Stat profiles for 1500 golfers
Angel Cabrera beat Kenny Perry and Chad Campbell to win his second major championship.
AUGUSTA, Ga. -- One of the darkest days in Masters history was in 1968 when Robert DeVicenzo signed a wrong scorecard and because of the error wasn't able to participate in a playoff with Bob Goalby. Even though DeVicenzo had a great career, he's forever linked to the bizarre episode at the Masters. Now that Angel Cabrera has won the Masters, perhaps the memory of DeVicenzo not being able to bring the green jacket back to Argentina will finally fade.
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Thanks to his 4th place finish at the 1999 British Open, Cabrera got his first opportunity to play in the United States at the PGA Championship, where he tied for 41st. He also played in the WGC-American Express that year and finished T25. Cabrera's first American top-10 could be seen as an omen as it came at the Masters in 2001. His powerful, flowing swing reminded many of Sam Snead. Unfortunely, like Snead, Cabrera has been held back at times by inconsistent putting.
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After his U.S. Open victory, Cabrera gained worldwide fame and became a folk hero in Argentina. He didn't play that well afterwards, again inviting criticism that he enjoyed the high life over working on his game. He did win the Grand Slam of Golf, the Barclays Singapore Open and two times in Argentina, but in 2008 he was winless on the PGA Tour had posted only one top-10 since the Open victory, a T5 in the Accenture Match play last year.
Keys to victory
Angel Cabrera stats for the day & week Photo credit: Jamie Squire/Getty Images | ||
| Category | Sunday | Week (rank) |
|---|---|---|
| Fairways hit: | 9 of 14 | 33 of 56 (T48th) |
| Driving average: | N/A | 284.5 (11th) |
| Greens hit: | 11 of 18 | 50 of 72 (T14th) |
| Putts: | 29 | 113 - 28.25 per rd (T12th) |
| 0-putt greens: | 0 | 0 |
| 1-putt greens: | 7 | 33 |
| 2-putt greens: | 11 | 37 |
| 3-putt greens: | 0 | 2 |
| Play on par 3s: | Even | -1 |
| Play on par 4s: | +1 | -2 |
| Play on par 5s: | -2 | -9 |
| Eagles: | 0 | 0 |
| Birdies: | 4 | 20 (T4th) |
| Scrambling: | 16 of 22 (72.73%)-(T7th) | |
Cabrera continued to fly under the radar early Sunday as Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson lit up the front nine six groups ahead. By the time attention had shifted to him and Perry, Cabrera had bogeyed the 10th and was three back. It wasn't until he started to make some birdies, his first at 13, then 15 and 16 that people realized he still had a chance to win. Cabrera benefitted, of course, by Perry's bogeys at the last two holes and his poor approaches to the two playoff holes, but there's nothing wrong with being in the right place at the right time and seizing the moment.
Kenny Perry stats for the day & week Photo credit: Jamie Squire/Getty Images | ||
| Category | Sunday | Week (rank) |
|---|---|---|
| Fairways hit: | 10 of 14 | 43 of 56 (15th) |
| Driving average: | N/A | 283.1 (14th) |
| Greens hit: | 1121 of 18 | 55 of 72 (T1st) |
| Putts: | 30 | 117 - 29.25 per rd (T23rd) |
| 0-putt greens: | 1 | 1 |
| 1-putt greens: | 5 | 28 |
| 2-putt greens: | 11 | 34 |
| 3-putt greens: | 1 | 3 |
| Play on par 3s: | -2 | -3 |
| Play on par 4s: | +2 | -1 |
| Play on par 5s: | -1 | -8 |
| Eagles: | 0 | 0 |
| Birdies: | 3 | 18 (T7th) |
| Scrambling: | 13 of 17 (76.47%)-(4th) | |
So what does this victory mean for Cabrera?
One major victory doesn't make you a great player, but once you win two you become a star. Cabrera is the 45th player in the history of the Masters to win but he also joins a more exclusive club. There are 14 players who can claim winning both a Masters and a U.S. Open: Gene Sarazen, Byron Nelson, Ralph Guldahl, Craig Wood, Ben Hogan, Cary Middlecoff, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Billy Casper, Raymond Floyd, Tom Watson, Fuzzy Zoeller and Tiger Woods.Kenny Perry - Why he lost
Chad Campbell - Why he lost
Chad Campbell stats for the day & week Photo credit: Harry How/Getty Images | ||
| Category | Sunday | Week (rank) |
|---|---|---|
| Fairways hit: | 8 of 14 | 40 of 56 (T30th) |
| Driving average: | N/A | 278.6 (26th) |
| Greens hit: | 13 of 18 | 51 of 72 (T11th) |
| Putts: | 30 | 112 - 28.00 per rd (T10th) |
| 0-putt greens: | 1 | 4 |
| 1-putt greens: | 4 | 26 |
| 2-putt greens: | 13 | 40 |
| 3-putt greens: | 0 | 2 |
| Play on par 3s: | -1 | -1 |
| Play on par 4s: | +1 | -1 |
| Play on par 5s: | -3 | -10 |
| Eagles: | 0 | 0 |
| Birdies: | 5 | 22 (T1st) |
| Scrambling: | 14 of 21 (66.67%)-(14th) | |
News and notes:
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Kenny Perry heard the roars ahead, then created a couple himself, but in the end groans told the story
On a day when roars filled the air at Augusta National, Kenny Perry could have won the Masters if only he had avoided the groans.
Perry entered the round with a share of the lead, and opening with a string of 11 pars kept him in front for all but one hole despite all the loud noises emanating from in front of him, produced by the large galleries following the pair of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. That duo had simply started too far back at seven strokes behind (though Mickelson, in particular, actually had a chance if not for some mistakes on the back nine).
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Then came the groans. To that point in the round, Perry had not made a single bogey. Alas, he would finish with two in a row when a par on just one of them would have enabled him to win his first major title.
A not-so-good iron shot on 17, followed by a terrible chip. A not-so-good drive on 18, followed by a badly pulled 7-iron from a fairway bunker, leaving him with little chance of the up and down par he needed. And, one last fatal groan after a pulled approach shot from the fairway on the second playoff hole, the 10th, again left him with a tough pitch.
Not quite Ed Sneed-like, but awfully close. In 1979, Sneed came to the last three holes with a three-stroke lead and squandered it with three bogeys in a row. He ended up losing a three-way playoff to Fuzzy Zoeller’s birdie on the second extra hole. Perry ended up in a three-way playoff with Angel Cabrera and Chad Campbell, losing it when he made his third bogey in four holes.
It was a sad ending for one of the nicest guys on Tour, one who had previously suffered playoff heartbreak at the 1996 PGA Championship at Valhalla. But Perry was able to hold his head high.
“I was proud of how I played. I really was,” he said. “If this is the worst thing that happens to me, I can live with it.” When asked which shot he would like to have back, Perry somewhat surprisingly picked his first putt at the par-five 13th hole, which raced past the cup and resulted in a three-putt par. Shortly thereafter, though, he lamented the chip on the 17th, noting that he has trouble on that type of shot under pressure because his right hand takes over. Should he have putted it from the fringe? No, he said, but perhaps he should have hit a spinning shot with a 64-degree wedge, a shot with which he doesn’t have that recurring problem.
Later, he mentioned the 15-foot par putt on the 72nd hole which would have won it. “I hit it too easy,” he said. “You’ve got to give that putt a run. I mean, how many chances do you have to win the Masters?”
Then there was the drive that carried too far and went a bit too far left on the 72nd hole, leaving him in the bunker. And the approach shot on the second playoff hole, where the ball had mud on the right side of it, sending it to the left.
But Perry knows that “What if?” is a fool’s game, and he didn’t play it too much.
“You can go back four rounds, and I can count up shots. I just didn’t putt good enough this week,” he said. “It’s tough when it comes down to one shot. It’s a mental game and it plays with your head out there. . .You know what, I’m looking forward to [the U.S. Open at] Bethpage Black. I’m looking forward to the British, to the PGA. I know I can do it now, because it was fun. I was actually having fun in the moment out there.”
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Not really the winner we were expecting, but certainly a Masters to remember. Woods and Mickelson put a charge into a final round that ended up with a little bit of everything. No, make that a lot of everything.
Certainly, the weather had a lot to do with the excitement, as the perfect conditions enabled the players to perform. The committee played a part, too. The greens were receptive enough to hold approach shots and keep the players from being too defensive. The hole locations weren’t too severe. And on each day, a number of tee markers were set at the front of the tee boxes.
So, yes, the roars were back. But Augusta National and the pressure of trying to win the Masters can take their toll under any conditions. And, in the end, this exciting Masters came down to a couple of untimely groans.
Nothing wrong with that, unless you’re Kenny Perry.
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Kenny Perry and Chad Campbell are trying to win the Masters a year after failing to make the field
Here is a surprising stat. If Kenny Perry or Chad Campbell wins the tournament (with two holes to go, it's between those two and Angel Cabrera), they will be the first to win after not playing in the previous year since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979.
Zoeller won in his Masters debut that year. Perry and Campbell have each played in plenty of Masters, of course, but neither earned an invitation in 2008. Both were coming off mediocre years in 2007, ranking 42nd and 49th on the money list, respectively.
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Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods, after injecting life into the tournament with big charges, both bogeyed the 18th
Tiger Woods made a costly bogey on the 17th hole, dropping him three strokes behind Kenny Perry. It's nothing new for Woods to struggle on 17. Sal Johnson tells me that Woods has bogeyed it in five of the last eight years: 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2009.
In fact, after providing so much drama during the day, Woods and Mickelson are making a hash of the 18th hole, Woods driving into the woods and catching a tree with his second and Mickelson driving into a bunker and leaving his second short.
I can't figure out why Mickelson ran out of the fairway bunker to see the result as if he felt he had hit a good shot, when in fact he came up 20 yards short of the green, so he must have caught it fat. He and Woods both finished with bogeys, and won't win the tournament, finishing a 9- and 8-under.
Mickelson followed up his 30 on the front nine with a one-over 37 on the back that included a double bogey on 12 and missed four-footers on 15 and 17 for eagle and birdie, respectively. A great charge and one that got away, all in one day. The Mickelson-Woods duo was even par on a back nine that was set up for good scoring, after going 9-under on the front.
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Sandy Lyle posted one of the best ever 72-hole totals by a senior, finishing at 2-under
51 year-old Sandy Lyle shot a final-round 71 and with his 286 total posted one of the lowest scores by a senior at the Masters. It is three back of the all-time low for a senior at the Masters. Here are the lowest 72 hole scores by seniors:
283 by Jack Nicklaus in 1998 at the age of 58
285 by Jack Nicklaus in 1990 at the age of 50
286 by Sam Snead in 1974 at the age of 61
286 by Sandy Lyle in 2009 at the age of 51
Lyle, incidentally, in 1987 was the last player to hit the ball into the water on the 12th hole on Sunday and still win the tournament, which Phil Mickelson is trying to do this year.
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Phil Mickelson made a cardinal error on the 12th, and some others hit some funny shots, too.
Phil Mickelson may have gotten the better of Tiger Woods on the front nine, but he made a mistake on the 12th hole that Woods never would have made. Unfortunately, it's the kind of mistake that is all too common for Mickelson.
He elected to try to hit a 9-iron to a back right pin on the 12th (Woods had hit an 8-iron), a dangerous play with Rae's Creek short and right. What's more, he appeared not to take a big swing at it, and made the cardinal error of hitting it into the water.
That's not the only poor shot we've seen in recent minutes, as the pressure seems to be building. Angel Cabrera hit a huge push on his second shot on the par-five eighth (though it wasn't a shank, as Nick Faldo called it on television, and he did end up with a par).
And Jim Furyk made a total mess of the ninth hole, dumping his third shot from short of the green into a bunker and making a double bogey to fall to 7-under.
On the plus side, John Merrick made four straight birdies from 13 through 16 to get to 8-under, just three strokes back. But he failed to make a fifth in a row on 17. Oddly, his playing partner Geoff Ogilvy did make a fifth straight birdie on 17, but he is only five-under.
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Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods combined for 63 on the front nine; can either shoot 63 for the round?
The tournament record at the Masters is a 63, and the front nine is harder to shoot low on than the back. So, it must be a tremendous feat for a twosome to combine for 63 strokes on the front nine.
That's just what Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods did, with Mickelson tieing the record with a 30 that included six birdies in a seven-hole stretch and Woods a 33 including an eagle on the eighth hole (the only eagle on that hole so far today).
The back nine holds the potential for even more excitement. The wind, which is moderate today, is behind or across on the par-five 13th and 15th, making eagles possible and birdies likely. And the traditional hole location on the 16th hole, at the bottom of the ride, provides another good birdie opportunity coming in.
Can Mickelson shoot a 33 on the back (or Woods a 30) to match the record 63? That may be what they need to win or get into a playoff if leader Kenny Perry and the other contenders hold it together on the back nine.
Eagles Are Landing
Justin Rose and Dustin Johnson have just made two eagles today, joining the club of 24 others to make two in a day. Rose did it on the 13th and 15 holes, but Johnson's eagle on 13 and now at 14 will go down in Masters history joining Dan Pohl in 1982 as the only back-to-back eagles. Pohl did it in the third round of on the same holes as Johnson, 13 and 14.
As of 4:15, there have been 33 eagles made this year, right now it's the 3rd most in Masters history and could break the all-time record. The second most was 34 in 1992 and the most in one year was 37 in 1991.
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Final nine is looking to be a big shootout as seven players are within four of the lead.
AUGUSTA, Ga. - - It's just after 3:15 and already we are getting a lot of excitement. Phil Mickelson has birdied his 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8 holes to get it to 10 under and just two back of Cabrera and a shot back of Perry. Historically we has seen this story before with Nick Faldo, Gary Player, Jack Burke and even Jack Nicklaus.
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Adding to the mix is Tiger Woods also throwing in a bomb for eagle, he is 3 under for the day, 7 under for the tournament and we can't count him out.
With Phil on a roll, good time to look at best front nine's on the final day by champions of the Masters:
Best front nine score at the Masters:
Also we should look at final round charges at the Masters:
So what does all of this mean? Look for some great action on the back nine and it's up to Cabrera and Perry to do the deed. Oh, Cabrera just bogeyed the fourth hole, so he is tied with Perry, one up on Mickelson and Campbell and four up on Woods, Stricker and Furyk.
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Even with the low scoring, only three players have a chance to shoot four subpar rounds but Angel Cabrera could have four in the 60s
The 54-hole lead of 11-under has been bettered only eight times in Masters history. But even while yielding to good play, Augusta National hasn't been too vulnerable.
Only three players have broken par in each of the three rounds, co-leaders Kenny Perry (68-67-70) and Angel Cabrera (68-68-69), plus Nick Watney (70-71-71). Over the history of the Masters, 41 players have been able to shoot four subpar rounds, but at most three will be added to that total.
But Cabrera has a chance to do something nobody has ever done, shoot in the 60s all four rounds. Ten players have shot in the 60s in the first three rounds, but failed to do so in the fourth, the last being Trevor Immelman last year. Five of those have ended up winning the tournament even without that sub-70 round.
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Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson both hit wild shots off the first tee, not an indication that they are ready to make a charge
The early signs weren't good for Tiger Woods being able to come back from seven strokes behind. His tee shot at the first hole was a big hook that ended up two fairways to the left, crossing the adjacent ninth fairway and ending up in the eighth, perhaps after hitting a tree.
He was so far to the left that his second shot wasn't affected by the trees that were well ahead of him, except for making it a blind shot. But he made a poor swing with that iron as well, leaving it short and right, though he managed to scramble for par.
Phil Mickelson, playing with Woods in a glamour pairing, hit his opening tee shot into the trees and had the more difficult second shot, but managed to get it on the green and make par. In order to shoot 64 or 65, they will have to get their games in order quickly. As I typed that, Woods, after a good drive on the par-five second, sprayed his fairway wood second shot into the gallery to the right of the green. But now he chipped close, assuring a birdie, and Mickelson birdied it, too.
The one player making an early move was Steve Flesch, holing a wedge for an eagle on the second and making a birdie on the third to go from 3-under to 6-under.
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