The 80th playing of The Masters is in the books.
Here’s a look back at the winners and losers from the season’s first and most coveted major:
THE WINNERS:
Danny Willett: He played like a British Bulldog on Sunday. As he described he just kept “digging and digging” trying to make as many birdies as possible. He was simply flawless with that five-under par 67 and became only the second Brit to win the Green Jacket with Sir Nick Faldo winning three. He earned it but will be a bit overshadowed by the Jordan Spieth disaster at 12.
The 12th Hole: The most evil short hole in championship golf. A lot of hearts have been broken there over the years. It’s only 155 yards but you simply cannot come up short. This one will stick in Jordan Spieth mind for a long time.
The Wind: The strong breezes weeded out a lot of pretenders on Friday and Saturday. Yes, Augusta National is vulnerable in perfect conditions but the two-day windfest is exactly what was needed to remind everyone what a great golf course it is.
Paul Casey and Lee Westwood: A T2 for Westwood, yet another major miss and a T4 for Casey. This shows that both are returning to form. Both have experienced a long slump. Good for these guys. A warning to the U.S. Ryder Cup team.
Bryson DeChambeau: Earned a T21 and low amateur honors. Shot 72-72-77-72. Had one bad hole, the 18th on Friday and then again on Saturday….lost five shots on 18 in two days. Still, he beat Henrik Stenson, Bubba Watson, Sergio Garcia and Jimmy Walker just to name a few of the stars he bested. The kid turns pro this week at Hilton Head.
The Back Nine: Jordan Spieth forgot that the tournament starts at the 10th tee on Sunday.
Augusta National: Still the best setting in golf, the best setting of all the majors.
Bernhard Langer: Shot 79 on Sunday but was right there after 54 holes. Now we know why he’s the dominant player on the Champions Tour — a lot of their events are 54 holes.
THE LOSERS:
Jordan Spieth’s Decision Making At 12: For a simple minute, Spieth made the biggest mental mistake of his career. He went for the pin cut far right instead of hitting a nice draw to the middle of the green.
Rory McIlroy: Needs to learn how to putt again. He was awful on the greens and that won’t cut it at Augusta.
Jason Day: Had no part of his game in order. Had only one sub-par round and that’s not what you expect from the world’s No. 1.
Bubba Watson: Has a tough time with elements. Doesn’t like wind or rain. Sorry Bubba, but golf is played outdoors.
Rickie Fowler: Talk about a face flop. Shot 80 on Thursday when 19 players were under par.
Phil Mickelson: Tell Bones to stop telling us that Phil is going to win another Masters.
There you have it. You can also add the patrons at the 16th hole to the list of “winners.” They saw a record three aces on Sunday.
