Masters 2015: The Biggest Surprises at Augusta
The superlatives were as plentiful as the birdies.
Twenty-one-year-old Jordan Spieth—just a few months past where Tiger Woods was upon blistering the Masters Tournament field in 1997—did his 39-year-old elder one better on Sunday by rewriting the Augusta National Golf Club record book en route to his first professional major title on Sunday.
The Dallas native's four-day score of 270 was four shots better than nearest pursuers Justin Rose and Phil Mickelson and another two ahead of Rory McIlroy, providing Spieth the third win of a for-pay career that began in 2012.
"I've said he's talented, but not intimidating," CBS analyst Nick Faldo, a six-time major winner and three-time Masters champion, said on the broadcast. "But he sure is demoralizing."
And while the wire-to-wire nature of Spieth's performance—he held the outright lead at the end of the three previous rounds and was never fewer than three shots ahead on Sunday—was hardly dramatic, there were nonetheless some surprising moments as things evolved over 72 holes.
We take a look at a half-dozen of them here.
And, as always, feel free to make suggestions of your own in the comments section.
Welcome Back, Eldrick
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This red-shirt version of Tiger Woods didn’t possess nearly the same Sunday mastery, but just seeing the 14-time major champ on a final-round leaderboard was a refreshing departure from his recent past.
Rounds of 69 and 68 on Friday and Saturday erased a shaky opening 73 and were his first consecutive sub-70 circuits at Augusta in a decade. And had it not been for another 20-something champ lapping the field, the hype created by Woods’ return to relevance might have approached his 1997 emergence.
If nothing else, it’ll revive chatter about whether he can still approach Jack Nicklaus’ magic mark of 18.
“Would it surprise me if he won one?” GolfChannel.com’s Jason Sobel wrote in January. “Not at all. In fact, it wouldn’t totally shock me if he won two or three.”
Crunching the Numbers
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If you went into Augusta selecting the first-, second- and third-ranked golfers in the world against the rest of the field, you probably would have liked your chances.
But that, perhaps, is another reason why the tournament is billed as "a tradition unlike any other."
As it turned out, Nos. 1, 2 and 3 on the Official World Golf Ranking heading into the week at Augusta—McIlroy, Henrik Stenson and Bubba Watson—were little better than also-rans when it came to the tournament.
McIlroy entered the final round in a dream pairing with Woods, his predecessor as the game’s signature ad man, but never provided the charge that CBS and Nike were surely fantasizing about. Stenson got more press for snapping a club on No. 15 on Friday than for going 73-73-70-68 and finishing tied for 19th.
And Watson continued his even-odd performances by following up a 2014 title with a tie for 38th place.
Spieth, incidentally, entered the event as No. 4 in the world and paid off royally, while Jason Day, No. 5 in the world coming in, tied for 28th.
Sure It’s 13, but Not so Unlucky
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Though it’s labeled as the Azalea hole and its description on Augusta.com may not inspire confidence to the average weekend hacker, it’s clear the pros saw opportunity at No. 13 on Sunday.
“The classic risk-reward hole became more challenging with a new tee added in 2002,” the description reads. “A slight draw is required to get into position for the second shot to the par-five, but a tributary of the creek catches shots that come up short.”
No fewer than seven players—Hideki Matsuyama, Rickie Fowler, Tiger Woods, Ryan Palmer, Bubba Watson, Charl Schwartzel and Matt Kuchar—were able to card a three on the par-five, 510-yard layout prior to the final twosome on Sunday, and though neither Jordan Spieth nor Justin Rose added to the total, each rolled in short birdie putts after missing eagle tries of less than 20 feet.
According to the CBS broadcast, 17 of the last 22 champions had birdied or eagled the hole.
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Good-Time Charley
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He hasn’t got the resume of Tiger Woods, but based on a No. 63 slot in the pre-tournament world rankings, a not much was forecast this week for Charley Hoffman.
Perhaps best known for a gaudy glove on his left hand and what used to be a rock-star-worthy frock of blond hair, the 38-year-old Californian has precisely three PGA Tour wins in 15 pro years and had never bettered his 27th-place finish at the 2011 Masters in any of five major championship appearances.
So much for forecasts. Hoffman was Spieth’s nearest pursuer with a first-round 67, was the only man within five shots of his blistering pace through 36 holes and hung in for a second-to-last pairing heading into Sunday thanks for a workmanlike 71 in Round 3.
A 74 on Sunday dropped him from fourth to a tie for ninth, but the $270,000 check might just soften the blow.
Slamming the Door
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Ladies and gentlemen, please power down all Grand Slam chatter for the next two months.
When McIlroy captured his second consecutive major—and second career PGA Championship—eight months ago at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, he instantly set all golf clocks forward to when he’d make his first attempt at becoming the sixth modern player to win all four major titles.
After all, he was ranked No. 1 in the world. He'd won two consecutive major championships. And the way he'd played in those two majors—holding a solo lead after seven of the eight possible rounds—made for a short logical jump that he was the man to beat at Augusta.
He was a four-shot leader after three rounds there in 2011, and seemed for more prepared for the prime-time glare than the 21-year-old who'd let that premier position slip away.
Only Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Ben Hogan, Gary Player and Gene Sarazen have managed the feat in the existing configuration of the quartet, and McIlroy missed his chance at joining them when he was unable to convert a spot in Sunday’s third-from-last pairing into anything more than also-ran status in fourth place.
He was never a serious factor throughout four rounds and trailed the wire-to-wire leader by seven, 12, 10 and six strokes at the conclusion of each 18.
Next on the career Slam tee: Phil Mickelson at the U.S. Open on June 18 at Chambers Bay in Washington.
The Jordan Rules
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He’d won two career PGA Tour events, was in last year’s final Augusta pairing and reached this Thursday’s opening tee as the fourth-ranked player in the world.
But if anyone claims to have seen Spieth’s four days coming, demand an immediate urine test.
The victory made him the second player since 1940 to have three pro wins and a major at age 21 (Woods), the second-youngest winner in Masters’ history (Woods), the event’s first wire-to-wire winner since 1976 (Raymond Floyd) and the only player in 79 editions to ever get to 19-under par.
And now that the win has boosted him from fourth in the world to second behind only the 25-year-old McIlroy, let the rivalry for the next generation begin.
In fact, even the Irishman couldn’t keep from commendations.
“It’s awfully impressive,” McIlroy told the Associated Press (H/T Aol.com). “It’s great to see, great for the game and I’m sure he’ll win many more.”
And when it ended, CBS announcer Jim Nantz concurred.
“They’re setting things up for the future,” he said. "An exciting new era had just arrived. The next generation is here."
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