Well the 2012 Masters is in the record books.
Wow!
If you watched the tournament and did not get excited, you better get to the doc!
It was heartbreaking to watch Phil Mickelson triple bogey the par 3 No. 4. And how about Louis Oosthizen getting the rare double eagle on No. 2 (also called an albatross). Trust me. To go from 7-under to 10-under in a stroke-play tournament is huge.
A six-shot swing between Phil and Louis was too much to recoup for Phil. Louis made some must-make putts of 8 to 12 feet that are critical in any tournament.
Lee Westwood kept hanging around and if he could have dropped a couple more putts, he could very easily been putting on the green jacket. Matt Kuchar looked like he was having fun out there and he will be a factor in a lot of future majors, finished tied for third. Peter Hanson played very well considering he had to try and sleep going into the fourth round leading the Masters.
There are different levels of pressure in tournament golf and the Masters is at the top or near the top.
Then there is Bubba Watson. A new superstar? A major talent? Golf experts have been saying that is the case and now we will have to see what Bubba can do after this springboard.
If you watched Phil come off 18, you could not tell if he won. He is still the same gentleman and friendly good guy. For Phil to regroup and come back and have a chance to win and play with so much class shows how special he is. Maybe he should run for president after his golf career is over!
Now to the playoff!
There were more people along 18th fairway and around the green than I think live in our entire state. It was huge and next to impossible to see what what going on. The ahs and oohs told you they both missed their birdie putts on the first playoff hole.
Hole No. 10 (495 yards downhill) was the second hole, and it is a tough one. Bubba hit a bad drive and Louis was off to the right but had a 231-foot shot to the green and left it on the front fringe of the green with a straight uphill chip. Bubba had to create a shot to get to the green and he was 155 yards out. Unreal the shot he hit! But if you know Bubba Watson, he has had a lot of practice on those kind of shots.
Through all of the excitement, I thought you might be able to hear the cheers back in North Dakota. Louis hit a chip that went past the hole and I think he had to do that to give it a chance as Bubba had an uphill putt. Louis was still away after his chip and nearly holed a great putt. Bubba almost holed his putt and left it about 10 inches behind the cup.
The crowd started to cheer and Bubba raised his hand to signal that, wait a second - it is not in yet. Then when he made it, the scene on the 10th green was unreal. There was a hugfest and it was a real tearjerker!
Congratulations to a Bubba Watson, a great Masters champ.
Steve Kottsick is the golf professional at Souris Valley Golf Course. This is his final column from the Masters.