I tweeted this at 5:04 PM
Another run away at the Masters… Zzzzz .
— Jeff or Jeffrey Fann (@TalkinACCSports) April 10, 2016
It look liked for the 3rd straight year, it appeared we were headed to an anti-climatic back 9 after Jordan Spieth took a 5 shot lead heading new hole #10. Already a 2-time major, this one looked over. Um yes about that. It looked Augusta National had seen enough Masters without something amazing happening on the back 9. When Jordan Spieth dumped two shots on in the water on the 12th hole following 2 straight bogeys the collapse reached epic levels.
A couple of things come to mind here. Jordan Spieth is one of the best golfers on the planet. He might be the very best. He was paired with Rory Mcilory in the final group on Saturday, and beat him by 4 shots. It just reminds you of how great Tiger Woods was for about 10 years. His flawless record when leading going into the 4th round of major during that period. It also speaks to the greatness of Jack Nicklaus. Woods won 14 majors and stills trails Nicklaus by 4. Spieth will feel the sting of this, and he likely won’t reach Woods/Nicklaus level, but I’m still seeing several more majors in his future.
Danny Willett should be given a lot of credit for firing a final round 67 to catch Spieth. He one of the top 15 golfers in the world, and he’s a 4-time winner on the European Tour. He’s only 28 too. Maybe there’s a new player that joins Jason Day, Rory Mcilory, and Jordan Spieth as an under 30 great player. He showed a lot of guts coming down the stretch. Just last year he finished in the top 10 at the British Open. Keep an eye on Mr. Willett in the future. Hopefully the Spieth collapse doesn’t overshadow Willett’s great comeback.
- I didn’t see Phil Mickelson missing the cut. He came in playing well, but game unglued on Friday. Mickelson has had too many good finishes this year to write him off yet, but this had to have been a big disappointment.
- Dustin Johnson had another top 10 in the major. That’s 11 without a win. I have to believe he’s going to get the monkey off his back eventually. He’s just too talented.
- What happened to Rickie Fowler? He went 80-73 to miss the cut. Fowler is still looking for that first major.
- Spieth’s collapse is going to get the headlines, but an under-reported story happened Saturday. Rory Mcilory got spanked by Spieth in their Saturday final group pairing. Mcilory for all his talent and a chance to go toe-to-toe with Spieth – wilted. I think Mcilory is still the most gifted golfer in the world, but Saturday leaves me wondering if he needs a bit of golf reset mentally.
- I’ve talked about Lee Westwood here on the blog before. For a number of years, he was known as the best player never to win a major. He finished T-2 this year. So close – so many times. At age 42, I didn’t know if he’d get into major contention again, but there he was. Maybe he isn’t quite done yet chasing his first major.
- Good Bye Tom Watson at Augusta National. He is one of the great golfers of all-time, and this will be his final Masters.
- As rough as this must be for Spieth, let’s remember that he has a Green Jacket. His collapse while difficult, doesn’t compare to Greg Norman’s 1996 version to lose to Nick Faldo. Norman chased a Green Jacket for his entire career never to win it.
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