Photo via ABC News
For any golf lover, Masters week is the holy grail. For most, the day is spent sitting around a television, watching the game unfold, but for the Saints Golf Teams, Masters weekend played out a bit differently. The teams start discussing this week days, if not weeks, in advance, and try to predict who will win the green jacket this year. Dustin Johnson’s fall and subsequent withdrawal from the Masters crushed many of these predictions, but of course the game must continue.
After watching Charley Hoffman and William McGirt battle the wind to shoot the only sub-70 rounds Thursday at Augusta National, both the men’s and women’s teams headed out to their respective tournaments on Friday – the men to NYU and the women to Vassar.
The teams enjoyed long drives with someone in each van announcing Masters highlights along the way, relaying the successes of popular favorites Rickie Fowler, Sergio Garcia, Adam Scott, and Jordan Spieth. The next day, Will Hayden of the Saints Men’s Team shot 76, placing him tied for 4th overall, and Lexie Haehl and Hailey Wilson of the Saints Women’s Team both shot 82, tying them for 12th.
At the Masters, Sergio Garcia and Justin Rose made moves throughout the day, finishing tied at 6 under for first place heading into their final round followed closely behind by Rickie Fowler, at 5 under. On Sunday, Andrew Kimbell of the Saints Men’s Team shot 78, followed closely by Ryan Flynn at 80, and Will Hayden led the team to an 8th place finish overall.
Lexie Haehl of the Women’s Team followed suit, dropping two strokes of her first day score and tying for 16th, to lead the Saints Women’s team to their 8th place finish with help from co-captain Hailey Wilson, who shot 83 on the second day, finishing tied for 19th.
On the ride home, both teams again blasted Masters highlights. The energy in the vans skyrocketed as Justin Rose birdied 6, 7, and 8 and squeezed through Amen Corner without a scratch. Meanwhile, Sergio Garcia bogeyed both 10 and 11, but brought his game back with a birdie on 14 and an incredible eagle on 15 to tie Rose.
On 18, all were in disbelief when Sergio Garcia missed a five-foot putt to win the green jacket.
In the sudden-death playoff, Garcia brought his A-game, sending his drive down the fairway and setting up for a birdie while meanwhile, Rose found some trouble, finishing the 19th hole of the day with a bogey. Garcia made a beautiful birdie putt to win the green jacket.