New Delhi: The green jacket at the Augusta Masters is the most coveted title in golf. And a 28-year-old journeyman by the name Trevor Immelman earned the right to wear it on Sunday evening.
His consistency dashed the hopes of World No. 1 Tiger Woods to claim a grand slam on the first step itself.
While everyone expected the fourth day at the Augusta Masters to be an exciting one, the big question was: will overnight leader Trevor Immelman hold his nerve to become the first start-to-finish winner since 1976?
And Trevor didn't disappoint. An eagle on the fifth took him to 11-under. But Tiger kept putting pressure on Trevor. A birdie at the 11th took him to five shots under par.
But amidst the fierce rivalry between the two, the shot of the day came from Nick Watney. An eagle at par four in the 14th hole drew applause from everyone.
And just when Tiger started looking threatening, he missed an easy birdie chance on the 13th hole. Though he tried his best, Woods could only manage an overall score of five under 283 to finish second.
And then came the moment everyone had been waiting for as Immelman held a straightforward putt at the 18th to win the tournament by three shots.
"Just to be a Major champion and a champion here at the Masters is something I have dreamt about since I was a very young man. At times you doubt whether you are good enough to get it done and at times, when things are going wrong, you wonder if it will ever happen. But if you work hard and believe in yourself, anything can happen," Immelman gushed.
It was tense. It was not always pretty but in the end it was decisive, as Immelman's win fulfilled the expectations of those who have long viewed him as the natural successor to Gary Player and Ernie Els.
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