The Roar
The Roar

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Danny Willett wins the Masters after Jordan Spieth meltdown

Jordan Spieth failed to make the cut. (AFP PHOTO/Emmanuel DUNAND)
10th April, 2016
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Jordan Spieth had it in the bag. A five-shot lead, just the back ten to go, having led the tournament for the entire tournament.

Golf is a long game – it goes for four days.

But things can change mighty fast, and it took less than an hour for Spieth to fall back from clear leader to also-ran, as Englishmen Danny Willett streaked away to win golf’s highest prize.

A five-under round of 67 was more than enough to see Willett snatch the prize from Spieth, who had a horror stretch when turning the corner at the famed Augusta course.

Sitting at seven-under, Spieth bogeyed the ninth, bogeyed the tenth, and then found the water not once but twice at the par 3 12th to all but drop out of contention. Six shots dropped in three holes – while Willett found birdies to take him to a score of 5-under.

Considering the way Spieth had played the course until that point, it was scarcely believable. This was the player who was 30-under par in his three years on the Augusta course. This was the man who had led the tournament for seven straight rounds, and was looking to be the first back-to-back wire-to-wire champion.

But a quadruple bogey killed any hope of that, with his second water-bound stroke in particular speaking to a man who was rattled. It was as fat as you’ll ever see a professional golfer hit a ball.

Willett was unflappable, nailing wedges and irons close on the back nine, and in the end it was the icy play that won the day. He may have only led for a few holes, but you only need to be leading at the end.

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It is the 28-year-old first major victory, just a week after the birth of his son. He becomes the second Englishman to win the green jacket, after three-time champion Nick Faldo.

Spieth was tied for second with Willett’s compatriot Lee Westwood, while Paul Casey, Dustin Johnson and JB Holmes were a shot further back on one-under.

Jason Day finished on one-over after a round that never got going, and was the best of the Aussies.

Adam Scott, Australia’s only previous Masters winner, shot 76 in his final round to be 11 over for the week.

Cameron Smith closed out his first appearance at Augusta with a two-over-74 to finish at 15-over.

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