The Masters - April 2009 - "What Might Have Been"
By Michael D'Auria
The winner of the Masters this past Sunday, Angel Cabrera, ultimately deserved the title of Masters Champion. Having been in contention with his stellar play the first three rounds and playing steadily on the earlier holes on Sunday, he was all but out of the running a few holes later when he dropped from -12 to -9 with bogies but he never conceded to the competition. He rallied back to -12 under and seized every opportunity to stay in the game by making birdies when he needed to. It only goes to enforce the old adage that "Slow and Steady Wins the Race".
Even after he tied with Chad Campbell and Kenny Perry for a playoff he all but stymied himself when he hit behind a tree on the first playoff hole, #18. Chad and Kenny Perry were in the fairway in great shape but Masters Sunday nerves got the better of them. They both pushed what would normally be routine iron shots into the green to the left and right respectively leaving the door open for Angel. He seized the moment by first making a lucky punch draw shot that hit a tree and caromed into the fairway leaving him a clear shot to the green. He again seized another opportunity by executing an excellent lob wedge shot in an extreme pressure situation which put him on the green in three with an approximately 12' putt, which he converted, to tie Kenny Perry's par save and go on to the next playoff hole.
Chad was not as lucky and unable to salvage par so it left Kenny Perry and his playing partner all day, Angel Cabrera, to duke it out once again only this time on the 10th hole. The 10th hole was the deciding hole of the Masters. Kenny hit his tee shot into the left trap while Angel hit safely down the middle of the fairway. He wasn't going to make the same mistake again. His second shot was safely on the green while Kenny had yanked his out of the trap to the left of the green, leaving himself with a very tough approach chip shot to get close enough to save par, which he needed to keep his Masters hopes alive. He left himself about a 25 footer and missed just short on the right while Angel easily converted his two putt for par and victory. Congratulations to Angel on his amazing victory but I must admit I was very disappointed by the way things played out.
Had I scripted this Masters it would have gone something like this.
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson had teed off earlier and both started at -4. Phil's rally on the front nine was reminiscent of the Nicklaus charge in the 86' Masters and my favorite Masters to date of all time. This years Masters was a close second but anti-climactic because Phil, Tiger or Kenny were not victorious in the end. When Phil turned the front in 30 or minus 10 I thought to myself that this was far from over and could be one of the greatest Masters ever. Since I had tuned in, when Phil and Tiger first teed off, to the end, I could not take my eyes off the TV screen.
The steady and stellar play by Angel, Kenny, Tiger and Phil was riveting. The two best players in the world were going head to head and catching the the leaders after having been 7 shots back when they first teed off on Sunday morning. After Phil's 30 on the front I knew Tiger had to make his move if he wanted to catch Phil who was now at -10. He accomplished this by eagleing the 13th hole subsequent to Phil's double bogie of 12 when he had made a mental error by not using enough club to carry the creek and land on a safe part of the green.
Tiger and Phil still both had an opportunity but they also both missed possible eagles on 15 which left them with more work ahead if they were to taste victory. Phil and Tiger had at one point reached -11 and -10 respectively and were both standing at victories door when they faltered at the end. Tiger bogied the last two holes in unTiger like fashion and Phil did not do much better. At that point I was hoping that Kenny Perry, who has been playing some of the best golf of his life for the past two years or more, could become the oldest player to win a major let alone the Masters. His -14 standing at the end of the 16th hole had all but sewed it up.
A par on one of the last two holes would have clinched victory for him. He had not gotten a bogie for the previous 22 holes so why start now. But start now he did with two consecutive bogies to finish at -12 tied with Cabrera and Campbell and the playoff loomed ahead. Kenny's steady play had come to an end and the pressure of Masters Sunday finally took its toll on him. He all but handed the victory to Angel, who seemed more calm than the rest and just happy to be there in contention without succumbing as much to the pressures of the day.
Well as we know Angel Cabrera wins but wouldn't it have been something if Tiger, Phil and Kenny had tied for a playoff on that fateful Sunday Masters afternoon. I guess we'll never know what the outcome would have been but it sure is nice to dream about a Masters playoff scenario that very nearly was.
Happy Golfing To All!
My name is Mike D'Auria and I grew up in the Canarsie section of Brooklyn. I started playing golf when I sustained a severe hamstring injury playing softball about 30 years ago and have never looked back. It is a great game and I enjoy it immensely. For more golf tips and valuable information visit http://guideforbeginninggolfers.com
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