While most twenty-year-olds were hitting the bars and chasing girls on hundreds of college campuses over the weekend, Jordan Spieth was trying to win his first major championship at Augusta National. He nearly aced the course, but came up three shots short on Sunday.
Spieth found himself at the head of the class after 54 holes. He was tied with 2012 Masters Champion Bubba Watson at five-under par heading into the final round. He started fast with four birdies versus one bogey in his first seven holes to hold a two-shot lead at eight-under par standing on the eighth tee.
The eighth would prove to be the key hole of the tournament. Spieth would make bogey and Watson birdie. Spieth’s lead was cut to a single shot with the two-shot swing.
On the very next hole, Spieth committed the cardinal sin and flunked the examination. He failed to clear the false front on No. 9 green. His ball rolled back down the fairway and he was left with a difficult chip back to the pin.
He executed a successful chip, but left the ball above the hole. Meanwhile Watson had found the green with his second and calmly rolled in his birdie. Spieth was forced to make his par-putt to fall only one down to Watson heading to the back nine.
Spieth missed his par save and was two behind Watson after the front nine.
In just two holes, Nos. 8 and 9, Spieth lost a two-stroke lead and trailed by two strokes.
This was the only edge Watson would need. He made a bogey at No. 10 allowing Spieth to draw within one shot, but the kid would come up short at No. 12 finding Rae’s Creek in ‘Amen Corner’ and make his only bogey on the back nine.
Back to two clear after 12 holes, Watson added a birdie at the par-five No. 13 for the three-shot lead. Both players made pars for the rest of the day and Watson earned his second Green Jacket.
Thus ended the lesson for for young Mr. Spieth.
The shot of the day came at No. 13. Watson put an exclamation point on the round by blasting a 350-yard drive over the corner of the dog-leg to leave only 160 yards to the green on the par-five.
That drive told the Spieth and the rest of the field no one else had enough game to catch him.
Watson had a poor year in 2013, but rededicated himself to his game and improved his short game this season. He already had one win, two runners-up and five top-10 finishes coming into the Masters.
The win moves Watson to No. 4 in the Official World Golf Rankings and No. 2 in the FedEx Cup.
For Spieth, the 2014 Masters was a learning experience and he collected a runner-up in just his first Masters appearance.
Another first-timer at the Masters, Jonas Blixt posted four solid rounds of 70-71-71-71 to tie Spieth for second place.
Fifty-year-old Miguel Angel Jimenez finished solo third. Rickie Fowler finished tied for fourth with Matt Kuchar, who struggled all day and carded a final-round two-over par 74.
Lee Westwood earned yet another top-10 in a major finishing alone in seventh.
Rory McIlroy posted three good rounds this week, but his second round 77 proved to be his undoing. He finished tied for eighth with two-time Masters Champion Bernhard Langer, Jimmy Walker, John Senden, Kevin Stadler and Thomas Bjorn.
Watson put on a driving clinic, hitting his low burner and finding fairways. His iron play was spot on all week, leaving makeable putts on the tricky Augusta National greens.
They say you learn more in defeat than in victory. If that is true, Jordan Spieth received his PHD in ‘How to win a Masters Tournament.’
All he had to do was watch Bubba and learn from the best in the business right now.