Spain’s Sergio Garcia ended nearly two decades of major disappointment when he beat England’s Justin Rose in a playoff to win the U.S. Masters on Sunday.
Both players finished on nine under par after 72 holes at Augusta, setting up a sudden-death play-off on the 18th.
But after 73 majors, four heartbreaking runner-up finishes and years of self doubt, it was finally time for Garcia to win a title title that has eluded him for a long, long time. When his 12-foot birdie putt at the first extra hole dropped into the cup at the par-four 18th, a massive cheer rose from a gallery that had been on the edge of their seats.
Deadlocked after nine holes, the two players produced an enthralling back nine showdown worthy of any Masters champion.
Garcia becomes the third Spaniard to wear the Green Jacket, joining Jose Maria Olazabal, who also triumphed twice at Augusta, in 1994 and 1999.
“It is amazing. To do it on his (Ballesteros’s) 60th birthday and to join him and Jose Maria Olazabal, my two idols in golf, it is something amazing,” said Garcia before accepting the Green Jacket from last year’s winner Danny Willett in Butler Cabin.
“Jose Maria texted on Thursday saying how much he believed in me and to believe in myself.
“Everybody has been great. My whole family, my fiancée.”
Garcia, who has been plagued by self doubt when it came to majors, once said he did not have what it takes to be a major champion but with the win, he has clearly demonstrated that he does indeed possess the tools, demeanor and determination of a champion.
Asked to pick a highlight – a hole, a shot or something else – Garcia said the best part of the victory was his ability to “demonstrate my character and mentality, especially when things were not going well.”
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