The world’s most dominant golfer didn’t win the Masters. But then, Lorena Ochoa wasn’t entered.
As for Tiger Woods, he maintained his record of never coming from behind to win a major championship. But that’s getting difficult to do at the new, unforgiving Augusta National.
If Tiger had just made two shorty putts on the back nine, he would have been nicely positioned when Trevor Immelman dumped his tee ball on 16 into the pond. Woods lost by only three and, indeed, stole second place when the rest of the contenders disappeared into the windblown trees.
And if that had happened, Immelman’s bunker shot on 17 possibly would have been a whole different proposition. As it was, he got up and down with no problem and took that three-stroke lead to the 18th tee, parred that hole and became South Africa’s second Masters champion.
You’re always tempted to ask what’s wrong when Tiger doesn’t win. In this case he probably lost the tournament on Thursday and Friday, when he didn’t capitalize on inviting conditions. He fell too far behind the leaders, and when the weather got dubious on Sunday, he couldn’t possibly make enough birdies to catch up.
Woods is 6-under par over the past three Masters and has finished third, second and second. He also hasn’t broken par in any of his past five Thursdays, although he won despite a first-round 74 in 2005. There still is no reason to doubt that Tiger is the prohibitive favorite in every major championship he enters. But at Augusta, he is no longer the pivotal figure. Mother Nature is.
– Mark Whicker, The Orange County Register
