By Alex Myers
Like Greg Norman’s infamous collapse in 1996, the 2016 Masters will always be remembered more for who didn’t win. Danny Willett walked away with the green jacket that Sunday, but it was the young man who placed it on the Englishman’s shoulders who stole the show—well, in a “Wait, they just killed that guy off the show?!” kind of way. Jordan Spieth, on his way to a second consecutive Masters title, blew a huge back-nine lead, stunning the sports world and leaving many people disappointed.

No offense to Willett, a lovely bloke in his own right, but a Spieth win would have been more popular in most corners of the golf community. Just not in my little corner having plunked $10 down on Danny at 66-to-1 odds. Cha-ching! While I was fortunate enough to win that wager—and to be on the grounds that day—it was fun rewatching this one, because, again, cha-ching! But seriously, here’s what else stood out.

1.) Jim Nantz opens CBS’ broadcast with a tremendous montage that ends with the following line: “Today Jordan Spieth could make the Masters his own springtime tradition!” Spieth held the 54-hole lead, but more impressively, he had now held the lead after seven consecutive rounds at Augusta National dating back to his wire-to-wire win the previous year. Remarkable. There was no way he was going to lose this … (Gulp) … right … ?

Kevin C. Cox

Nope. But we’ll get to that later.

2.) Nantz goes through the final few pairings who have yet to tee off and it includes 58-year-old(!) Bernhard Langer playing in the penultimate group. Incredible. But Nantz makes a rare error by saying Smylie Kaufman is playing alongside Spieth in the final pairing. Can you imagine? Wait … Um … Never mind … Apparently, this is correct. Smylie Kaufman trailed by only one shot entering Sunday and played in the final group at the Masters. Truly amazing—especially because exactly one year later I interviewed Smylie at a rented-out Midas a short walk down Washington Road from the course. Instead of being in Augusta to play in the tournament, he was promoting Natty Light. Life comes at you fast, kids.

3.) CBS shows Thursday’s ceremonial opening tee shots by Gary Player, who absolutely hammered one and let everyone know about it, and Jack Nicklaus. Also on the tee was Arnold Palmer, who sadly, could only sit in a chair and watch. Palmer passed away five months later. RIP The King.

4.) Back to the tournament, Jason Day and Dustin Johnson, both only three back at even par, begin their rounds. What a pairing! Day was ranked No. 1 in the world and the winner of the previous major, the PGA at Whistling Straits. And DJ was still searching for a first major after well-documented disappointments at Whistling Straits and Chambers Bay, among other places. The red-hot Day was also on a two-tournament winning streak, but it wouldn’t be his day as he shot 73 to finish T-10. He would win the Players Championship the following month to cap a remarkable run of seven PGA Tour wins in 17 starts.

5.) Rory McIlroy opts for the Big Dog off the tee on the short par-4 third and … drives the green! To about 15 feet! “That might be the best drive we’ve ever seen at No. 3,” Nantz says. Of course, in true Rory fashion, he burns the edge on his eagle attempt and never really gets anything going, finishing T-10 in his second attempt at completing the career Grand Slam.

6.) Nantz mentions that Spieth was feeling so uncomfortable with his swing that he had coach Cameron McCormack, who had been at Augusta National earlier in the week, fly back in for some last-minute help. That bodes well for his chances, huh?!

7.) Spieth looks solid on the first hole, though, finding the fairway and the middle of the green to make par. Meanwhile, Kaufman blocks his opening drive right, but hits a spectacular approach to within four feet. A miss from there would set the tone, though. Kaufman would briefly tie for the lead on the following hole, but then shoot eight over the rest of the way to finish T-29.

8.) Up ahead, the penultimate (love that word) pairing was really struggling. Both Langer and Matsuyama made early double bogeys and dropped three shots over the first six holes. The first Japanese Masters champ or the first senior-citizen Masters champ would have to wait.

9.) An hour and 20 minutes into the broadcast and we finally see Danny Willett for the first time. He strokes a nice lag putt on the treacherous fifth hole to set up an easy par. And he’s wearing a crisp all-white outfit. Well, not including his light green polo that’s covered up by a sweater because it’s so chilly. This would be talked about later so stay tuned! Wait, why haven’t they showed Tiger Woods yet?! Oh. Right. He didn’t play that year. Or the following year. But he returned in 2018 and then again in 2019. Not sure if you remember what happened then. HINT: It was a good one!

10.) In recent years we’ve gotten used to seeing holes-in-one on No. 16 on Sunday, but there were THREE on this day. Shane Lowry pulled off the feat first, followed by Davis Love III and, finally, Louis Oosthuizen, who made the most ridiculous ace of all, ricocheting one off J.B. Holmes’ ball and into the cup. OK, we’re getting a bit bogged down here, especially since this Masters, as much as any, doesn’t begin until the back nine …

11.) But first, Spieth rolls in a 20-footer for birdie on No. 9 for a fourth consecutive birdie. Nick Faldo calls it “incredible” and “demoralizing to the rest of the field.” And it is. This guy simply lives at the top of the leader board at Augusta National. And now he has his biggest lead as he makes the turn.

There’s NO way this guy can lose … right … ?

12.) Of course, you know he can, and it starts with a pushed tee shot on No. 10. He misses the green with a long approach, hits a poor bunker shot and misses his par attempt from 15 feet. Bogey. Meanwhile, up ahead Willett gets fortunate that his tee shot on 12 stays on the bank and avoids the front bunker or even worse, Rae’s Creek. From there he hits a simple chip to four feet and makes par.

13.) Another bad tee shot to the right on No. 11 puts Spieth in trouble, but a splendid third shot from 120 yards that almost spins into the hole seems to get him out of it. A miss from eight feet, coupled with a birdie from Willett on No. 14 and suddenly, the lead is only one. Still, Spieth is showered with applause as he makes the short walk to the 12th tee. The patrons were about to get shockingly quiet, though.

14.) I’ll never forget the audible gasp in the old Masters media centre when Spieth’s golf ball landed on the bank and splashed. It might be the only time all the writers there stopped eating—to be fair, it’s quite a spread—to pay attention to the actual tournament. Suddenly, Spieth wasn’t planning next year’s Champions Dinner, but was being eaten and spit up by the golf course he had owned to this point instead. After showing two replays and a replay of Spieth finding the water there two years before, CBS cuts away for three minutes, which seems like an eternity. What is going on?!

15.) When they return to Spieth, he’s conversing with caddie Michael Geller after taking a drop in an unusual spot. But he must know what he’s doing because this is Jordan Spieth. He’s going to save bogey, keep a share of the lead and still win this thing. Or not. There was a louder gasp as Spieth chunked his third shot into a part of Rae’s Creek that had never been threatened by a tour pro. The CBS broadcast crew was just as shocked. “Oh my goodness,” Faldo says. “This unbelievable. The iron man … is now having an absolute meltdown.”

Kevin C. Cox

An absolute meltdown, indeed. After knocking his fifth shot over the green, Spieth gets up and down from the back bunker for a quadruple-bogey 7. After going six over for a three-hole stretch, he now trails Willett by three. It’s a remarkable eight-shot swing in about 40 minutes.

16.) But don’t start fitting Danny for the green jacket just yet! Lee Westwood, playing alongside Willett, chips in from behind the 15th green for eagle. He’s now just one shot behind! Of course, he’s Lee Westwood, so he three-putt bogeys the next hole and winds up finishing T-2. Speaking of that next hole …

17.) Willett hits a beautiful shot to eight feet and makes the putt to seize control of the tournament. Yes! This really might happen! I thought that day as I start counting my money. No! This really might happen! all non-British golf writers thought as they began counting how many words they were going to have to rewrite from their game stories.

18.) This was far from over, though, with Johnson just two back and Spieth, still with six holes to play, only three back. Just kidding, it was over. After a nice par save on 17 and a double bogey by DJ on the same hole, Danny and I are feeling pretty good about our chances of collecting a big prize.

Don Emmert

19.) As Willett plays 18, CBS shows clips of Faldo beating Greg Norman in 1996 and Nantz compares what’s happening today. It’s a good comparison, except 2016 is even more stunning. Norman never won a green jacket while Spieth was nine holes away with a five-shot lead! Even crazier is how Nantz informs viewers that Willett almost didn’t even play in the tournament because he and his wife were expecting their first kid that very day. But baby Zachariah came a few days earlier than expected, and as a result, I made a few extra bucks as daddy won a green jacket. Talk about a happy ending to an unlikely story.

20.) While Willett’s timing was fortunate, this isn’t the fluke people have painted it to be. Willett arrived at Augusta National as the 12th-ranked golfer in the world. He’s not exactly Ben Curtis. And the 28-year-old knows enough about winning photos to take off his sweater for the first time all day before tapping in for par. Brilliant. Both the bogey-free 67 and having the wherewithal to look your best for the cameras in the biggest moment of your life.

21.) Apparently, Willett isn’t great at keeping his phone charged. When Spieth bogeys 17 to make the Brit’s win official, Willett is seen leaning over a charging station while talking to his wife. I’m pretty sure this is a first in Masters history.

22.) Kudos to Spieth for doing an interview with Bill Macatee, who asks him about “the wheels falling off” (ouch) on the back nine. “Yeah, it’s just … it’s tough,” Spieth says. “It’s really tough.” And it’s about to get tougher …

22.) The Butler Cabin ceremony was just as brutal as I remembered as one of sport’s coolest traditions turned into one of the cruelest as Spieth, who seemed a lock to keep the green jacket a couple hours before, is reduced to slipping it on Willett. He actually almost falls over when he stands up, almost like a prizefighter who got battered in the ring. Again, to Spieth’s credit, he handles it as well as could be expected. That said, the scene is still causing memes four years later.

March 1 / April 1 pic.twitter.com/Fbo4WaXCos

— Brendan Porath (@BrendanPorath) April 1, 2020

Awkward! Poor Jordan.

23.) An appearance by low amateur Bryson DeChambeau, though, is a nice highlight. A pre-bulked-up Bryson, that is. “Next week’s Hilton Head,” he says after congratulating Willett. “I turn professional then and look forward to hopefully making a check next week.” He wound up finishing T-4 and earning $259,600. Not too shabby.

24.) But the day and week belonged to Willett, who vaulted to No. 9 in the Official World Golf Ranking. A new star was born! Only, he’d actually go in a horrific two-year slump after this. But again, let’s stay positive. The guy just won the green jacket!

25.) We are reminded for about the 17th time that Willett joins Faldo as the only Englishmen to win the Masters. And like Sir Nick, Willett wears the green jacket well. Heck, green on green has never looked so good! Of course, having won a little green myself, I’m a bit biased. Hang on. It’s too late for the IRS to come after me, right?

2016 Masters—Final Round Broadcast

The post Jordan Spieth’s epic collapse, Danny Willett’s magical timing and an awkward moment in Butler Cabin: The 2016 Masters Rewatch appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Alex Myers
What better way to get your Masters fix while in quarantine than by firing up YouTube and remembering all the stuff you might have missed from past Sundays at Augusta National?

Everyone remembers the chip. That delicate, dangerous thing of beauty that spent far more time travelling backwards than forward before breaking to a stop, and then, somehow, falling into the cup. But there was more to this instant classic than arguably Tiger Woods’ most iconic shots—and one of Verne Lundquist’s most memorable calls. “IN YOUR LIFE HAVE YOU SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THAT?!” Nope, can’t say that I have, Verne. Not even 15 years later. But there were plenty of other great moments that final round. Here’s what else that stood out when I rewatched this instant classic.

1.) A particularly fired-up Jim Nantz greets us because he has a lot to catch us up on. And most of that has to do with one Eldrick Tiger Woods. Three crappy days of weather caused the need for an early re-start of the third round on Sunday morning and CBS shows Tiger striding down a dew-ridden fairway before birdieing No. 10 (by the way he birdied his final three holes on Saturday). Behind him, Chris DiMarco, who had been in complete control, doubles the same hole. Then after catching a break with his tee shot on the difficult 11th, Tiger makes another birdie to tie for the lead! That was quick!

But he’s not done. A birdie on 12! A birdie on 13! That’s SEVEN birdies in a row! Fist pumps are flying! Take a look at this incredible graphic:

Tiger was actually nine under through 13 holes in the third round, but bogeys on 14 and 15 (ouch) kept him from a potential course record. More importantly, though, after playing catch-up himself all week since an opening 74 that included a putt into Rae’s Creek, Woods had seized a three-shot lead through 54 holes. So it was over, right? Nope!

2.) We have “GLORIOUS” weather at last, Nantz announces after setting up the final round. The first live shot is Phil Mickelson, who is defending his first major win, on No. 1. Yay! We’ve reached the era of showing the leaders’ entire final round! Just four years before with Woods trying to complete the Tiger Slam, the first shot shown of him came on the sixth hole. Now, CBS is showing Woods arriving on the range with then swing coach Hank Haney. He’s dressed in that famed red shirt with the mock collar. You know, the one he brought back in 2019 and won. He should never wear another shirt on Sunday again.

3.) Speaking of Mickelson, he had a solid week as defending champ, but a disappointing Sunday. He entered the final round in a tie for fourth place, but shot 74 to finish T-10. That’s OK. He’ll be back. Now time to focus on the two players who really mattered that day: Tiger Woods and Chris DiMarco. This would wind up being quite the duel in the sun.

John Biever

4.) Tiger had to back away from his opening tee shot because it sounded like someone was coughing. He gave a little chuckle and then smashed maybe the longest drive of all-time on that hole—344 yards—with a driver that looks the size of his current 5-wood. Woods only had 91(!) yards for his approach and he took advantage by spinning one to within six feet to set up an opening birdie. Just like that, Tiger led by four. Now it’s over, right? Nope!

5.) After a birdie-birdie start, Tiger lays up off the tee on No. 3. As he’s strutting down the fairway, Lanny Wadkins remarks, “If he could win by 10—which is possible—I think all the questions about the swing changes would go away.” There’s so much to dissect here. First of all, win by 10? Sure, he’d won by 12 in 1997 and by 15 at Pebble Beach in 2000, but that’s still a tall order. Second, this was during the period when people were still doubting Woods had made the right move by switching from Butch Harmon to Hank Haney. But third, he had already won at Torrey Pines and Doral earlier that season and now he had a four-shot lead on Sunday at the Masters. I think it was safe to say the swing changes were working, Lanny!

6.) At some point, Tiger Woods’ record-breaking cut streak is mentioned. Following this eventual win, Woods would make just one more cut (finishing T-11 at Quail Hollow) before finally failing to make the weekend at the Bryon Nelson. So this was consecutive cut No. 141 out of 142. Amazing.

7.) Let’s get caught up on DiMarco, who is striping it, but missed great birdie looks on Nos. 1, 3, and 8. He doesn’t miss from three feet, though, on No. 9 after stiffing his approach. Tiger responds by hitting one inside 10 feet and rolling in the putt. Tiger still led by three, but this was clearly going to be a battle.

8.) They say the Masters doesn’t start until the back nine on Sunday, and Tiger started this particular back nine with a bogey on No. 10. Minutes later, DiMarco drains a long birdie putt on No. 11 to get within one. This is intense!

9.) DiMarco falls two back after a bogey on No. 12 while Tiger does his typical Tiger move there by hitting his approach 40 feet left of the flag and two-putting for par. When will others learn?! Actually, DiMarco took an even more conservative line off the tee, but went deep and couldn’t get up and down. But he wasn’t done yet . . .

10.) After both guys made disappointing pars on No. 13, DiMarco hit his approach on No. 14 to tap-in range. Back to one down. As every CBS commentator by this point has mentioned numerous times, “this is a match-play situation,” folks!

Icon Sports Wire

11.) Nothing can deter DiMarco. Not even a Trevor Immelman ace on No. 16 right as Chris is about to hit his approach shot on No. 15. He backs away momentarily, then sticks one to four feet—a much-needed shot considering Woods is already on the par 5 in two with a good look at eagle. By the way, many people probably thought that would be the highlight of Immelman’s career at Augusta National. Wrong! Much more on that in a few days. In the meantime, Woods two-putts for birdie and DiMarco answers to remain one down with three to play. Whatever is going to happen next? I can’t remember . . .

12.) DiMarco hits first on No. 16 and confidently picks up his tee with his golf ball in the air. It’s a fine shot that catches the slope and finishes about 18 feet below the hole. Then Woods goes and. . . goes deep over the back-left portion of the green. He’s in quite the pickle, and Wadkins does a fantastic job setting up the shot. And then, it happens. Let’s watch it, shall we?

Five days until Masters Week.
Verne Lundquist and Lanny Wadkins suspend belief on No. 16 and deliver the signature moment in @TigerWoods’ march towards a fourth Green Jacket in the 2005. pic.twitter.com/euw2j0JmE8

— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 3, 2019

And from a different angle!

10 years ago, Tiger Woods holed out on No. 16 in dramatic fashion. Watch this historic shot from a different angle.https://t.co/5bnny62LBO

— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 5, 2015

“Here it comes . . . Oh, my goodness!” Lundqvist exclaims as Woods’ golf ball tumbles toward the hole. “OH! WOW! In your LIFE have you seen anything like that?!” Seriously, it never gets old. I’ve seen it 1,000 times and I still don’t believe it. Unfortunately, Tiger and caddie Steve Williams completely butchered the initial celebration, but who can blame them after essentially causing the entire state of Georgia to have an earthquake?

13.) After the patrons settled down—and the Masters may have been the only event where fans could settle down after witnessing a miracle—DiMarco misses his birdie putt and settles for par. Poor guy. Before Tiger’s absurd chip-in, there was a decent chance he was going to leave 16 with the lead. Instead, he trailed by two with two holes to go. OK, now it was over. Right? Nope!

14.) Many people forget what happened next, a near-collapse by Tiger on 17 and 18 that was almost as stunning as the magic he conjured on 16. He blocked his tee shot on 17, leading to a bogey, then hit a wipey approach—Kidding, Hank!—on 18, setting up another bogey. Oddly enough, a siren caused Woods to back away before hitting his second on 18. And then returned while he hit. “Well, the alarms going off in his swing,” Nantz muses, “someone might be trying to steal his green jacket.” Great line.

15.) And it almost happened moments later! MY WORD, did DiMarco come close to chipping in on No. 18. Nantz, for one, couldn’t believe it didn’t drop. “Look out! OH! OH! How did that not go in?!” Regardless, it didn’t. Nor did Tiger’s 10-footer for the win. Expect anything different? Well, actually, at the time, everyone did.

16.) Both Tiger’s bogey putt and DiMarco’s ensuing par putt (Woods chose to go first after missing his par attempt) were longer than I remembered. Tiger took his time before brushing in his three-footer and DiMarco calmly rolled in a six-footer to force a playoff. We’re going to extra holes! And we better hurry because we’re running out of daylight!

17.) Interesting enough, this was the first Masters sudden-death playoff to start on the 18th hole. The previous six all started on 10. Also, while we have a brief interlude, a few other interesting facts from the week. Woods and DiMarco finished seven shots clear of a third-place tie between Luke Donald and Retief Goosen, who shot a Sunday-best 67.

Also, this was the final Masters for three former champs: Jack Nicklaus, Billy Casper, and Tommy Aaron. Casper shot 105 (widely reported as 106, but our Mike Johnson was there and painstakingly counted every shot) in the opening round, but since he withdrew and didn’t turn in a scorecard, it’s not officially the worst score in Masters history. And we should have known Woods was going to win. Remarkably, in each of Jack’s final sendoffs at the four majors, Woods won the trophy that week. OK, they’re back on the tee . . .

18.) Woods and DiMarco both hit solid drives, but Woods gained the edge by hitting his approach right over the flagstick to about 15 feet. Like he did in regulation, DiMarco’s approach funnelled off the front of the green. And like he did in regulation, the pesky pro nearly chipped in. But nearly wouldn’t be enough today. Moments later, Tiger buried his birdie putt—good thing it was centre cut because that thing had some pace on it!—to finally finish off his worthy foe and claim a fourth green jacket.

Jamie Squire

19.) From the reactions of Nantz and Wadkins, you’d think Woods had been awaiting a big win for decades, but I guess it felt that way after how thoroughly Woods had dominated from the end of 1999 to mid-2002, when he won seven of 11 majors. “It had been a long time since he’d won a major,” Nantz says while watching Woods take it in. “Almost three years.”

Shortly after, Lanny added, “With the swing changes, he’s trying to prove people wrong, that he’s right and knows what he’s doing, and a win at Augusta is the start to that. I think a more convincing win would have convinced a lot of people. I think there are still going to be some questions because there were some nervy shots down the stretch.” Lanny is a tough critic! The guy just won the Masters for his third win of the season! He’d only go on to win three more times that year, including a 10th major at the Open Championship. Decent.

20.) Speaking of tough, this marked the second consecutive major lost in a playoff by DiMarco, who also fell to Vijay Singh at the 2003 PGA at Whistling Straits. And he would also come up just a little short to Tiger in another memorable duel the following year at Hoylake. So this was no Bob May major cameo, even if the three-time PGA Tour winner never won a major. Golf can be cruel, huh? OK, let’s wrap up with a few observations from the green jacket ceremony in Butler Cabin.’’

21.) Ryan Moore joined Woods and defending champ Phil Mickelson as the low amateur. In fact, with a one-under total, he was the low amateur since 1978, finishing T-13. Impressive stuff. That dude is definitely going to win some majors. . . right. . . ?

22.) Speaking of projections, at that point no one could imagine Woods would have to wait 14 more years before winning a fifth green jacket. Especially after witnessing the sorcery he pulled off on 16. When asked about that, Tiger drops a fantastic “CUSH,” referencing the two-shot lead it gave him. Those classic Tigerisms go way back. But he seemed a little ticked about almost letting the tournament slip away. Ever the perfectionist.

23.) And finally, Tiger addressed his dad not being behind the 18th hole like he had been for the previous three victories. “I talked to my mom this morning and we decided if I was lucky enough to win, I wanted to dedicate this to my father,” Woods said. “He’s here, but he’s just not healthy enough to come out and enjoy this. So this one’s for you, Pop.” Sadly, Earl Woods died about a year later. But even if he was watching on TV, at least he lived to see what would become his son’s most-replayed shot. And those of us lucky enough to still be around get to see it over and over (and over) again.

2005 Masters—Final Round Broadcast

https://youtu.be/HGzvqU-T85I

The post An iconic Tiger Woods shot, a surprisingly good duel, and a shocking near-collapse made the 2005 Masters an instant classic appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.