You won’t see a single foot of TV cable around Augusta National. In the most manicured of courses, the eyesore of thousands of interloping cables are shooed underground lest they take your eyes away from the pretty flowers.
In the lead up to the most storied of majors, the scriptwriters had their draft in early: Rory and Tiger duelling on the back nine to win. Lee Westwood sneered at this scenario in his Wednesday press conference reminding us there were a lot of other players capable of donning the green jacket. He was proven right, of course. Tiger reverted back his post-fire hydrant self while Rory's meltdown came on Saturday this year.
CBS must have been thanking the golfing gods then as Phil Mickelson roared into contention on Saturday, to be within one shot of the lead heading into the final round. If the Rory and Tiger Show had to be cancelled then the ever-popular Phil gunning for his fourth green jacket would be a more than able deputy.
Mickelson's hope were destroyed by the fourth hole yesterday though after a hook iron bounced off of the gallery and into a bamboo bush. He resembled a man pulling weeds from his garden as he hacked his way to a six.
His playing partner Peter Hanson went into the final round with a one-shot lead but never looked comfortable in these lofty surroundings. It was a good thing, too. The groans that would have emitted from disgruntled American fans if the quiet Swede won would have drowned out even the guttural roars that accompanied Georgia Tech alum Matt Kucher’s every swing.
Lee Westwood entered the clubhouse as leader on eight under after his final round but yet again a major passed him by. He’s 0-56 now and not getting any younger. His ball striking remains immaculate but his demons with the putter continue to haunt him.
Louis Oosthuizen launched himself into the lead after two holes with his extraordinary albatross. He remained nerveless throughout with the putter and his swing is a thing of relaxed beauty. With some golfers you can see the gears shifting as they launch their backswing, Oosthuizen’s is one fluid motion.
His playing partner is the polar opposite. Bubba Watson has had the maverick label attached to him long before this Masters but that belies a smart, if sometimes unconventional player.
As Mickelson and Hansen slowly slipped away, it was the smooth South African and ballsy Bubba that entered the eighteenth with the green jacket in sight. Both holed out to take it to a play-off.
No scriptwriter would have arched the Masters story this way. Watson you sense receives only grudging praise from former and current pros. His ugly swing and serial killer stare doesn’t fit the idea of the multi complicated game. Oosthuizen meanwhile was having a hard job winning over the Americans. Gary Player speaking to the BBC ridiculed an un-named commentator who said that Oosthuizen had only won the Open. It’s the hardest one to win as Player pointed out.
Both hit perfect drives as the play-off begun. Both hit good approach shots to get to the green and both went agonisingly close with their putts to win. At the second, Watson pulled his drive into the trees while Oosthuizen did likewise. The South African’s took a fortunate bounce however and he was comfortably in the better position of the two.
Watson’s ball emerged about fifty yards in the pine but within striking distance to the hole. Oosthuizen hit his approach straight and true but fell short leaving him with an awkward pitch. Bubba had the option of chipping out and following his opponent but instead hit a glorious shot that hooked and spun its way to within ten feet of the hole. It brought back memories of Phil Mickelson’s miracle shot at the sixteenth two years ago and it ultimately decided the Masters.
Bubba was left with two putts to finish and when he sunk the second to win, he broke down in a stream of tears. There are few sporting scenarios as brutal as a major sudden-death playoff. Winners and losers are decided by mere inches. One would have to be made of stone not to feel happy for Bubba as he blubbered though and I couldn’t help but admire the class of Oosthuizen as he took the defeat with a grace that matched his swing.
All those television cables snaked their way indoors with the somewhat-formal presentation of the green jacket now squeezed into a tight Butler cabin. Bubba was asked about his week and month (with his adopted new born son). He again choked back the tears and said, “I never got this far in my dreams”.
Couldn’t have been scripted any better.
Pic : Guardian.
