By Rahul Banerji
There was a certain sense of irony in it all eventually. Tiger Woods sealed his Masters 2019 win on the 12th hole at Augusta National with his closest pursuers going for a swim in Rae’s Creek.
This year, he was the one to take the dive.
It did not affect the result materially as in 2019. Dustin Johnson was at the head of the field and taking no prisoners in his quest for a maiden Green Jacket.
He blipped briefly, but thereafter powered away to win by five shots, and in a record four-day total 20-under par 268 that sank a mark previously shared by Tiger Woods and Jordan Speith (18-under).
South Korea’s Sungjae Im and Cameron Smith of Australia were tied second on 15-under 273s.
Both had firsts of their own, Smith the only golfer ever to shoot four rounds under 70 in the Masters held annually on the fabled Georgia course, and Im recording the best finish by an Asian at the tournament.
For Tiger too, the day delivered a career stat, and one he will want to forget in a hurry.
Ringing a bell
The par-3 12th hole at Augusta National is called the Golden Bell. Last year, it rang true for Tiger as those nearest him on the leaderboard – day’s leader Francesco Molinari, Brooks Koepka and Tony Finau – went into the creek.
Tiger on the other hand, found a second wind that would be unstoppable.
The 2020 was more than a reversal of fortunes. It was an unmitigated disaster that saw Tiger card his highest score on a single hole in his PGA Tour career, a seven-over par 10.
The Tour website described it thus: “It started when Woods blocked his tee shot into the water, repeating the same mistake that several of his closest pursuers made last year.
“After taking a drop, Woods’ third shot found the green but spun back into Raes Creek.
“He hit his fifth shot into a back bunker, then blasted that sand shot over the green and back into the water.
“Woods dropped again in the bunker and hit that shot into the fringe. He missed the ensuing putt before tapping in for a 10.
“Woods’ previous high score at Augusta National was an 8. He made an 8 on the par-5 eighth hole in 1999 and an 8 on the 15th hole in 2013.”
Fight-back
There was redemption, though as the defending champion hit birdies on five of the remaining six holes to claw his way back into the red numbers for a 1-under 287 overall.
“I committed to the wrong wind. The wind was off the right for the first two guys, and then when I stepped up there, it switched to howling off the left, which ‑‑ and the flag on 11 was howling off the left,” Tiger said later.
“I didn’t commit to the wind, and I also got ahead of it and pushed it, too, because I thought the wind would come more off the right and it was off the left, and that just started the problem from there.
“From there I hit a lot more shots and had a lot more experiences there in Rae’s Creek.
“This is unlike any other sport in which you’re alone out there and you have to figure it out and you have to fight and no one is going to pull you off the bump and you just have to figure it out, and I did coming in.”
For the record, Johnson, runner-up last year to Tiger, earned his second major title after the 2016 US Open). It was his 24th PGA Tour win overall and he drew level with Woods for most consecutive seasons with a win (14).
Asia record
Im’s second place was the best by an Asian golfer at the Masters, and it came on his debut appearance at Augusta National Golf Club.
The 22-year-old eclipsed countryman K.J. Choi’s third place performance in 2004 with some glorious golf, closing with a final round 4-under 68.
Im was within one shot of Johnson early on but the latter just shrugged off the chase.
“Finishing tied for second is unbelievable, and I’m proud of my game,” Im told pgatour.com.
“This is definitely a memorable Masters for me, not only because this is my first appearance, but my initial goal at the start of the week was just to make a cut and get into the weekend,” the delighted golfer added.
Good scrambling
“My iron accuracy definitely wasn’t up to par as I did play the first two rounds, but I was able to put it in places where I was able to have a good angle of getting close to the hole, so my scrambling was pretty good.
“Leading up to this week, I struggled with my putting a little bit. So I made a change with my putter, and this week, I putted so well, and that’s what made the difference.
“I also made some nice approach shots, which led to some good saves. So overall, I’m happy with my approach shots and putting in this week,” added the third-youngest top-five finisher at the Masters behind Tiger and Speith.
Also read: Masters 2020: Tiger solid, sits three back of leader Casey
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