Masters 2015: Biggest Winners and Losers from Augusta National
The 2015 Masters is in the books, and it was a tournament that will be remembered for years to come.
Jordan Spieth didn't just steal the show, the 21-year-old was the show from start to finish. He shot a 64 on Thursday to jump out into the lead, and his status at the top was never really threatened. The 72 holes on Sunday were much like a victory lap for a player who could be writing a legendary future.
However, the background players in this tournament added some layers of intrigue. We saw Rory McIlroy go for his career Grand Slam, Tiger Woods begin his comeback and Phil Mickelson attempt to improve his top-heavy resume at Augusta.
It was a wonderful four days of golf that should set the stage for a fantastic spring and summer on the PGA Tour.
Here are all the winners and losers from Augusta.
Loser: Europeans at the Masters
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Well, after this tournament at Augusta, one of the strangest streaks in golf continues: No European has won a green jacket since Jose Maria Olazabal in 1999.
Before the tournament, Karen Crouse of The New York Times broke down this bizarre stat:
"Since the 1999 tournament, Europe has taken six of eight Ryder Cups and celebrated the ascension to No. 1 of four of its own: Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer, Luke Donald and McIlroy. And yet in the same span, the Europeans have not just failed to win the Masters, they have also struggled to contend.
Twice since 1999, European golfers have failed to place in the top 10. Only once since 1999 has a European come within two strokes of victory. Nine times, the low European has been at least five strokes back.
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Well, things didn't look much better for the Europeans this year. McIlroy finished in the top five, but he backed into it and never really was a threat for the green jacket. Justin Rose finished tied for second but was four strokes back and never put significant pressure on Spieth. Only two other Europeans made it into the top 10—Englishmen Paul Casey and Ian Poulter.
This continues to be the one big golf tournament the Europeans can't really figure out.
Winner: Phil Mickelson
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Boy was it nice to see Lefty smiling at Augusta again.
Phil Mickelson has always felt at home at the Masters, with 14 top 10s, 10 top fives and three green jackets to his name. But the last two years, as Mickelson got into his 40s, he looked a bit lost at Augusta. Last year, he didn't make the cut for the first time since 1997, and in 2013, he finished tied for 54th.
Well, his swagger was back this weekend. The 44-year-old Mickelson finished 14 under par, a score that would have been good enough to win or tie 73 of the first 78 Masters tournaments. He finished tied for second with Justin Rose, giving him the 11th top-five finish of his career.
He didn't get a fourth green jacket, but with 41-foot birdie putts and chip-in-from-the-bunker eagles, he reminded us why we love to watch him play golf at Augusta.
Loser: Recent Masters Winners
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There's a certain type of golfer that does well at Augusta, which is why it's always tempting to look to the last few years to see if a recent winner will win the green jacket again.
But in this case, the winners for the past four years—Charl Schwartzel (2011), Bubba Watson (2012 and 2014) and Adam Scott (2013)—all failed to contend in 2015. In fact, all three of them finished tied for 38th at one over par.
Schwartzel was two under par coming into Sunday, but the South African hit a crazy 75 on the final 18 holes. His card included three double bogeys, three bogeys, four birdies and one eagle.
Watson and Scott both shot 74s on Sunday. Watson had one double, five bogeys, one birdie and two eagles, while Scott had one quadruple bogey, two bogeys and four birdies.
Luckily, the green jackets in their closets should help ease the pain.
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Winner: Tiger Woods
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This weekend was much more than a moral victory for Tiger Woods—it was a tournament that could mark the resurrection of his career.
To say it's been a rough year for Woods on the golf course would be the understatement of the century. Since the 2014 calendar year began, Woods had two withdrawals, three missed cuts, a tie for 80th, a tie for 25th and a 69th-place finish.
The 14-time major champion wasn't even committed to playing the Masters until less than a week before it began, and when he did commit, expectations were low—many thought it would simply be a good sign if Woods could finish 72 holes of golf.
Well, he did finish four complete rounds, and he ended up scoring a five-under par to finish tied for 17th. He was in the top 10 heading into Sunday, but he had a disappointing 73 round to finish things up.
Still, his swing is moving in the right direction, his short game looks back in shape, and it looks like the future is back to being bright for this 39-year-old. Considering where he's been over the last 12 months, that's a huge win.
Loser: Back-Nine Drama
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Let's face it, there are few sporting events more exciting than the back nine of the Masters when the leaderboard is tight. But when the finish is a foregone conclusion like it was on Sunday? Well, honestly, it's rather dull.
Going into Sunday, there was a hint that things could be dramatic—Spieth had a four-stroke lead, but Rose was the guy closest to him, and Mickelson was only five strokes back. We've seen 21-year-olds blow big leads at the Masters before (hello, 2011 Rory McIlroy), and the last time Mickelson won a major, he came back from five strokes down on the final day.
So it wasn't crazy to have hope.
However, that hope quickly died as Spieth remained the steadiest hand on the course. Mickelson and Rose were even par through the front nine, and Spieth was one under par. So by the time they made the turn for the back nine, Spieth's lead was five.
When Spieth hit this majestic shot on the 13th hole, the sharpies were officially out. It was fun to see records smashed, but a few nerves on Sunday might have been fun.
Winner: The Future of Golf
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OK, so this Masters lacked the back-nine drama golf fans crave. However, it undoubtedly signals big things for the game's future.
Jordan Spieth is no longer an up-and-comer. He has now arrived, and his arrival was one for the ages. He made a statement at 21, just like Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy did, and he's poised to be a rival for McIlroy for years to come and to take over the American golf mantle from Woods.
Of course, he won't be taking that mantle over immediately or anything—this tournament also signaled that Woods will be a factor in the years to come if he can remain healthy.
Mickelson is playing great golf again too, and stars such as Rose, Dustin Johnson, Zach Johnson, Poulter, Hideki Matsuyama and Rickie Fowler are all in good form. Plus, now we get to have the drama of McIlroy going for his first green jacket for at least one more year.
Let's face it, golf fans, the future is bright.
Loser: Martin Kaymer
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Last spring, Martin Kaymer's game came alive with runaway victories at the Player's Championship and the U.S. Open. Along the way, the former No. 1 stopped his slump and lifted his ranking from No. 61 to No. 14 in a year.
But despite his success elsewhere, Kaymer just can't figure out how to play at Augusta.
The two-time major champion missed the cut at the Masters this year, something he's done five of the eight times he's played the tournament. His best finish is a tie for 31st in last year's tournament.
At 30, Kaymer is one of the best golfers of his generation. But the green jacket remains just a mirage for this champion.
Winner: Ben Crenshaw
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OK, so technically Ben Crenshaw finished dead last in this tournament, with a 91 on the first day and an 85 on the second day. In case you're wondering, that's a total of 14 bogeys, seven double bogeys, one triple bogey and one quadruple bogey.
Ouch.
But it was a winning tournament for Crenshaw anyway, as it was the 63-year-old's final Masters, and the two rounds Crenshaw played gave the crowds at Augusta ample time to say goodbye to the two-time Masters winner appropriately.
Geoff Shackelford of Golf Digest described the scene:
"Crenshaw received standing ovations at every hole and was greated by a gathering of friends, family, club members and players (Bubba Watson, Nick Price) behind the 18th green. However, it was seeing longtime caddie Carl Jackson that brought the entire day together for Crenshaw, who only shed a few tears.
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It was a wonderful way to say goodbye to a great champion.
Loser: Rory McIlroy's Career Slam Attempt
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Ever since Rory McIlroy won the PGA Championship last summer to capture his second straight major and fourth overall, the biggest question has been whether or not the Northern Irishman could capture his career Grand Slam at the Masters this April.
Well, from the first day on, McIlroy was never truly a threat to grab his first green jacket. He didn't play poorly—he shot a pair of 71s on the first two days, a 68 on Saturday and a 66 on Sunday, but with the way Jordan Spieth was playing, he never had much of a shot.
He finished with a score of 12-under par and a fourth-place finish, which would have been really great. But his slow start doomed him. While some thought perhaps the pressure of the moment got to him, McIlroy said that wasn't the case.
"I wasn't approaching it like I was trying to win the Grand Slam. I was approaching it like I was trying to win another golf tournament," he said after his round on Saturday, via ASAP Sports. "So I don't think it's really had any impact on the way I've played this week."
Winner: Jordan Spieth's Quest for His First Major
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OK, so behind McIlroy's quest for a career Grand Slam, Spieth's quest for his first major was the story heading into the tournament. (Oh, and that Tiger guy, but nobody expected him to win.)
In fact, after finishing in the top two in his three events heading into the Masters, he was the second favorite when the players teed off at Augusta, per OddsShark.
Well, all he did with that pressure was go on to break nearly every Masters record out there. He shot a 64 on Thursday, the third-best score in Masters history. He set the record for the lowest 36-hole score and the lowest 54-hole score. He set a Masters record with 28 birdies for the tournament, and he became the first wire-to-wire winner of the tournament since 1976.
He also became the second-youngest winner of the Masters, behind Tiger Woods, and tied Woods for the lowest 72-hole score at the Masters, at 18 under par.
Safe to say, it was a good four days for Spieth, who looks poised to be the next great in the game.
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