Jordan Spieth, bidding for a second consecutive wire-to-wire win at the Masters, suffered a stunning meltdown after the turn as he tumbled out of a commanding lead to drop three shots behind Englishman Danny Willett in Sunday's final round.
Apr 10, 2016; Augusta, GA, USA; Jordan Spieth hits his second shot on
the 1st hole during the final round of the 2016 The Masters golf
tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. PHOTO: Reuters/ Rob
Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 10, 2016; Augusta, GA, USA; Smylie Kaufman hits his second shot on
the 1st hole during the final round of the 2016 The Masters golf
tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. PHOTO: Reuters/ Rob
Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 10, 2016; Augusta, GA, USA; Hideki Matsuyama reacts after hitting
his second shot on the 1st hole during the final round of the 2016 The
Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. PHOTO: Reuters/
Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 10, 2016; Augusta, GA, USA; Soren Kjeldsen hits his second shot on
the 1st hole during the final round of the 2016 The Masters golf
tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. PHOTO: Reuters/ Rob
Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 10, 2016; Augusta, GA, USA; Bernhard Langer and Hideki Matsuyama
walk off the 1st tee during the final round of the 2016 The Masters golf
tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. PHOTO: Reuters/ Rob
Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 10, 2016; Augusta, GA, USA; Bernhard Langer hits his second shot on
the 1st hole during the final round of the 2016 The Masters golf
tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. PHOTO: Reuters/ Rob
Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports
AUGUSTA, Georgia: Jordan Spieth, bidding for a second
consecutive wire-to-wire win at the Masters, suffered a stunning
meltdown after the turn as he tumbled out of a commanding lead to drop
three shots behind Englishman Danny Willett in Sunday's final round.
Having covered the front nine in four-under 32 to storm five
strokes clear with a third major title in his sights, Spieth bogeyed
the 10th and 11th before running up a nightmare quadruple-bogey at the
par-three 12th.
After hitting successive shots into the waters of Rae's
Creek in front of the 12th green, Spieth found a back bunker with his
fifth en route to a mind-boggling seven, falling back into a tie for
fourth at one under.
That left Willett, a four-times winner on the European Tour
whose wife gave birth to a boy last week, out in front at four under
after he had recording four birdies in the first 15 holes.
Fellow Englishman Lee Westwood, boosted by an eagle at the
par-five 15th, was alone in second with long-hitting American Dustin
Johnson a further stroke back at two under, after 14.
Spieth, aiming to become only the fourth player to claim
back-to-back Green Jackets, was at one under, level with Englishman Paul
Casey, who closed with a 67, American J.B. Holmes (68) and Brandt
Snedeker, after 16 holes.
After three rounds of strong gusting winds, the players were
greeted by the coldest temperatures of the week but the calmest
conditions as the final round got under way with an abundance of
compelling possible storylines in the melting pot.
For the first nine holes, Spieth was his usual unflappable
self as he mixed five birdies with a lone bogey and several clutch putts
to reach the turn at seven under, seemingly in total command of the
year’s opening major.
However, the 22-year-old Texan bogeyed the 10th, after
bunkering his approach, and also the 11th, after his tee shot sailed
right into the trees, before the tricky 12th took an even more severe
toll.
(Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes; Editing by Frank Pingue)
- Reuters
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