The wind whipped and the temperature uncharacteristically dipped this weekend at Augusta National Golf Club, but some things didn't change.

Rory Sabbatini's lengthy eagle putt on No. 8 helped vault him into contention and launched a celebration in which he bowed to the roar of the patrons. Sabbatini took the lead later, but bogeys on Nos. 14 and 16 cost him and he finished tied for second. (Andrew Davis Tucker/Staff)

South Africans still have a stranglehold on second place.

Rory Sabbatini and Retief Goosen posted the lowest final rounds of the 71st Masters Tournament on Sunday, each shooting 3-under-par 69 to tie for second place with four-time Masters champion Tiger Woods. Zach Johnson, the 2007 champion, also shot 69 for the round.

Last year, fellow South African Tim Clark finished second by holing out from the bunker at No. 18.

Since Gary Player won his third Masters in 1978, South Africans have finished in second place six times. Goosen and Ernie Els have two runner-up finishes each in the past seven years.

"Obviously, Gary's the only one that can get it done," joked Sabbatini. "At least we're giving ourselves a chance, right?"

Goosen and Sabbatini each missed opportunities to end the 29-year drought for their country. Both either had the lead - or shared it - briefly during the last round but saw their leads vanish with bogeys.

For Goosen, his was a misjudged birdie putt at the par-3 12th, when his 35-foot attempt stopped seven feet short of the cup, and his par putt slipped to the right of it. His putter never helped him recover after that, as he failed to make birdie the final six holes.

"I just couldn't buy a putt on the back nine," the two-time U.S. Open winner said. "On 12, I hit a perfect shot just where I wanted to hit it, pin high right there in the middle of the green. I just hit the first putt too soft. The second one I hit it too hard, through the break. It was very disappointing."

Sabbatini started strong, converting birdies on the second and third holes before carving up No. 8 for a gallery-rousing eagle.

Rory Sabbatini's lengthy eagle putt on No. 8 helped vault him into contention and launched a celebration in which he bowed to the roar of the patrons. (Andrew Davis Tucker/Staff)

"That actually was the first time this week I managed to hit my drive anywhere toward the bunker (on the right)," he said. "I got up there far enough and had about 250-255 yards to the hole. I took a 2-iron, and I didn't think I hit it that solid, but I hit it on the line I wanted to and was surprised it got all the way to the back-center of the green. I'd practiced that putt a lot on Monday ... getting a sense of how to feed down the green."

Sabbatini's eagle at No. 8 and birdie at No. 13 vaulted him into contention, but bogeys at Nos. 14 and 16 proved disastrous.

"I had no idea I had the lead at that point," he said. "I got up to the 14th tee and felt like I made a good swing. I was trying to keep the ball hugging down the left side there and felt like I made good contact with the ball. Even when I looked up, I thought it was going to be perfect, and the ball just continued to turn over too hard and clipped the tree and went left off the tree.

"From there, it was pretty much trying to recover, and I didn't quite get it done."

Reach John Kaltefleiter at (706) 208-2213.