Garcia Masters Augusta to end major drought.
Sergio Garcia ended nearly two decades of major heartbreak when he beat Justin Rose in a playoff to win the U.S. Masters on Sunday on what would have been the 60th birthday of his hero, the late Seve Ballesteros.
"I did think about, am I ever going to win one?"
admitted Garcia.
Garcia and Rose both carded 69 to finish tied on nine-under-par 279, three strokes clear of 2011 Masters champion Charl Schwartzel of South Africa, sending the year’s first major to a playoff when both missed birdie putts at the 72nd hole.
To do it on his (Ballesteros’) 60th birthday and to join him and Jose Maria Olazabal, my two idols in golf, it is something amazing," said Garcia.
Garcia has been plagued by self doubt in the majors and once said he did not have what it takes to be a major winner.
On Sunday, though, he demonstrated during an enthralling rollercoaster battle with Rose that he does indeed possess the tools, demeanor and determination of a champion.
Garcia and Rose traded birdies on the front nine to make the turn tied, before Garcia bogeyed the 10th and 11th holes as Rose took a two-shot lead with six holes left.
They were on level terms two holes later after Garcia almost made an albatross at the par-five 15th, his eight-iron second landing inches short of the hole before brushing the pin and trickling 14 feet away, from where he made his eagle putt, the ball teetering on the edge of the cup before toppling in.