2009 Masters Recap

Kenny Perry Plays Into The Pressure

The heat was on at Augusta National Golf Club, as the 75th edition of the Masters Tournament produced more birdies and more drama than in recent memory. For much of the week the tour followed Kenny Perry, a 48-year-old veteran bidding to be the oldest player to win the Masters – or a major championship, for that matter.

On the heels of the 2008 Ryder Cup season, Kenny Perry continued to bask in the glory of his career, as he consistently split Augusta’s tightened fairways with his TaylorMade R9 driver and reached the greens with his TaylorMade irons. Perry’s mastery included his Ping putter, which helped him negotiate the large, sloping, slick greens and carry him to the 36-hole lead.

“My putter is a lot better. I'm actually very comfortable on the greens.” Perry said.

On Saturday, Perry was paired with co-leader Chad Campbell during the third round, and continued to play toward victory. A two-under-par 70 gave him a share of the 54-hole lead with 2007 U.S. Open champion Angel Cabrera.

Perry had downplayed the pressure of winning the Masters and his first major, but shared that at least one person close to him felt that winning was important.

“Dad has always said, ‘You need to win that Green Jacket,’” Perry said, laughing.

By Sunday, the time Perry reached the 71st tee on Sunday, a win looked like a foregone conclusion, as his TaylorMade clubs kept clicking. Perry put an 8-iron shot tight at the par-3 16th hole and tapped in for birdie. The sentimental favorite had a two-shot lead with two holes to play.

Then the pressure seemed to get to the easy-going Kentuckian. A poorly played second shot led to a nervous chip and bogey on the 71st hole. The next plays included a bunkered drive and a missed green leading to another bogey on the 72nd hole and a playoff.

In the end, the green jacket and a Masters win slipped from Perry’s grasp. While disappointed, Perry kept his head up in defeat, again mentioning his father.

“He just wanted me to win,” Perry said. “He wants the best for me just like I want the best for my kids. We’ll have a good conversation tonight.”

Argentinean Angel Cabrera Takes The Green Jacket

The 2009 Masters winner, Argentinean Angel Cabrera clutched his win in a sudden-death playoff with Perry and Campbell. Clearly Cabrera’s victory did not avenge the heartbreaking loss of fellow countryman Roberto De Vicenzo in the 1968 Masters.

Referring to De Vicenzo losing the Master’s title when he signed an incorrect scorecard and having Bob Goalby beat him in an 18-hole playoff the following day: “De Vicenzo had bad luck,” Cabrera said. “It’s not going to change what happened to him.” The two-time major winner added, “This win, to take back to Argentina, it’s going to help a lot with our game.”

Cabrera was introduced to the game as a caddie at age 10. Since then, the Cordoba native’s pro golf success has been a lesson in persistence. Argentina is not known for producing professional golfers and Cabrera, the son of a handyman and maid, was not born into the privileged class.

Despite these obstacles, Cabrera climbed his way from lesser golf tours to become one of the world’s golfing elite. Cabrera’s persistence was proven once again at Augusta National Golf Club, especially as the sun set on Sunday afternoon.

The man who wasn’t favored to win the 2007 U.S. Open did so by out dueling Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk and wielding his Ping golf clubs and impressive power game. Playing with an improved putter at The Masters, a PING i Series 1/2 craz-E B, Angel again once played into a sudden-death playoff, claiming victory and the Green Jacket.

“I was happy with my game and I had confidence. I was just trying to enjoy the moment,” said the man from Cordoba. “A lot of magical things happen. It’s simply the Masters.”

The Clash of The Two Golf Titans

All eyes and cameras clamored upon Phil and Tiger on Masters Sunday. Despite being seven shots off the lead, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were paired together in the final round of a major for the first time since 2001.

Mickelson played like the pro he is with his Callaway golf clubs, and quickly overshadowed the game’s No. 1 player. With resounding recovery shots from the pines with his Callaway X-Prototype Irons and sinking birdie after birdie with his trusty Odyssey White Hot mallet putter, Lefty raced to a record-tying front nine of 30. A frustrated Tiger patiently played on, making some birdies of his own.

As the Tour’s titans reached the final holes, it was apparent that neither of the game’s two most exciting players would catch the leaders. By the time the scorecards were tallied, Phil edged Tiger, 67 to 68, but most importantly, they both came short of the Green Jacket. This clash of the golf titans was definitely not the last! Golf fans can look forward to more battles between these two for years to come.