News

Scott, Australia get their first green jacket

Published

11 years ago

Apr 14, 2013

Adam Scott and Australia donned a green jacket for the first time Sunday, as Scott defeated Angel Cabrera in a two-hole playoff.

Both playoff combatants birdied No. 18 in regulation to finish at 9-under, two shots clear of runner up Jason Day. They then split the fairway with their tee balls in the first playoff hole, No. 18. Both spun approaches off the green, chipped up close (starting to get the theme here?) and both went on to No. 10.

After Scott’s 3 wood found the fairway, Cabrera annihilated a 3-iron into the short grass. They remained step-for-step as both players again reached the green and had makeable putts for birdie, with Scott’s ball slightly closer to the hole. Cabrera missed, Scott made and the ghost of Greg Norman’s misfortune was exorcised from the grounds of Augusta forever.

“Es un gran jugador y de verdad lo merece,” said Angel Cabrera at the completion of the tournament, describing Adam Scott. “He is a great player and he truly deserves it.”

Greatness was thrust upon Scott at an early age. His first professional win came on the European Tour in 2001, at the age of 21. He won his first big event three years later in the U.S., surviving a final-hole glitch at The Players. In 2011, his outstanding performance at the Masters was overshadowed by Charl Schwartzel’s closing stretch. In 2012, he seemed to have the British Open in his grasp, only to lose the lead and the tournament on the final green.

Click here to see the equipment Scott had in the bag at the Masters.

The 2013 Masters was a crossroads for Adam Scott. A loss to Cabrera might have meant another dagger to the psyche and the ego. In the end, Scott was up to the challenge and may have arrived as the player for whom much was predicted.

Thirteen golfers began Sunday at the Masters within five strokes of the lead, including co-leaders Brandt Snedeker and Cabrera, who won the Masters in 2009. Snedeker went the wrong way from No. 2 onward, making one more birdie to go with four bogeys. It seemed as if his day had ended early. Cabrera would be in the thick of the competition all day, as El Pato (“the duck” in Spanish, Cabrera’s nickname) was at home in the gentle rain. His 2009 victory at Augusta would confirm his quiet confidence.

Day had a birdie-eagle start and seized the lead from Snedeker (who birdied No. 1) and Cabrera. Day would bogey Nos. 6 and 9 holes to give two shots back, then rebounded with a birdie on No. 13 to close within one of Cabrera. Day made another bogey at No. 17 and there were two at the top, one a stroke behind. Day was unable to coax home a birdie from 20 feet on No. 18 and came up one stroke shy.

At 5:45, Tiger Woods found himself two strokes out of the lead. If those strokes sounded familiar, they were precisely the penalty licks he received on Friday, after taking an improper drop on No. 15. Who knows what might have happened if he and the field had seen his name on top the leader board at that juncture.

With four holes to go at 6 p.m., Australia liked its odds. Day, Scott and Marc Leishman occupied three of the top-four spots on the leader board. Day made birdie on No. 15 to take a two-stroke lead as Scott watched from the fairway. Day’s countryman then zipped an iron in to 20 feet for a run at eagle and a tie for the lead. Moments later, Leishman’s chances at victory ended as he came up feet short of the green and caromed backward into the pond of despair alongside the Sarazen bridge.

Cabrera’s wild-slice approach found the left greenside bunker, but he was unable to get up and down for a birdie to tie the leaders. Scott left himself 20 feet to take the lead on No. 16, but could not convert. If things weren’t dramatic enough, they quickened the pulse yet again. Cabrera birdied No. 16 and narrowly missed taking the lead with a birdie putt that creased the edge of the hole. At this moment, an entire antipodean population must have wondered if its hearts would again be broken by divinely-played intervention.

On No. 18, Scott drove ball in rough just shy of fairway bunkers. His approach, played to the right side of the green, caught the slope and trundled down to about 30 fee from the hole. Unlike in 2009, when he drove it in the woods on No. 18, Cabrera split the middle with a knife-like drive. After missing putts left, right and short on the previous three holes, Scott drained his birdie and forced Cabrera to make three to tie. Proving that ducks run cold blood through their bodies, Cabrera stuffed his approach to three feet, bringing on the playoff.

The playoff could have been another stumbling block for Scott, but this time he survived to win Australia’s first-ever green jacket.

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Ronald Montesano

Ronald Montesano writes for GolfWRX.com from western New York. He dabbles in coaching golf and teaching Spanish, in addition to scribbling columns on all aspects of golf, from apparel to architecture, from equipment to travel. Follow Ronald on Twitter at @buffalogolfer.

13 Comments

Chris

Apr 20, 2013 at 9:44 am

I keep hearing tradition and then I note that the long/belly putter has been used since the game was invented. Seems pretty traditional to me.

What would be nice is if people took time to educate themselves rather than regurgitating 10 second sound lips they heard on TV.

Same as our voting public, we have “low information” people trolling our golf sites….

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Steve St. Clair

Apr 15, 2013 at 6:49 pm

Hey, G, why don’t you move on to some other game that you can respect. Leave golf to those of us with lower standards than you that still enjoy the game, respect the game, and the players. Seems like you might suffer from broomstick envy…

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Tim

Apr 15, 2013 at 10:34 am

The Masters did not disappoint again! Wonderful, exciting to the end.

As to what the pubilc (non-playing) thinks of golf, I think they found more than enough to prove the game instills character and perseverance in the players, both professional and amateur. Perhaps things that not all the “public” truly understands.

I felt for Jason Day, but he will be there again. I felt for Brad, but his time will come. I felt for Tiger, but he will gain confidence knowing he overcame the penalty to again be “in the mix” as he calls it.

No other tournament has the drama to the end that the Masters does!

Reply Report comment
- G
  
  Apr 15, 2013 at 11:25 am
  
  Oh I think the general public understands plenty. If they’re not playing golf, then they’re playing tennis, into the NBA, the NFL, the NHL, and if not, then, soccer, Track & Field, etc etc.
  I think the public knows there is something not quite right with golf at the moment for the game to attract such rules arguments even among the veterans of the game, including the legends like Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. I think they are fully aware that when the government body in the USGA comes out not necessary a rule change, but a firm decision on the rules which had been rather weakly defined, to finally become the law for future generations to level off the game.
  
  The public understands. They see it everywhere else. A lot of the public still thinks it’s a silly game that they can pick up in their retirement and expect to play like the legends or like Woods just by buying the same exact equipment advertised on TV, and that those of us who have been playing it for their entire lives have no right to mock the newcomers because, in the end, the newcomers don’t care what the rules are, they just want to play.
  Is that what the games is all about? The rules are meant to be broken and ignored and argued, for the sake of the “enjoyment” of the game? Is that what Adam Scott has been given, a license to just enjoy the game like everybody else with equipment that looks like it doesn’t belong in golf?
  
  Reply Report comment
llamont

Apr 15, 2013 at 3:26 am

Well done, Adam! I’m glad to see genuinely classy person and a ferocious competitor (at the same darned time) win their first major in a tournament that was so “eventful”. Cheers!!!

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Derek

Apr 15, 2013 at 12:39 am

I’m going to have to agree with Ronaldo and Pat.

Although I’m not in favour of the anchored putters (belly and chest alike) because of it’s complete runaway of “tradition” so to speak; also you could argue that under NORMAL circumstances it might help a below average putter become average… by no means does it make good putters great and average putters good.

Moving on, to their point, the best putters in the game are all using conventional putters with conventional grips: a la Tiger and Snedeker; arguably the two best putters in the game today.

Also, if you’ve forgotton that ALL of the rules are in “the book” as you call it, then you have lost touch with the game, not everyone else. The rules of golf are pretty clear cut, hence why Tiger suffered a 2 stroke penalty for dropping the ball further from the described proximity and being saved from DQ thanks to the new rule which might save a golfer if a decision is made after he has signed what would be a good score-card if it wasn’t altered by the committee after the game.

And lastly, although I simpathize with Guan, Chamblee explained it quite well when he said that all players are slow, but experienced players know how to circumvent the rule, Ie. walking slowly and allowing their caddy to reach the ball first and make 80% of the decision before the player gets there… etc. Obviously Guan doesn’t know this because he’s 14 playing in a PGA Tour event (let alone the Master’s) for the first time…

Ps. Golf gods exist because he made the cut anyways. Cheers.

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phase3golf

Apr 15, 2013 at 12:34 am

Well done Adam, “monkey” of the back so to speak and C’mon Aussie!!!

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Patrick Millard

Apr 15, 2013 at 12:12 am

Well said roland
If scotty could put he would have won this by 4 or 5 strokes.
Cheers

Reply Report comment
Ryan

Apr 15, 2013 at 12:12 am

One of the best Masters I’ve ever seen. I really enjoyed it.

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Ronald Montesano

Apr 15, 2013 at 12:05 am

G,
Did you see Scott miss the eagle putt on 15, the birdie putt on 16 and the birdie putt on 17? You can’t tell me that it has salvaged his putting game. He won with his tee to green game, not with his scrambling and his 6-10 feet putts.

It’s terrific that you “dedicated players” will continue to educate the laypeople (sic).

I found this to be a wondrous week in golf. The game survived two controversies (Guan and Woods) and gave us a magical ending in spite of a day of wretched conditions.

Reply Report comment
- G
  
  Apr 15, 2013 at 2:36 am
  
  Not arguing the ones he missed – he missed plenty, yes – but at the same time, how would he have been had he used a normal, non-anchored putter at a normal length, of say, 35 inches? He tried experimenting again earlier this year, thinking that the rules would be in place immediately, and when he found out it wasn’t, he was quick to drop that and go right back to the broomstick.
  
  Could he have putted so well over the past couple of years had he been forced to use a conventional 35 incher. The answer is unequivocally, no. Otherwise he would have never picked up the broomstick in the first place if he was able to make putts.
  
  Reply Report comment
  - J
    
    Jul 23, 2013 at 4:20 am
    
    http://www.pgatour.com/stats/stat.02564.html#2004
    
    Unequivocally no? Granted, this was 9 years ago but to lead the tour for a whole year in Stroke Gained Putting shows that there is some ability there somewhere. This is proof he is capable of switching successfully back to the short putter!
    
    Reply Report comment
G

Apr 14, 2013 at 11:39 pm

This is as low and as bad as a golf tournament gets, with all its controversies, and ending with yet another controversy.

What a terrible Masters it turned out to be. Memorable for sure, as the rules will be examined through and through by the experts and beginners alike.

But the game looks bad to the general public who doesn’t really know golf or its weird rules. This tournament did not help the game any. We’re going to be made to look like a bunch of fools investing all this time into a game that really don’t have a strict set of rules for anything at all, including equipment, where everything is sort of heresay and allowed, for the sake of being nice to each other and yet not to a young kid who wants to get in on the game, being made a scapegoat, at a time when we’re desperately trying to attract more players to the game overall.

I’m already hearing how pathetic golfers are, from people around me who don’t play the game, at the silliness and pettiness of the game, for exactly the above reasons outlined above.

I do feel a bit ashamed that the game has got this low with so much bickering and un-gentlemanly conduct all around, with wishy-washy officiating that mean absolutely nothing because they no longer appear to be rules at all to the layperson watching the proceedings. I was asked – “so is it a rule in the book, or not?” And I had no real reply.

And here comes the anchoring debate. I feel for Scott, but then again, I don’t. His career has obviously been resurrected by that wretched broomstick thing, which now must be considered the decisive proof, that the devilish tool can, in fact, help those who need that sort of help. There should be no more argument, but alas – to the laypeople, they have no idea with what conundrum us dedicated players must now contend.

A sad week in golf.

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News

Morning 9: Rory: I’m not joining LIV | Masters ratings | Nelly: We just need a stage

Published

3 days ago

Apr 17, 2024

Ben Alberstadt

By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Wednesday morning, golf fans, as we gear up to this week’s RBC Heritage.

1. Rory: I’m not going to LIV

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach…McIlroy said neither he nor his agents have ever discussed a potential deal to lure him to the LIV Golf League, which is being financed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).

“I honestly don’t know how these things get started,” McIlroy told Golf Channel while on the practice range at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, South Carolina, the site of this week’s RBC Heritage. “I’ve never been offered a number from LIV, and I’ve never contemplated going to LIV. Again, I think I’ve made it clear over the past two years that I don’t think it’s something for me.

“It doesn’t mean that I judge people who have went and played over there. I think one of the things that I have realized over the past two years is that people can make their own decisions for whatever they think is best for themselves, and who are we to judge them for that? But personally, for me, my future is here on the PGA Tour, and it’s never been any different.”

Full piece.

2. Masters ratings down

Yahoo’s Jay Busbee…”Ratings for the full Masters week are now out, and 2024’s version ranks as the lowest since the COVID-impacted years of 2020 and 2021. There was a brief moment when four players shared the lead at the 2024 Masters, but Scottie Scheffler took care of business quickly enough and strolled to what qualifies as an “easy” Masters victory — a four-stroke triumph that wasn’t in doubt for most of the second nine.”

“Perhaps as a result, Sunday’s final round averaged 9.59 million viewers on CBS, according to Sports Media Watch, a 22.8% decline from last year’s 12.06 million. Scheffler’s win two years ago averaged 10.17 million viewers. Worth noting: Sunday’s final round was down 20 percent against last year’s victory by Jon Rahm, but last year’s final round fell on Easter Sunday, which created a significantly higher out-of-home percentage of viewers — 21 percent in 2023, as opposed to 9 percent this year.”

Full piece.

3. Chevron gets purse boost

Golfweek’s Beth Ann Nichols…“Chevron’s commitment to the LPGA went a step higher on Tuesday with the announcement of a purse increase to $7.9 million in 2024. The move brings the tour’s first major in line with the purses of other championships. The U.S. Women’s Open purse of $12 million paces the tour, with the KPMG Women’s PGA second at $10 million. The AIG Women’s British Open purse checks in at $9 million while Amundi Evian is $6.5 million.”

“Chevron, which moved the event away from Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California, to Texas, last year, has increased the purse by $4.8 million since assuming title sponsorship in 2022. The company has committed to title sponsor the event through 2029.”

Full piece.

4. Shipley on “notegate”

Alex Myers for Golf Digest…”So what was up with “notegate”? During his hilarious spot with McAfee, Shipley reiterated there was no note from Woods, and that he was only looking at the moderator because he was so confused where the question was coming from:

“I looked over at the moderator like ‘Who the hell is this guy?'” Shipley says in the clip. “Because it just didn’t happen. I was so confused and so shocked in the moment.”

Full piece.

5. Nelly: We just need a stage

Iain Carter for the BBC…”Korda is the first American to win four consecutive tournaments on the LPGA since Lopez won five straight 46 years ago. This astonishing streak made the then rookie front page material for Sports Illustrated.

“Korda’s feats have yet to transcend the golfing village, and perhaps that suits her as she “tries to stay in my bubble”. But the American Solheim Cup player does recognise that more could be done to tell the increasingly compelling story of women’s golf.”

“I feel like we just need a stage,” she told reporters here at Carlton Woods just north of Houston. “We need to be put on TV.

“I feel like when it’s tape delay, or anything like that, that hurts our game. Women’s sports just needs a stage. If we have a stage we can show up and perform and show people what we’re all about.”

Full piece.

6. Photos from the 2024 RBC Heritage

Check out all of our galleries from this week’s event!

Full piece.

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2024 RBC Heritage

Published

4 days ago

Apr 16, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

GolfWRX is on site this week at Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island for the RBC Heritage. Plenty of golfers who competed in the Masters last week will be making the quick turnaround in the Lowcountry of South Carolina as the Heritage is again one of the Tour’s Signature Events.

We have general albums for you to check out, as well as plenty of WITBs — including Justin Thomas and Justin Rose.

We’ll continue to update as more photos flow in from SC.

Check out links to all our photos, below.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

See what GolfWRXers are saying and join the discussion in the forums.

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News

Morning 9: Aberg: I want to be No. 1 | Rory’s management blasts ‘fake news’ reports

Published

4 days ago

Apr 16, 2024

Ben Alberstadt

By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Tuesday morning, golf fans, as we look back at the Masters while looking ahead to this week’s RBC Heritage.

1. Shane Ryan: Appreciate Scottie’s greatness

Golf Digest’s Shane Ryan…”This is what’s called generational talent, and we haven’t seen it in almost 20 years. Steve Stricker read the tea leaves when he picked Scheffler for the 2021 Ryder Cup—a decision that was richly rewarded—and starting in 2022, he was off to the races. The only hiccup was a few putting woes last year, but even that only served to highlight how remarkable his ball-striking had become—instead of winning, he was finishing third. When he fixed the putting, with help from a new coach and a bit of equipment advice from Rory McIlroy, he soared yet again to the top of the game, but this time he seemed more indomitable, more inevitable, more brilliant.”

“The sustained success of the last three years has officially made him the best professional golfer since Tiger Woods, a conclusion supported by analytics, the eye test, and every other metric you could dream up. With fewer majors, he has nevertheless leaped past Spieth, McIlroy, and Koepka in terms of pure ability. He doesn’t have their legacy, yet, but if we’re talking about peak performance, he’s already surpassed them.”

“He’s so much better than everyone else, which is a sentiment that is both commonplace—I saw it on Twitter over and over again—and revelatory. It’s the thing you say because there is nothing else to say. You’re left with the wild truth, which words can describe but never capture.”

Full piece.

2. Aberg: I want to be No. 1

The AFP’s Simon Evans…”The 24-year-old finished second, four strokes behind winner Scottie Scheffler, after carding a final round 69 but he certainly won many admirers among the patrons at Augusta National and beyond.”

“And his performance has filled Aberg with self-belief.”

“Everyone in my position, they are going to want to be major champions. They are going to want to be world number one, and it’s the same for me, that’s nothing different,” he said.

“It has been that way ever since I picked up a golf club, and that hasn’t changed. So I think this week solidifies a lot of those things are there, and we just need to keep doing those things and put ourselves in positions to win tournaments, ” he said.

Full piece.

3. Homa’s honest answer on double bogey

Golf Channel staff report…”But Homa’s tee shot at No. 12 bounded off the putting surface and into a bush. After a healthy search, Homa found his ball and had to take an unplayable lie. He made double bogey, effectively ending his bid at a maiden major title.”

“Homa tied for third, seven shots back of Scheffler. Asked about what happened on the fateful 9-iron, Homa offered two replies.”

“The honest answer is, it didn’t feel fair. I hit a really good golf shot, and it didn’t feel fair. I’ve seen far worse just roll back down the hill,” he said.

“The professional answer is, these things happen.”

Full piece.

4. Harbour Town ahead

RBC Heritage field notes, via Adam Stanley of PGATour.com…”Scottie Scheffler is, for now, set to tee it up at the RBC Heritage. He was clear to say that if his wife, Meredith, would go into labor during the Masters, he would head home to be with her, so it’s safe to assume that same rule will stand at Harbour Town. Scheffler has not shot an over-par round all season and has three victories (and one runner-up). He made his debut at Harbour Town last year and finished T11… Matt Fitzpatrick looks to become the first golfer to go back-to-back at the RBC Heritage since Boo Weekley in 2007-08. Fitzpatrick, a playoff victor last year, has two top-10 finishes this season. He has just one missed cut at Harbour Town over the last six years and he finished fourth in 2021 to go along with two more top-15 results in a three-year span (T14 in 2018 and 2020)…”

“Jordan Spieth is hoping to continue his run of fine play at Harbour Town after a playoff loss last season and a playoff win the season prior. Spieth has five top-25 finishes at the RBC Heritage in seven starts… Justin Thomas earned a spot in the field after remaining in the top 30 (he’s No. 30) in the Official World Golf Ranking despite a missed cut at the Masters. Thomas, who finished T25 last season at Harbour Town, has two top 10s on the season… Ludvig Åberg, who is tops in the Aon Next 10, will head to Hilton Head for the first time. Åberg has had a fabulous 2024 campaign thus far with four top 10s (including two runner-up results) and is knocking on the door for a victory… Hideki Matsuyama was the only eligible player who did not commit to the RBC Heritage, while Viktor Hovland – after a missed cut at the Masters – withdrew from the field on Saturday.”

Full piece.

5. Reed’s caddie’s needle

Our Matt Vincenzi…”After a particularly bad drive during his third round on Saturday, Reed’s caddie, Kessler Karain, also his brother-in-law, made a snide but factual comment to Patrick.”

“Your driving has cost us a lot this week,” Karain remarked.

“Reed didn’t disagree and told reporters after the round that there was nothing good about his round…

“A reporter then asked: “It’s a good thing he’s a family member, right?”

“Yeah, exactly. I’d probably be dragging him up that last hole,” Reed said. “I swear.Just what you want to hear as you’re looking at the ball in the tree, and he goes, ‘You need to drive it better.’ Thanks, Kessler. I appreciate it. Great words of wisdom. Drive it better.”

“This may be the last major for Reed for a while, as the 33-year-old has not been invited nor qualified for next month’s PGA Championship.”

Full piece.

6. LIV wants Hovland next?

Ewan Murray for the Guardian…”Rising speculation that Viktor Hovland will be the next high-profile golfer to be coaxed to the LIV tour will increase the need for Ryder Cup Europe to apply a simple qualification process for golfers on the Saudi Arabian-backed circuit.”

“LIV is forging ahead with plans for 2025, which include new events and the recruitment of more players from the PGA and DP World Tours. The rate of turnover is likely to be increased by the number of golfers who had three-year contracts when joining LIV, which will expire at the end of 2024.”

“Chatter on the range at the LIV event in Miami this month and again at the Masters largely surrounded Hovland, the world No 6 who starred for Europe in the defeat of the United States in Rome last year. Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton, who also played in that team, have subsequently joined LIV. Hovland missed the cut at the Masters and promptly withdrew from the PGA Tour’s $20m stop in Hilton Head this week.”

Full piece.

7. Rory’s management: LIV reports are ‘fake news’

Brian Keogh for the Irish Independent…”A report that Rory McIlroy was on the verge of an $850million move to LIV Golf has been slammed as “fake news” by his management.

“Fake news. Zero truth,” McIlroy’s manager Sean O’Flaherty said in an email.

London financial paper “City AM” reported today that sources have told them that McIlroy “could” join LIV Golf

The paper reported that “two separate sources have told City AM that they believe a deal is close. It is claimed that LIV Golf chiefs have offered world No2 McIlroy an eye-watering $850m to join, plus around two per cent equity in the competition.”

Full piece.