Needing his best golf on just about every shot in the final hour at the Masters, Garcia overcame a two-shot deficit with six holes to play and beat Justin Rose in a sudden-death playoff Sunday for his first major after almost two decades of heartache.
The world No. 11 beat Ryder Cup teammate Justin Rose in a playoff to win his maiden major at his 74th attempt.
No one ever played more majors as a pro-70-before winning a major for the first time.
The Spaniard won on what would have been the 60th birthday of compatriot Ballesteros, the 1980 and 1983 victor of the Green Jacket, who died in 2011. On the eve of the Masters, Olazabal, who was in the field of 93 players but missed the cut after 36 holes, sent an encouraging text message, Garcia said.
By the time Garcia started to lose his grip on the green jacket, as expected - coupled with Justin Rose mixing in some birdies of his own - much of the zip was gone from the early hours of CBS' broadcast. We're good friends. So we were very respectful to one another. "He's had his fair share of heartbreak".
Rose took back sole possession of the lead with a birdie on the 16th but gave it up again by missing a seven-foot par putt on the 18th.
Trump jokes about replacing Haley, takes it back
President Donald Trump meets with United Nations ambassadors at the White House on Monday, April 24, 2017. President Donald Trump said Monday North Korea is a "real threat to the world", calling for the U.N.
But after returning to the 18th tee, Rose pushed his drive into the pines and could only scuff his second a few yards up the fairway which led to a bogey, and Garcia held his nerve to find the heart of the green in two and hole the putt for victory.
Garcia was down two strokes to Rose with five holes left.
Sergio Garcia's long-awaited win at the 2017 Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia on Sunday is worth much more than a stack of prize money, a sports endorsement expert told FOX Business.
"A win at a major is big for any golfer, but the green jacket tends to stand out", Jacobs said. He said when he hit crisp, high arcing shots often they landed a yard or two into the rough, making it hard to navigate the subsequent approach. Major or no major, I said it many, many times: I have an wonderful life. When I faced them, even with a trophy on the line, there wasn't the iontensity that existed against a player I didn't know or didn't like. "That putt really turned the clock a little bit for me". 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.
Both had birdie putts.
Comments