Adam Scott beat Angel Cabrera in what was a thrilling play-off at the US Masters on Sunday afternoon.
Adam Scott: Masters champion
Scott became the first Australian to win the green jacket, after holding his nerve against Cabrera on the second play-off hole in wet conditions.
Scott, Cabrera and Jason Day contributed to one of the most memorable final rounds in Masters history. Heart surgeons in Australia were kept awake during the early hours of Monday morning as two of their rising stars competed for one of the most coveted titles in international golf.
However, it was ultimately Scott and Cabrera who stole the show at the business end of the tournament, while Day gradually played himself out of contention on the back nine.
Day, who at one point had enjoyed the lead, lost his nerve at the par-three 16th, where he bogeyed the hole. This was compounded by another bogey at the par-four 17th, which destroyed any hopes he might have had of becoming the first Australian to win at Augusta National.
It was a tremendous pity as Day had developed some early momentum on the final round. He slotted a birdie on the first and exploited the par-five second by sinking an eagle putt. That momentum was stifled when he made bogey at the sixth and again at the ninth.
The Australian then made amends with three consecutive birdies on the 13th, 14th and 15th holes, at which juncture the prospects of winning the green jacket looked particularly promising.
Cabrera, who had produced some sterling, flawless golf on the front nine, made a monumental error at the troublesome 13th hole. Having failed to find the fairway, Cabrera took the chance, in the hope that he would find the green. However, he didn't and his ball found the hazard.
The Argentinean bogeyed the 13th and relinquished the lead. He did keep himself in contention with a birdie at the par-three 16th. However, it was his second shot at the 18th which left the spectators and golfing fraternity in absolute awe.
Heading down the 18th fairway, Cabrera had to contend with the fact that Scott - with whom he had previously shared the lead - sunk a sensational birdie on the same hole to secure the outright lead. Cabrera would have heard the roars at the green. However he stayed remarkably composed and was not distracted by the rain which had started to fall a little harder.
His shot landed just inches from the pin, allowing a regulation birdie putt, which took this contest into a highly anticipated play-off situation.
After an unsteady start to the round, Scott had to do all the chasing and managed to keep a tidy sheet after the first hole bogey. He birdied the third, 13th, 15th, and the 18th in what was an otherwise flawless round.
Tiger Woods, who had incurred a two-shot penalty earlier in the tournament, launched a late assault on the leaders. However, as the old saw goes, it was a matter of too little too late for the 14-time major champion.
Woods sunk four birdies on the back nine, to finish on five under par for tournament. The one player who will definitely be licking his wounds afters this Masters tournament is the FedEx Cup champion Brandt Snedeker.
He sunk four bogeys on the back nine in what was an afternoon which he will rather forget. Other final round contenders were Matt Kuchar, Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood. However all three players couldn't develop the necessary momentum to win this tournament.
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