Masters Sunday was more of a coronation than a competition for Jordan Spieth—a confirmation that the 21-year-old American golf prodigy has indeed arrived.
The green jacket was Spieth's to lose when he teed off for his final 18 holes. After a final round of two-under 70 at Augusta National Golf Club, Spieth secured a four-stroke victory, the tournament's trademark classy attire and a career-changing, wire-to-wire triumph.
Here's a look at Spieth's scorecard:
SportsCenter and Bleacher Report added context to Spieth's romp:
Hunter Mahan salvaged a tie for ninth after a rocky first round and praised Spieth's form afterwards:
The winning call from CBS' Jim Nantz wasn't at all hyperbolic, per Golf on CBS:
Spieth spoke afterwards about his amazing experience, per Fox Sports' Robert Lusetich:
Playing partner Justin Rose did well to apply pressure on Spieth early by carding a birdie on the first two holes. However, when Rose hit it inside of Spieth on the par-four third, the perpetual leader drained his attempt, while Rose missed in a key sequence.
Adam Sarson of theScore captured the clutch putt by Spieth:
Spieth slept just fine on the lead for the third night in a row, nearly birdieing his first three holes and just missing a short, downhill putt on the par-five second hole.
Dropped shots at Nos. 5 and 7 preceded a birdie at the par-five eighth. ESPN's Skip Bayless summarized how Spieth handled every adverse moment at Augusta:
Amen Corner and the holes flanking the coveted stretch of the course tend to give most Masters competitors problems, but not Spieth.
Golf Channel's Gary Williams points out how the 21-year-old was unique in this regard:
It was only appropriate that Spieth broke the Masters birdie record on the difficult par-four 10th for the third time in four trips to Camellia.
And Spieth was unique this week in so many other ways. His composure was extraordinary, having to deal with the weight of expectations after tying for second in his Masters debut last year—not to mention playing in the final pairing in his prior three PGA Tour starts.
The microscope intensified when Spieth fired rounds of 64 and 66 to start his 2015 Masters. He never wavered, holing a bundle of putts, keeping his ball in play and showing uncommon, unprecedented poise.
What often distinguishes the best champions from the rest of the world's best golfers is a killer instinct and the ability to dominate the competition. Spieth showed both by entering the record books with yet another birdie at the par-five 15th, per PGATour.com's Amanda Balionis:
Pars at Nos. 16 and 17 allowed Spieth to enjoy himself as he strode up the final fairway, making his march into immortality look so much easier than it should for someone his age.
Tiger Woods is the only other 21-year-old to win the Masters, blowing out the field by 12 strokes in 1997 and setting the scoring record at 18 under par. No one else had reached that mark until Spieth did it Sunday. And that wasn't the only record Spieth matched or beat, per Golf on CBS:
It's still very early in Spieth's career, but he shows the knack for pulling away from a pack that Woods world No. 1 Rory McIlroy have displayed most often on the biggest stages in the game.
Mike Greenberg of ESPN is excited about what's on the horizon for the game of golf after the 2015 Masters:
Spieth only trails McIlroy in the world rankings on the strength of his maiden major win. Considering McIlroy played his final 45 holes in 15 under par, shot 66 Sunday and took positive steps toward someday achieving the career Grand Slam at Augusta, golf looks to be in good hands for the foreseeable future.
Rory has been the story as the face of golf's young talent. Now Spieth is the youthful sensation stealing the headlines—showing all the stuff of a future all-time great.
And the best appears yet to come.
//from Bleacher Report http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Bleacherreport/~3/iQIWg7ot13M/2428614-jordan-spieth-at-masters-2015-leaderboard-score-twitter-reaction-from-sunday
via IFTTT April 12, 2015 at 04:11PM
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