What a great finish of this year’s Masters.
There’s the great charge by Phil and Tiger. Phil’s brilliant front-nine of 30. Phil’s mental errors and misputts at the back-nine that cost him again another chance. Phil and Tiger trading punches at the back nine. Then there’s the 3-man playoff. And Kenny Perry’s costly collapse at the end of regulation and playoff. Kenny deserves to win the way he played. I’m sure most people felt for him. It just shows how great a pressure major championship can put on people in a sport where nerves play such a big part.
But I love seeing Angel Cabrera’s win. He doesn’t come from a “blue-blood” background. He started by caddying for rich people. He is nice and always smiles. He is very casual and plays fast on the course. He used to smoke and said that smoking calms him on the golf course. He quit smoking after he won the US Open in Oakmont in 2007. He grinds out every shot towards the end to survive and win. What a way to win in playoffs – he hit into trees in the 1st playoff hole and saw his second shot bouncing off a tree trunk to go on to survive.
Maybe by winning his second major, he will hire someone to brush up his English and play more often in US. I’d love to see that.