The roars were back at Augusta National Golf Club, as the 75th edition of the Masters Tournament produced more birdies and more drama than in recent memory. For much of the week the roars followed a 48-year-old veteran bidding to be the oldest player to win the Masters – or a major championship, for that matter.
Coming off a magical 2008 Ryder Cup season, Kenny Perry continued to bask in the twilight of his career, as he split Augusta’s tightened fairways with his TaylorMade R9 Driver and time and again reached the putting surfaces with his TaylorMade Irons. Perry’s mastery included his putter, which helped him negotiate the large, sloping, slick greens and carry him to the 36-hole lead.
“My putter is a lot better. I'm actually very comfortable on the greens.” Perry said.
Paired with co-leader Chad Campbell during Saturday’s third round, Perry continued his stroll toward the record books. A two-under-par 70 gave him a share of the 54-hole lead with 2007 U.S. Open champion Angel Cabrera.
Although he had downplayed the pressure of winning the Masters and his first major, Perry shared that at least one person close to him felt it was important.
“Dad has always said, ‘You need to win that Green Jacket,’” Perry said, laughing.
By the time Perry reached the 71st tee on Sunday, it looked like a foregone conclusion, as his TaylorMade clubs kept clicking. In fact, he had just stuffed an 8-iron shot at the par-3 16th hole and tapped in for birdie. The sentimental favorite had a two-shot lead with two holes to play.
Then the easy-going Kentuckian ran out of magic. A slightly errant approach shot led to a nervous chip and bogey on the 71st hole. A bunkered drive and a missed green led to another bogey on the 72nd hole. Bogey, bogey, playoff.
In the end, the Masters – and appointment with the record books – slipped from Perry’s grasp. While disappointed, Perry kept his head up in defeat, again mentioning his father.
“He just wanted me to win,” Perry said. “He wants the best for me just like I want the best for my kids. We’ll have a good conversation tonight.”
The Man from Cordoba
The 2009 Masters winner in a sudden-death playoff with Perry and Campbell, Argentinean Angel Cabrera made it clear his victory did not avenge the heartbreaking loss of fellow countryman Roberto De Vicenzo in the 1968 Masters.
(De Vicenzo gave away the Master’s title when he signed an incorrect scorecard. Bob Goalby beat him in an 18-hole playoff the following day.)
“De Vicenzo had bad luck,” Cabrera said. “It’s not going to change what happened to him.” The two-time major winner added, “This win, to take back to Argentina, it’s going to help a lot with our game.”
Introduced to the game as a caddie at age 10, the Cordoba native’s pro golf success has been a lesson in persistence. Argentina is not a hotbed for professional golfers. And Cabrera, the son of a handyman and maid who split up when Cabrera was a tyke, was not born into the privileged class.
Yet this did not stop him from rising from lesser tours to become one of the world’s elite golfers. Cabrera’s hang-in-there quality was again on display at Augusta National Golf Club, especially as the light faded on Sunday afternoon.
The man who wasn’t supposed to win the 2007 U.S. Open by out dueling Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk wielded his PING golf clubs and impressive power game, including an improved putter, a PING i Series 1/2 craz-E B, to slip into a sudden-death playoff and escape with the Green Jacket.
“I was happy with my game and I had confidence. I was just trying to enjoy the moment,” said the man from Cordoba. “A lot of magical things happen. It’s simply the Masters.”
Clash of Golf Titans
All eyes and CBS-TV cameras were upon them. Despite being seven shots off the lead, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, paired together in the final round of a major for the first time since 2001, were a main attraction on Masters Sunday.
If didn’t take long for the swashbuckling Mickelson, brandishing his Callaway golf clubs, to overshadow the game’s No. 1 player. Slashing terrific recovery shots from the pines with his Callaway X-Prototype Irons and sinking birdie after birdie with his trusty Odyssey White Hot mallet putter, Lefty raced to a record-tying front nine of 30. A frustrated Tiger gamely played on, making some birdies of his own.
By the time they reached the final holes, it was apparent that neither of the game’s two most exciting players would catch the leaders. And when the scorecards were tallied, Phil edged Tiger, 67 to 68. Golf fans can look forward to more battles between these two golf titans for years to come.
David is the owner of The World of Golf, a well-established and trusted golf clubs retailer. The World of Golf is your one-stop shop for great deals on new golf equipment from leading brands including Callaway Golf, Taylor Made, Ping, Titleist, Nike, Odyssey, and FootJoy.
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