To slip on that Green Jacket is an ultimate dream for any professional and aspiring pro golfer. The PGA Championship, The British Open and U.S. Open are all incredible feats but there is something different about winning the Masters. Augusta National, the most historic golf course in the United States with the most elite members founded by Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts is still a "men's only" golf club. Some say it's sexist but others call it tradition. Every year people wait for this weekend to arrive and if you're lucky enough you just might get tickets to witness it first hand.The events begin with the ever entertaining Par 3 contest where past champions and those playing that year play the Par 3 9-hole course. It's a time for the players to let loose and relax before the opening round. Often players will have their kids or entire family caddy for them and many of which will have them putt for them. Unlike any other golf tournament, the goal is not to have the lowest score. Why you ask? because in the 41 years since the contest was established no player has won the contest and then gone on to win the Masters that same year. Talk about a great chance to purposely goof around and miss 2 ft putts. Once the fun is over, it's game time. All focus is put on the treacherous weekend that is known as the Masters.
Thursday's opening round did not disappoint, much like the first round of the NCAA tournament this year. Lots of great golf. Birdies, long drives, chip-ins, you name it but there was also a lot of missed fairways, bogeys, doubles, and even triples. That's what any golf tournament will do to someone but when it's the Masters it seems like every mistake is multiplied by 10. This years tournament was dominated by the younger generation of up and coming pros. Right out of the gate Rory McIlroy was in control of the course shooting a 65 in the first round and not slowing down anytime soon with a 69-70 Friday and Saturday. With experience players like past champion Angel Cabrerra and KJ Choi still in the hunt it was anyone's jacket. It's okay to say you thought McIlroy was going to win, going into the final round it seemed that way. Even going into the final 9 holes he was holding strong. Then everything changed. Let's start with the other players before we get to McIlroy's final 9 holes.
Was this going to finally be Tiger's redemption win? With his -5 under charge on the front 9 it sure seemed so. Watching him hit the ball it seemed as though the eye of Tiger was back but with 120 putts he wasn't going to win. Despite his -6 round of the day, it wasn't enough with as many people behind him still left to play. He can take away from this weekend that it wasn't a poor showing but he just needs to go back and work on some aspects of his game. The Tiger is well on his way back and I wouldn't be surprised if he won a major this year after his round on Sunday. This weekend wasn't his. Nor was it Jason Day or Adam Scott. Or Geoff Ogilvy or Luke Donald. All of the men atop the leaderboard shared the lead at some point on Sunday going back and for with birdies, pars and bogeys. For a good 4-5 holes it seemed no one was willing to take the chance and go for it. It really became a neck and neck race as 3 round leader Rory McIlroy started to unravel.
For 63 holes the young Irish fellow (21) led the tournament and in the front 9 it seemed as though he was still going to take it all home. But slow and steady wasn't going to win with players charging up the leaderboard. Going into 10 McIlroy had to make a move but when he schanked it far left off the tee everything started to go against him. Saying that it went left was an understatment. He hit the ball into the houses that are right off the course seemingly needing to knock on their door to ask if he could even hit the ball. Once he got it on the fairway it still wasn't going right and he hit his approach behind the scoreboard. Somehow he only tripled the hole, but with his 4 shot lead he had going into the final round he was far from out. This is where mental toughness and experience come into play. If he could rebound he'd still have a chance, but he didn't. He followed his triple with a bogey-double bogey on the next two holes. Put a fork in him, he's done. The only thing he can walk away with from this tournament is the experience and the lesson learned on how he needs to keep it together on the final day. In a post round interview he said it very well "it'll bother me for a few days, but then I'll get over it and move on". Some players never recover from this disastrous of a final round in a major but this will ultimately prove how good he is if he can bounce back.
Charl Schwartzel become the opposite of McIlroy. Going into the final holes of the tournament he was right among the 8-10 players still in contention. All seemingly not ready to take the measures needed to grab hold of the lead. Schwartzel wasn't however. With 4 holes left someone needed to step up or else we were going to see a play off. Jason Day finished birdie birdie to end the weekend at a -12 276 and Adam Scott finished with pars on the last 3 holes for the same score. Schwartzel birdied 15...then again on 16... and once more on 17. With a beautiful straight down the middle tee shot on 18 Schwartzel was in good hands to win as long as he didn't succomb to the pressure and bogey he would be the 2011 Master Champion. Approach shot to the 18th green left him about 15 ft from the hole. 2 putts and he wins by 1 shot, birdies out and wins by 2. Charl lines up the putt, hits the ball, after a millisecond of it seeming to not go in, it rounds the edge of the cup and softly lands at the bottom. Roars from the crowd, arms in the air, it looks and sounds like we have a new masters champion.
the 75th Green Jacket was slipped on by South African Charl Scwartzel to join the club of golfers including Palmer, Nicklaus, Woods, Phil Mickelson, Mark O'Meara and fellow countrymen Gary Player. Schwartzel took what could be the hardest round of the year on the PGA and wrestled it to the ground for a victory. He didn't just sneak by, he took control in the closing holes and never looked back. But now the questions remains, will he become a one and done type winner at the Masters like Mike Weir or will he stand on 18 and wear another Green Jacket? As much as the physicality and talent as it takes to win, golf is more mental than most other sports. If you can tackle the mental game and you've got the talent of the sport, you have what it takes to be successful. As Bobby Jones once said: "Competitive golf is mainly played between a 5 1/2-inch course... the one between your ears". McIlroy did not conquer that element on Sunday but Schwartzel did. He conquered it and then some. Safe to say, the Schwartz was with him.
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