Defending champion Dustin Johnson will be back in the picture, after withdrawing from the Masters when he hurt himself by slipping on the stairs in his Augusta rental home.
"It is wonderful. To do it on his (Ballesteros') 60th birthday and to join him and Jose Maria Olazabal, my two idols in golf, it is something incredible", said Garcia before accepting the Green Jacket from last year's victor Danny Willett in Butler Cabin.
"And then just getting into the clubhouse was the challenge, I suppose".
That shot on 15 resulted in an eagle putt - his first eagle in his last 452 holes at the Masters - that saved his round and ultimately his first major. He had so many problems, complexities and opponents to master: massive self-expectations, impulsivity, all that loose-limbedness that Johnny Miller called "noodle-wristed", and then there was the wind, sand, rain, 18 holes, other players, 14 clubs in the bag, and of course, his brooding self, the ultimate enemy. "It makes me so proud", he added.
Rose birdied the par 3 16th and Sergio had a putt to tie, but missed it.
"For the most part it was all eyes on Sergio and he was looking at me, and it came down to the back nine on Sunday here, which is what this tournament is famous for", Rose said.
All week, as he remained among the leaders in the Masters, he spoke of a having better attitude about the course itself and being more willing to absorb the tough breaks that are inevitable in majors.
"We've been talking about it, and it hasn't been decided yet", Garcia said. Had he made birdie and Garcia took bogey, Rose would have led by four shots.
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"I think the problem is, because where my head was sometimes, I did think about, 'Am I ever going to win one?' I've had so many good chances and either I lost them or someone has done something extraordinary to beat me".
"I don't know if it hasn't sunk in or something but it doesn't feel that different", he said. "He deserves it", Rose said.
After his challenge combusted at this tournament five years ago, he said: "I don't have the thing I need to have".
Earlier this season, Real invited swimmer and Olympic double gold medalist Mireia Belmonte to do an honorary kick-off, while fellow Spaniard Javier Fernandez, the two-time world figure skating champion, did so nearly a year ago.
"It's going to sting for sure but I really feel like this is a tournament that I can still go on to win".
This does not include European Tour starts and does include the Hero World Challenge.
"I'd like to win three or four green jackets, but one would be enough", he said. And very positive so it definitely does help me. "I'm obviously thrilled about what happened here today, but I'm still the same goofy guy, so that's not going to change". Woods was 23 and Garcia was a bubbly 19 years of age and the duo were being fancied to provide a new and exciting rivalry in professional golf.
Remember, just last October, and not for the first time, Garcia was the butt of derogatory reminders at the Ryder Cup in Hazeltine about his place in the game.
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