Johnson: Masters' victory is surreal
Phil Mickelson helps Masters winner Zach Johnson into his green jacket following the final round of the 2007 Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia on Sunday. Reuters |
Johnson, who missed the cut in seven of 11 prior major starts, made three birdies in four holes to win a back-nine battle with Woods on Sunday at Augusta National Golf Club and captured the 71st Masters by two strokes.
The 31-year-old American, whose only prior PGA victory came in 2004 at Atlanta, fired a three-under par 69 to finish 72 holes on one-over par 289, matching the highest-ever winning score at the Masters.
"I feel very lucky," Johnson said. "This is very surreal. I dreamed about it but I didn't think it would be this year. It was a dream, an absolute dream. My dreams have been answered."
Woods, who began the round a stroke ahead of Johnson, eagled the par-5 13th but settled for pars the rest of the way, unable to gain ground after Johnson birdied 13, 14 and 16.
"I couldn't make the shots I needed to keep myself in the ball game," Woods said. "I make the same birdies he does on the same holes, it's a moot point.
"Keep plodding along. This course was playing very difficult. You had to give yourself the best chance on birdies because they were hard to come by."
Woods shared second on three-over 291 with South Africans Retief Goosen and Rory Sabbatini. American Jerry Kelly and England's Justin Rose, who also had a chance in the final holes, shared fifth on 292.
"I felt very calm and comfortable and hit some great shots under pressure," Rose said. "It was a pity the last couple of holes but I kept my head up all the way and I'm pleased with that. I kept grinding and believing in myself."
Stuart Appleby, the 54-hole leader by a shot over Woods and Rose, tried to become the first Australian to win the Masters but shared seventh on 293 with Padraig Harrington, who tried to be the first Irish major winner in 60 years.
Johnson took home $1.305 million from a total purse of $7.25 million. He shared 32nd here last year after missing the cut in his 2005 debut.
"Zach has been a very good player for a long time," Goosen said. "He hits the ball straight and low and accurately and that's what you need to do around here."
Johnson denied Woods his 13th major title and third major in a row, spoiling the world number one's bid for the third leg of a "Tiger Slam" sweep of four majors in a row.
Woods is 12-for-12 in majors when leading after 54 holes but still has never won a major when trailing after three rounds, as he did by a stroke to Appleby.
Woods lamented his bogey-bogey finishes on Thursday and Saturday.
"I basically blew this on those four holes," Woods said.
Johnson became the first Masters winner not to play in the final pairing since Nick Faldo in 1990.
Gusty winds, lightning-fast greens and frigid conditions helped push Johnson's final total to equal with the record worst by a winner, 289s by Sam Snead in 1954 and Jack Burke in 1956.
Johnson began with a bogey but followed with birdies at the par-5 second and par-4 third. He answered a bogey at the fifth with a birdie at the par-5 eighth but his biggest work began on the back nine.
Johnson layed up at the par-5 13th to set up an eight-foot birdie putt that gave him the lead and followed with a birdie at 14 to seize a two-stroke edge on Goosen with Woods four back.
"I was sticking to my game plan. I didn't go for one par-5 in two all week and I managed to make a lot of birdies on them. I had to score on par-5s and I did," Johnson said. "I just kept rolling the ball and I guess it was my day."
Johnson was 11-under par this week on par-5 holes.
Woods rolled his second shot at the par-5 13th four feet from the pin and made the eagle putt to pull two behind Johnson. Woods missed a tense 10-footer for birdie at 14 and Johnson sank a birdie putt at 16 to move three ahead.
Woods found the water at the par-5 15th while Johnson took a bogey at the 17th and barely salvaged par at 18.
"I really wasn't looking at the leaderboard. I didn't know where I stood," Johnson said. "I guess ignorance is bliss. I didn't peak until the 17th hole until I looked at it. I knew I had to play solid."
Rose, who made double bogeys at the first and third holes, pulled within one with birdies on the 15th and 16th. But Rose took a double bogey at 17 and no European has won a major since Scotsman Paul Lawrie at the 1999 British Open.
Woods had the last gasp but missed an eagle bid from the 18th fairway and settled for a final-round 72.
"I never felt very comfortbale," Johnson said. "You may not know where Tiger is but you can feel him. It wasn't over until he hit his second shot on 18."
Augusta National surrendered some trademark back-nine dramatics with watered greens and friendlier pin placements.
"They gave us a break and a chance to score, which was nice, but it still wasn't easy," Woods said.
AFP
(China Daily 04/10/2007 page24)
