This year’s Majors saw Sergio Garcia, Jordan Spieth, Brooks Koepka and Justin Thomas emerge victorious, WADE PRETORIUS ranks golf’s biggest events.
1. The Masters (Sergio Garcia)
Not ranked the best Major of the year out of sentiment. The year’s first Major delivered a blockbuster: South African interest spiked when Charl Schwartzel went 68-68 on the weekend but couldn’t get within touching distance of Garcia and Justin Rose. He did, however, earn R10.34-million to ease his pain.
It was the Spaniard who started the better of the two friends and Ryder Cup colleagues. He was two under for the day after three holes but allowed Rose back into the contest by missing some makeable chances on the slick Augusta greens. The Englishman made bogey on 5 but then rattled off three birdies in a row to move ahead.
Garcia’s Sunday Major demons appeared and cost him dropped shots on 10 and 11 but just when it looked to be all over, he recovered from an errant tee shot on 13 to make an unlikely par. That par was matched by Rose; but in the Englishman’s case, it came after his second rolled over the green and it was Garcia who took the momentum. The Spaniard made birdie on 14 before making eagle on 15 to get to -9.
Rose’s response? A clutch birdie. Game on but not before a rules official would confirm that Garcia would not incur a penalty for a rules infraction when he dropped his ball on 13 after taking his unplayable.
Garcia had the honour on 16 and hit a superb short iron to 6 feet only for Rose to respond with an approach to 8 feet. Uphill, Rose delighted the crowd with a birdie to move to -9. Garcia’s timid slider missed; intensifying the drama.
The Englishman set up a thrilling 72nd hole when he failed to get up and down. Both found the fairway and when Rose’s approach took a delightful bounce, it heaped the pressure back on Garcia. His reply? The most exquisite wedge inside Rose’s ball.
Rose’s putt burnt the edge, leaving Garcia a five-foot putt to erase years of Major misery. He missed sending the titanic duel into a playoff.
Rose had the honour on the tee but failed to hit the fairway, giving Garcia a massive opening. He took it and hit his approach to 10 feet. Rose scrambled to 15 feet but missed his par attempt, similar to the one he missed on 18 in regulation, leaving Garcia two putts away from his first Major in 74 tries.
He only needed one to rid himself of the tag ‘best player with a Major win’, and on what would’ve been his icon Seve Ballesteros’ 60th birthday, to become the third Spaniard to wear the green jacket.
Watch the final round highlights HERE!
Other talking points:
- Five Saffas entered the week with only Trevor Immelman missing the cut
- Charley Hoffman opened a four-shot lead after round one, tied for the lead in round 2, was two back going into the final round before finishing T22 after a final round 78
- Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth were in the penultimate pairing on Sunday but both limped in to finish T11
- World No 1 Dustin Johnson, in the form of his life, was forced to withdraw after falling down the stairs
Our May cover feature on Sergio’s win: The Eagle Has Landed
2. The Open (Jordan Spieth)
It wasn’t quite a repeat of the Stenson/Mickelson duel 12 months prior but it was a fascinating watch nevertheless. Spieth opened with three bogeys in four holes to allow fellow American Matt Kuchar into the contest.
There were swings and roundabouts all way round the first nine holes including Spieth’s drop on the ninth and the corresponding birdie from Kuchar which saw them turn into the back nine on level terms.
Then came the moment 2017’s championship will be remembered for. Spieth’s wild tee shot on the 13th saw him take an unplayable and drop way right in the driving range. Somehow he got up and down to limit the damage and then saw Kuchar fail to make birdie after a 20-25 minute wait between his approach shot and birdie try. From then on it was no contest as Spieth almost aced the 14th, eagled 15 and followed that act up with two more birdies before closing for par and a three-shot win to join Jack Nicklaus as the only player to win three different Majors before the age of 24.
Other talking points:
- Nine South Africans entered the week but only five made the cut (Brendan Grace, Ernie Els, Shaun Norris, Brandon Stone and Charl Schwartzel) with Louis Oosthuizen joining Phil Mickelson in sitting out the weekend.
- Grace’s history-making 62 in the third round but that was followed up with a 70 to finish T6.
- Haotong Li shot 63 on the final day, the previous low mark in the Majors.
3. PGA Championship (Justin Thomas)
The old cliche about a Major not being decided on the back nine on Sunday was never more true. As many as eight players got within two shots of the lead including South Africa’s Oosthuizen, who started the final round two back of Kevin Kisner. Oosthuizen bogeyed the first hole and only made his first birdie of the day on the seventh.
He suffered with a cold putter but roared into contention with an eagle on the 15th. He dropped a shot on the 16th and closed with a birdie to finish in T2 completing the unwanted feat of second place finishes in all four Majors.
Louis’ hilarious take on runner-up slam
As the pretenders faltered, Thomas stood firm. He made six birdies on a wild day which included a 15 foot bogey putt on the first, a drive that ricocheted off the trees into the fairway on 10 and a birdie putt that hung for an age on the cup before dropping. JT chipped in on 13 and made a sand save from a 60-foot bunker shot on 16 before a birdie on 17 saw him arrive on the final tee three shots ahead.
Other talking points:
- Rickie Fowler roared into contention on Sunday with four birdies in a row from the 12 but it was his Sunday finish of bogey, double bogey, bogey which cost him his first Major.
- Els missed the cut in his 100th Major start
4. US Open (Brooks Koepka)
It was a quiet week for South Africa with Oosthuizen the best finisher at T23 and not he, Stone, Els, Grace nor Aiken managed to break par in the final round with only Oosthuizen shooting in the 60s on Saturday.
Known for his extraordinary length off the tee, it was with Koepka’s putter that separated him from the chasing pack. A pain-free outward nine of -3 was blighted with a bogey on the 10th which might’ve given the neutrals hope of a tight finish. Those hopes evaporated when he made three birdies in a row on from the 13th to open a healthy gap between himself and Brian Harman. Koepka cruised home with three pars and a four-shot win over Harman and Hideki Matsuyama.
Other talking points:
- Koepka’s win lifted him into the top 10 in the world
- Koepka’s score equalled Rory McIlroy’s record of -16, the lowest score in relation to par in US Open history
- First round leader Fowler shot 72 to finish T5, Justin Thomas shot 75 to finish T9
- McIlroy’s poor year continued as he missed the cut, as did Johnson
