Mark O'Meara waves his hat as he walks off of the No. 18 green with his caddy Jerry Higgenbothem Sunday at Augusta National. (Michael Holahan/Augusta Chronicle)
Love had faith till the end
Web posted 04/12/99
Mark O'Meara posted a 6-over-par 78 in the final round Sunday to finish with a 5-over-par total of 293 in the 1999 Masters Tournament.
``The conditions were very tough,'' he said. ``I didn't play well. It was a disappointing round.''
O'Meara started the round in the wrong direction by carding a bogey on No. 1. His approach went through the green, and then his chip shot coming back rolled into the bunker.
O'Meara blasted out to 2 feet to save bogey.
Things appeared to get better for O'Meara as he two-putted for birdie on the par-5 second hole. But bogeys on Nos. 4, 6 and 7 dropped him to 2-over for the tournament.
On No. 11, O'Meara's round went from bad to worse as his 6-iron approach got caught up in the wind and found the pond in front of the green. He double-bogeyed the hole to fall to 4-over par.
O'Meara added a bogey on No. 12 before birdieing No. 15 and then bogeying No. 16. He added pars on the final two holes to end his round.
``The greens are very hard coming home,'' he said. ``It was definitely mentally trying out there.''
O'Meara birdied the final two holes in 1998 to defeat Fred Couples and David Duval by a stroke and obtain his first green jacket. But he knew his title defense soon would be over.
``I look forward to putting on the green jacket on this year's champion,'' he said. ``It's been a dream 12 months for me.''
