Nice guys do come first as Weir claims US Masters
IN: News | US PGA | US Masters (2003) | Wrap | by Bruce Young | 14 Apr 2003
In yet another gripping finale to the 2003 US Masters, two non-major winners and two of the more popular players on tour fought it out, with the gritty Canadian Mike Weir coming out on top.
It will likely be remembered as the one that got away for Len Mattiace, as after having done all the hard work to grab a two shot lead with two holes to play, he bogeyed the 18th and was then forced to wait as Weir produced a strategically brilliant birdie on the fifteenth and parred sixteen, seventeen and eighteen to join Mattiace on top of the leaderboard at seven under after 72 holes.
The first playoff hole was to prove rather anti-climatic, especially after both players had driven the ball perfectly down the par four tenth. Mattiace hit first and dragged his second left of the green where a direct line to the flag was hampered by a pine tree. He was forced to chip right of the flag and, in the end, did quite a good job to get it to within 25 feet. Weir on the other hand hit a fine iron that must have looked all over the flag to him, as his comment for the shot to "be right" when still in the air would suggest. It came up some 40 feet short. however. and when he ran his first putt some six feet by the hole the door was still open for Mattiace. He (Mattiace) managed to close the door on himself, however, with a first putt that ran fifteen feet past the hole and when he missed from that length then all Weir needed to do was two putt to win. He did that and the 2003 US Masters title was his.
It would be easy to say that it was an ordinary display in the playoff by both players, but to produce the sort of golf required to get there takes both game and courage and Weir and Mattiace can take a lot of pride in the way they handled themselves on day four. Firstly, Weir for the rock solid bogey-free golf he produced on a difficult and taxing day, both physically and mentally, and Mattiace for producing one of the great final rounds in Master's history.
Playing in the final group, Weir birdied the second to pull within one of veteran Jeff Maggert but then all hell broke loose for the tournament leader, Maggert. In what was one of the really sad moments in the game, Maggert's second to the par four third from the left hand fairway trap caught the lip and rebounded across his chest. He thereby incurred a two-shot penalty in addition to having to play from the sand again. The resulting triple-bogey meant that he went from having a one shot lead to falling two strokes behind Weir.
Weir held court from that point on until Mattiace eagled the par five thirteenth to grab the lead. Weir then joined him again at the thirteenth when he holed a 15-foot return putt for birdie. When Mattiace had birdied the fifteenth and sixteenth he had established a two shot lead and one that appeared almost unassailable. But this was Augusta and this would be a moment in time that may well define either Weir or Mattiace's future. Who was up to the task more?
Mattiace was first to crack, if there is a way to crack enroute to a last round 65 at Augusta, when his tee shot at the 18th found the trees to the right of the fairway. He was forced to advance to ball just seventy or so metres and was still left with shot of around 120 metres for this third. That shot finished through the green and in the end he was forced to make a three metre putt for bogey that would see him drop back to seven under alongside co-leader Weir who had just birdied the fifteenth with a smart lay up and a brilliant pitch from 80 metres. Weir then missed a great opportunity at the 16th green from four metres, but it was a tough putt, and then made a great return putt for par on seventeen and a very good putt for par at the last. His second putt was from two and a half metres and so to the playoff.
Weir is now a major winner but has shown that the big time is not of any concern to him with wins at events such as the American Express World Golf Championship and the Tour Championship. He now goes to the top of the money list this year with around $US3,200,000 and has already won three times this year and who's to say more victories are not to come.
There were so many other fine performances but before we leave the top two a special mention for Len Mattiace. His weekend consisted of rounds of 69 and 65 after just making the weekend cut by two strokes and yet, with one hole to go, he was leading by two. He produced twelve birdies and an eagle over the weekend, only just heading Jeff Maggert's thirteen birdies in that statistic, but he has come a long way since that fateful day in March of 1998 when he took a nine at the 17th at Sawgrass when leading the TPC. It is hoped, and expected, that he will recover from this setback with the same determination.
Phil Mickelson again produced another fine tournament at Augusta, his fourth third placing in eleven starts. He did little wrong and, given the preparation he gave himself coming into the week, it was a fine effort. You've just got to love him.
Furyk again showed his capacity to contend in, yet not win, a major. This week was Furyk's 31st start in a major and his 12th top ten finish, his time must surely come soon.
The Purple Heart for the week, however, must go to Jeff Maggert. He had not played well for some time and, that he was able to rebound from two of the most disastrous holes that a contender could experience on Sunday at Augusta, speaks testimony to his competitive spirit. There was a hollow, sick feeling just watching his experience at the third with a triple bogey but worse was to come at the treacherous 12th hole. Perhaps over clubbing, he found the back bunker and from a difficult stance he exploded across the green into the water guarding the front of the green. He was then forced to drop back towards the tee and when he dunked his fourth shot into the water he was facing a quintuple bogey. That was the result and from being in contention, despite his triple at the third, he was now well out of it or so it would seem. That he was able to produce birdies on fourteen, fifteen and sixteen to claw his way back to outright fifth is one of the truly great and gutsy performances I have seen.
Of the others, Tiger Woods was disappointing especially after he had worked his way back into the event on Saturday. It was a rather un-Tiger Woods display of golf on Sunday, dropping six shots and claiming just three birdies. He tied for 15th with another of the favoured players this week, Davis Love III.
Amongst all the hype about the longer hitters that were likely to dominate the event, it is interesting to see that Wier and Mattiace hardly fit into that category. They are not exactly short hitters but at 56th and 160th respectively in driving distance stats on the PGA Tour, all the pundits who thought Augusta would suit only the longer hitters will now have to rethink. It has been proven time and time again that long courses do not only suit long hitters, especially where there is an requirement for placement, as it is with short courses not only suiting short hitters.
Of the Australasians, Adam Scott finished up the best with a 23rd placing and another good performance at Augusta following his debut last year where he closed the tournament in ninth place.
Robert Allenby and Craig Parry tied for 38th with New Zealander Phil Tataurangi, who can be well pleased with his debut despite a poor Sunday round of 78.
