if it were to happen. I think that's the thing that's really holding me back."
A spellbinding afternoon was not only so for events at the top of the leaderboard. Shane Lowry's dance of delight was something to behold after notching the tournament's first hole in one, at the iconic 16th. The USA Ryder Cup captain, Davis Love, then matched Lowry's effort.
One of the most bizarre aces ever seen in professional golf ensured three holes in one for the first time ever in an entire Masters, let alone one day. Louis Oosthuizen, again on the 16th, watched his seven-iron tee shot cannon off the ball of his playing partner, JB Holmes, before rolling into the cup. It was a madcap precursor for what was to come; in fact, by close of play, it seemed barely worthy of mention. Those who insist golf is boring have been delivered the strongest argument in years.
Source: The Guardian.com