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Felger & Mazz

Felger & Mazz

Felger & Mazz

Recent “Back Nine on Sunday” moments at The Masters

By Kevin Maggiore

When it comes to The Masters, some like to say that the tournament doesn’t begin until the back nine on Sunday. While I don’t necessarily agree with that completely, the back nine on Sunday does create some memories for almost every tournament. Here’s a look at some “back nine on Sunday” moments from the last ten years.

  • 2022 - Cameron Smith’s water ball on the 12th hole

    The Masters - Final Round

    AUGUSTA, GEORGIA – APRIL 10: Cameron Smith of Australia reacts to his shot from the 12th tee during the final round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on April 10, 2022 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)

  • Did I think Cameron Smith was going to catch Scottie Scheffler last year? No I didn’t. But the water always comes into play on the 12th hole at Augusta National, especially for the leader, so anything could’ve happened had Scheffler found the water. However, it was Smith who dunked it into Rae’s Creek on the 12th, which essentially clinched the Green Jacket for Scheffler. Smith stood on the tee coming off a birdie at the 11th hole to get within three shots of Scheffler’s lead and immediately dunked into the water to end any possibility of an exciting final six holes of the tournament.

  • 2021 - Xander Schauffele’s water ball on the 16th hole

    The Masters - Final Round

    AUGUSTA, GEORGIA – APRIL 11: Xander Schauffele of the United States plays his shot from the 16th tee during the final round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on April 11, 2021 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

  • Much like Smith last year, I never really thought that Xander Schauffele was going to catch leader Hideki Matsuyama in 2021, but the door was slightly ajar. A two shot swing on the 15th hole got Schauffele within two strokes of Matsuyama with three holes to play. With the honors on the 16th tee, Schauffele could’ve put some serious pressure on Matsuyama with a great tee ball. Instead, Schauffele hit a terrible shot that found the water on the 16th and took pretty much all of the pressure of of Matsuyama, who would go on to win despite bogeying three of the last four holes of the tournament.

  • 2019 - 3 water balls on the 12th hole…and Tiger getting his par

    Tiger Woods

    Apr 14, 2019; Augusta, GA, USA; 2018 winner Patrick Reed places the green jacket on 2019 winner Tiger Woods after the final round of The Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports

  • Again we have the 12th hole, Golden Bell, taking center stage. Brooks Koepka was hanging around the top of the leaderboard until he put one in the water at the 12th. Francesco Molinari stood on the tee at 12 with a two shot lead….he plopped it into the water. The door opened for Tony Finau….into the water his ball went. So what did Tiger Woods do? He safely placed the ball in the middle of the 12th green, two putted (it wasn’t an easy two putt), and took control of the tournament an eventually won his fifth Green Jacket by a stroke over Dustin Johnson, Kopeka, and Schauffele.

  • 2018 - Jordan Spieth’s exciting run comes up short

  • Before the start of the final round in 2018 Jordan Spieth was an afterthought. The 2015 champion was nine shots off the lead of Patrick Reed. Spieth went out with a 31 on the front nine to rocket up the leaderboard and get himself into contention. Birdies at 12, 13, and 15 got him within striking distance. Then a long birdie on 16 gave Spieth a momentary share of the lead. After the birdie putt on 16 it felt like Spieth was going to have some Masters magic and claim his second Green Jacket. However, his tee shot on the 18th hole couldn’t make it up the chute. Instead, it clipped a tree branch and left him 315 yards to the hole on the par-4. It would ultimately lead to a bogey and end what would’ve been one of the most exciting finishes in Masters history.

  • 2017 - Sergio Garcia’s par on the 13th, birdie on the 14th, and eagle on the 15th

  • After being tied for the lead at the turn on Sunday, bogey’s on the 10th and 11th hole put Sergio Garcia two shots behind Justin Rose. Then a wayward drive on the 13th hole forced Garcia to take a drop out of an Azalea bush. He safely punched out and got up and down to save as huge par. Garcia would bounce back with a birdie on the 14th hole and then on the par 5 15th, the Spaniard would hit two solid shots to the green and nail the eagle putt to tie Rose’s lead. The big three hole stretch would turn out to be crucial for Garcia, who would go on to win his long awaited major championship.

  • 2016 - Jordan Spieth’s collapse on the 12th hole

    The Masters - Final Round

    AUGUSTA, GEORGIA – APRIL 10: Jordan Spieth of the United States reacts after hitting his tee shot into the water on the 12th hole during the final round of the 2016 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 10, 2016 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

  • Jordan Spieth was on his way to his second consecutive wire-to-wire Masters victory. The 12th hole at Augusta National Golf Club had different plans. Spieth stood on the 12th tee with a one-shot leader over the eventual winner Danny Willett. What came next was a disaster (and haunts me still to this day as a Spieth fan) as the 2015 champion put two balls in the water. His third attempt would fly the green and land in the back bunker. Spieth took. quadruple bogey and lost his chances at going back to back at The Masters. The worst part for Spieth was that as defending champion, he had to place the Green Jacket on Willett. Could you imagine completely collapsing and having to sit in front of a camera and place a winners jacket on the man you just gave the tournament to?

  • 2014 - Jordan Spieth’s water ball on the 12th hole

    The Masters - Final Round

    AUGUSTA, GA – APRIL 13: Jordan Spieth talks to a rules official (not to make sure he drops his ball in the right place after hitting his tee shot into the water on the 12th hole during the Final Round of the 2014 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 13, 2014 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images for Golfweek)

  • The 2016 Masters wasn’t the first time Jordan Spieth found the water on the 12th hole on Sunday. In 2014, Spieth sat just one shot behind Bubba Watson while on the 12th teebox. The Masters rookie stepped up and missed his spot by about two yards. He watched his ball roll back into the water and watched his chances at winning slip away. Spieth was able to salvage a bogey on the 12th, but couldn’t put any pressure on Watson the rest of the way, eventually settling for a T2 finish, three shots behind Watson.

  • Kevin Maggiore is the Associate Producer of Felger and Mazz on 98.5 The Sports Hub. 

    Listen to Felger and Mazz from 2-6 every Monday-Friday on 98.5 The Sports Hub, with hosts Mike Felger, Tony “Mazz” Massarotti, and Jim Murray “Big Jim”. You can listen live in the Sports Hub App and subscribe to their podcasts here. Follow @FelgerAndMazz on Twitter to keep up with the show!

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