By Laura Gay
The Masters, every golfer and golf lover’s favorite weekend of the year. Established in 1934, the Masters not only features some of the best and most competitive golf but it also exemplifies some of the greatest traditions of the game. Every young golfer dreams of winning that green jacket. And this year a young golf did just that; Jordan Spieth, a mere 21 years of age, won his first Masters and his first major tournament.
Spieth took hold of 1st in day one, shooting 8 under par for an impressive 64 on the 7,435 yard course. Spieth’s 64 was almost enough to break the tournament record of 63. Spieth held a 3 shot lead over Charley Hoffman, Jason Day, Justin Rose, and Ernie Els, all tied for 2nd. Many thought that a 21 year old wouldn’t be able to keep this lead for the duration of the tournament; that’s a lot of pressure for a 21 year old and there were several top players not far behind.
By the end of the second day, cut day, Spieth yet again proved himself, shooting a great round of 66. This 36-hole score became the new tournament record for a two day score of -14. The cut was set at +2, with legendary player Ben Crenshaw not continuing in the tournament.
Moving day was full of nerves, high scores, and some low scores by some top players. Tiger Woods finished his third round -4 for a three day total of 210. McIlroy also came in strong with a -4, leaving him tied with Woods at -6. Hoffman, Rose, and Mickelson also came in with their three day scores well under par. But, Spieth still prevailed and held his lead wtih 16 under par and setting a low three day score record at the Masters.
With all of these great players coming in low on Saturday, it gave the impression that anything could happen on Sunday. Several players finished Sunday shooting 5 under par, but it wasn’t enough to surpass the very impressive lead set by Spieth. Spieth finished the first hole on Sunday with a birdie and continued the rest of his round in a similar fashion. The final round left Spieth -2 for the day and -18 for the tournament. He clenched the top spot the first day and was able to hold that spot throughout the entire tournament. Spieth’s play earned him that notorious green jacket and a shared record tournament low of -18 with Woods, which was set in 1997 when Woods won the Masters at age 21. This win put Spieth 2nd in the world golf rankings and may lead to a competitive matchup between Spieth and McIlroy, the top ranked player in the world.