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April 3 2012
5:00 pm
Cantlay soaking up Crow’s Nest experience
By Brian Wacker, PGATOUR.COM
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Patrick Cantlay’s professional career will come. For now, he’s just trying to enjoy his days as an amateur while he still can. After all, the latter carries some perks, like getting to stay in the Crow’s Nest at Augusta National.
The UCLA sophomore is playing in his first Masters after finishing runner-up at the U.S. Amateur. Per tradition, he’s sharing the Crow’s Nest with U.S. Public Links winner Corbin Mills and Kelly Kraft, who beat Cantlay to win the U.S. Amateur last August at Erin Hills.
“Coming in on Sunday night, I came in late and no one was around,” Cantlay said. “We are the only three staying up there this week. It’s not too crowded or anything. It’s really special waking up in the morning and seeing the place empty. It’s pretty cool.”
By the time Cantlay tees off Thursday at 11:52 a.m. ET with Ian Poulter and 2007 Masters champ Zach Johnson (another tradition is pairing amateurs with past champions), he’ll have logged at least eight rounds at Augusta National. None, however, will be as special as the first.
Cantlay played that day with his father, grandfather and member Jim Hoch. He doesn’t even remember what he made on the first hole, but he remembers being awed by the size of Augusta National.
“On TV, it looks really tree-lined and narrow,” Cantlay said. “But out here you can see all the other holes and it feels open, especially 9 and 18 greens when there are no people or grandstands. There’s no framing other than the bunkers.”
The undulations in the greens also stood out — “You can’t see any of that stuff on TV,” he continued. “A lot of the greens are big on paper and in real life are not very big. Your landing areas are very small. That was the biggest shock coming here. I’ve adjusted pretty well, and I feel comfortable coming into the greens.”
He’s certainly looked it, at least in his limited appearances in the pro game. In his first four appearances on the PGA TOUR last year, Cantlay finished in the top 25 each time, which included a tie for 21st at the U.S. Open at Congressional and a tie for 24th a week later in Hartford, where he shot a course-record 60 in the second round.
Cantlay added that he’s not worried about turning pro at the moment, “because if I stay really engaged in the present, then the future will take care of itself.”
For now he’ll just try to stick to a piece of advice fellow Southern Californian John Cook gave him: “Golf is just golf no matter where you’re playing, Long Beach City Amateur or the Masters. Either way, it’s still get the ball in the hole as fast as you can.”
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April 10 2011
10:00 pm
Tiger had Day’s head spinning
By Melanie Hauser, PGATOUR.COM Correspondent
AUGUSTA, GA — Lest you think player’s don’t know when Tiger Woods gets on a run, think again.
Jason Day was playing behind him and was shaking his head listening to the roars when the four-time Masters champ shot 31 on the front.
“Oh, like you would hear so many roars,” he said. I was down ‑‑ I was actually down on the third hole and there’s so many ‑‑ every hole it seemed like, he would have a big, massive roar, one after another. And then he eagled 8, which was amazing.
” I think .. was he 5‑under through nine holes; is that correct? Oh, man. That guy’s a freak.”
He’s also the player Day grew up idolizing.
9:18 pm
Norman feels McIlroy’s pain
By Melanie Hauser, PGATOUR.COM Correspondent
AUGUSTA, GA — Greg Norman knows.
He didn’t find himself between cabins. Or watch his golf ball play pinball on the 10th hole, but, lord, the man has had his share of heartbreak at Augusta National. Whether it was Larry Mize’s chip and run in 1987 or Norman’s meltdown in 1996, the man has driven down Magnolia Lane shaking his head more times than anyone can count.
He would sit at his locker, tapping his putter at the end of yet another almost and wonder the same thing: How can a course he loves so much tear his heart out.
He watched her do it to young Rory McIlroy Sunday afternoon. One minute McIlroy makes the turn home in the lead. The next? He’s hitting from between two cabins, then hitting another tree and scraping it in for a triple-bogey seven.
"I knew exactly how he felt,” Norman said from his home in Jupiter, Fla. "I’ve experienced it.”
He went to the 18th hole several times in his career — including 1986 — with a chance to win. And in 1996, he entered the day with a six-shot lead and closed with a 78 — to Nick Faldo’s 67 — and finished second by five shots.
He was impressed with the way both McIlroy and CBS’ Peter Kostis handled discussing it afterward.
And it made Norman shake his head once again.
"What is it with golf destiny?” he said. " Isn’t it strange? It taps you on the back of your head and it either pushes you ahead or pushes you back. Who determines that? It’s crazy.”
7:45 pm
Congratulate Schwartzel on victory
Charl Schwartzel birdied his final four holes en route to a 6-under 66 and a two-shot victory at the Masters Sunday. The win gives the South African his first career major championship as he rallied from five shots back at the start of the day in one of the wildest finishes ever at Augusta National. Post your congratulations here and we’ll pass them along to the new Masters champion.
6:50 pm
Schwartzel rallies to win Masters
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Thanks to four straight birdies to finish, Charl Schwartzel snatched the Green Jacket from a host of contenders at a roller-coaster Sunday at Augusta National.
Schwartzel shot a final-round 66 — the lowest score of the day — to finish at 14 under and win by two shots over Adam Scott and Jason Day, each of whom shot 68, respectively.
Scott and Day, in the same pairing, were each bidding to become the first Australian to win the Masters. Instead, Schwartzel becomes the third South African behind Gary Player and Trevor Immelman. Player won his first Masters 50 years ago to the day, the first international player to win the Masters.
“It was an exciting day,” Schwartzel said when receiving his Green Jacket in Butler cabin. “So many roars – the atmosphere out there was incredible. … Just a phenomenal day.”
Schwartzel is in his first year as a PGA TOUR member. Sunday’s win was his first on TOUR. The 26-year-old has six wins on the European Tour.
In a wild final day at the Masters, overnight leader Rory McIlroy imploded and Tiger Woods tied for the lead after shooting a front-nine 31.
But Schwartzel also supplied plenty of early fireworks, chipping in for birdie on the first hole and then holing out from the fairway on the par-4 third for eagle.
At one time, there were five players tied for the lead on the back nine.
Geoff Ogilvy strung together five straight birdies on the back nine, and Scott held the solo lead late in the back nine.
In the end, though, it was Schwartzel who was steadiest, coming from four back at the start of the day to win his first major championship.
“I played well today and that’s all I could ask for,” said Scott, who shot 67. “Obviously I can’t control Charl, and when you birdie the last four holes at the Masters and you’re around the lead, that usually wins.”
The last time there was a finish like this it was in 1989 when Mark O’Meara finished birdie-birdie to beat Fred Couples by a stroke. It also marks just the second time in 21 years that the eventual champion did not come from the day’s final pairing. Zach Johnson in 2007 was the other.
The 21-year-old McIlroy shot a final-round 80. He was the leader when he made the turn Sunday, but he triple-bogeyed the 10th after a poor tee shot left his ball between two cabins, and he never recovered.
“You know, I’ll have plenty more chances,” McIlroy said. “I know that. It’s very disappointing what happened today. Hopefully it’ll build a little bit of character in me, as well.”
6:43 pm
Leaderboard update: Aussies in at -12
AUGUSTA, Ga. – Australians Jason Day and Luke Donald, playing partners on Sunday, have each finished their rounds at 12 under. But it may not be enough.
South African Charl Schwartzel, playing in the group behind them, is at 13 under and just needs par to win the Masters.
6:15 pm
Leaderboard update: Scott on top
AUGUSTA, Ga. — An Australian has never won the Green Jacket. That could be about to change, though at this rate no lead is safe.
Adam Scott just moved to 12 under following his second birdie in three holes after sticking his approach shot to tap-in distance on the par-3 16th hole.
The tournament is of course far from over, however. Charl Schwartzel is just one shot back after a birdie on No. 15, while Jason Day, who is playing with Scott is two back. K.J. Choi is also at 10 under and he has three holes to play.
6:05 pm
Woods posts 67 for 10 under
AUGUSTA, Ga. –- Don’t look now but Tiger Woods is one of the leaders in the clubhouse at 10 under.
Woods just finished off a round of 67 that included a sizzling 31 on the front side –– and the only eagle of the day at the eighth hole. He’s tied with Geoff Ogilvy, one shot off the lead held by Adam Scott.
Scott has three holes to play. There are two other players – Jason Day and Charl Schwartzel — on the course at 10 under and three who are 9 under.
“All that matters right now is that I’m one shot back,” Woods said. “We’ll see what happens. A lot of guys have a lot of golf to play.”
Woods has 14 major championships on his resume, but he has never come from behind to win one of them. Woods trailed Rory McIlroy by seven strokes at the start of the day but wasted no time making up ground on the front nine.
“I got off to a nice start there and posted 31 and then on the back nine could have capitalized some more, but I still got a shot at it,” Woods said. “I hit it good all day. This entire weekend I hit it good. So that was a nice feeling.”
6:05 pm
Ogilvy finishes at 10 under
AUGUSTA, Ga. – Geoff Ogilvy has joined Tiger Woods in the clubhouse at 10 under and will wait to see if there’s a playoff.
Ogilvy, like Woods, shot a final-round 67. Unlike Woods, he did his damage on the back nine, reeling off five consecutive birdies from holes 12-16 to make a huge move up the leaderboard.
Ogilvy, the 2006 U.S. Open champion, said he was just treading water on the front nine, calling himself “an interested spectator for the Tiger show,” who was in the group ahead.
“When I birdied the 12th, that was a bonus,” Ogilvy said. From there, he got right into the thick of things, shooting a back nine 31.
“I didn’t expect to birdie five in a row,” Ogilvy said. “But that’s what happened. It’s nice to finish with my best nine.”
Ogilvy also will have his highest finish at the Masters. In five previous appearances, he had never finished higher than a tie for 15th.
5:45 pm
Closer look at closing holes
AUGUSTA, Ga. – With tournament leader Adam Scott on 15, that could be his last real chance to extend the lead.
The final three holes at Augusta National have yielded few birdies in the final round.
With the majority of players having finished their rounds today, the numbers currently are:
16TH HOLE – 6 birdies, 23 pars, 10 bogeys, 2 others
17TH HOLE – 4 birdies, 27 pars, 5 bogeys, 1 other
18TH HOLE – 5 birdies, 22 pars, 7 bogeys, 1 other
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