Bubba Watson won the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Georgia on Sunday. This was his second Masters victory, after also winning in 2012. These are his only 2 major victories so far in his career. Not bad though, 2 green jackets, 2 years apart.
Watson had a battle through the first 9 holes on Sunday with 20 year old Jordan Spieth. Both golfers started the day at 5 under par, and Spieth was at -8 after birdieing the 7th hole. Watson was 2 shots back at the time. But after consecutive bogeys for Spieth on 8 and 9, while Watson had birdies on the same holes, the 2 shot deficit became a 2 shot lead. The suspense was over after Bubba took the lead.
Spieth was vying to become the youngest Masters champion ever, but it was not meant to be. He ended up tied for 2nd place with Jonas Blixt of Sweden, 3 shots back at -5. Blixt was the only golfer to shoot under par in all 4 rounds.
Watson joined Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson as the only other multiple major winners in the last 22 tournaments. He is also the 17th player to win multiple Masters tournaments. Watson led the field in driving distance averaging over 305 yards per drive. He was also 5th in greens in regulation, and 16th in putting. Put all that together and that’s how you win another Masters, and a cool $1.62 million winning purse.
The future of golf in the United States appears very bright, even without Tiger Woods, who is recovering from back surgery. 4 Americans finished in the top 6 at the Masters, including the aforementioned barely out of his teens Spieth. Will Watson win some of the other majors, will Spieth become the next dominant American, will Woods make a big comeback after surgery, or will someone else become the top golfer in 2014? Only time will tell.
If you would like to have future commentaries sent to you, click on the link below, to take you to my website, then just enter your email address:
Sports With Frank Thomas
