Immovable Immelman held lead all four rounds
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The 2008 Masters Tournament was Trevor Immelman's from beginning to end.
Still, on the way to his green jacket fitting, the South African had to break a long-standing jinx at Augusta National Golf Club.
Not since 1984 had a first-round leader or co-leader gone on to win the Masters. Immelman shared the opening day lead at 4-under-par 68 with Justin Rose, who would fade with rounds of 78-73-76 and finish tied for 36th place.
Immelman was one ahead after another 68 in the second round and extended his lead to two shots after a third-round 69.
The three sub-70 rounds put Immelman in position to become the first golfer in Masters history to shoot in the 60s in all four rounds.
Those rounds also put him in the last pairing in the final round, which is where the winner had come from in 16 of the previous 17 Masters.
It was a final round dominated by Immelman. He was in such control that he led Brandt Snedeker by five shots after 15 holes.
A double bogey on the par-3 16th hole cut the lead to three shots over four-time champion Tiger Woods, who had just finished his round. That is how it ended after Immelman parred the final two holes for 75.
Woods finished second after shooting 72 in the final round.
Immelman finished at 8-under 280, nine shots lower than Zach Johnson's winning score in 2007.
The winning score could have been even lower if not for a windblown final round (gusts reaching 35 mph) that led to an average score of 74.666, the highest of the week.
"It was so tough, and I was trying to be tough," Immelman said. "There was disaster around every corner."
"It was just a very, very difficult test," said Johnson, who shot a final-round 77 and tied for 20th.
Johnson compared the conditions to the third round of the 2007 Masters because of the gusting wind. The scoring average that day was 77.352.
At age 28, Immelman became the youngest champion since Woods won his third Masters in 2002 at age 26. And the win came on the 30th anniversary of countryman Gary Player's last victory in the Masters.
Fittingly, Immelman wore black in the final round, which is a signature color for Player, who played in his record 51st Masters in 2008.
Immelman had six international victories and two on the PGA Tour, but his best finish in a major championship had been a tie for fifth in the 2005 Masters.
"I've always dreamed about winning majors, and deep down, I always thought I was good enough," said Immelman, who became the first South African since Player to win the Masters. "But at times you obviously doubt yourself, because you know, you miss a few cuts and you screw up a few times, and you're just like, man, maybe I'm not as good, or not good enough."
He was good enough in the 72nd Masters, even with the double bogey on his 70th hole.
"It was pretty phenomenal when you think about those kinds of conditions out there; until No. 16, it was one of the best rounds of the day," said playing partner Brandt Snedeker, who shot 77 and finished tied for third place.
Immelman's 75 tied the record for the highest final-round score by a winner.
He had plenty of company in the over-par final-round club. Of the 14 players closest to him after 54 holes, none broke par on the blustery day.
The only subpar final rounds in the field were 68 by Miguel Angel Jimenez, 69 by Heath Slocum and 71s by Nick Watney and Stuart Appleby.
The victory came four months after Immelman underwent surgery to remove a noncancerous tumor on his diaphragm.
"This has probably been the ultimate roller coaster ride, and I hate roller coasters," he said.
"And here I am, after missing the cut last week (in the Houston Open), the Masters champion. That's the craziest thing I've ever heard of."
Snedeker was Immelman's playing partner over the final two rounds, so he got a front-row seat to watch what the champion can do.
"I was very impressed," Snedeker said. "I've played with very few golfers who can manage their emotions, manage their swing and manage the golf course that well."
Immelman led the field in driving accuracy (87 percent), which helped him break Woods' record for under-par play by a champion on the par-4s. Immelman was 10-under, two shots better than Woods when he won in 2001.
In addition to being first in driving accuracy, Immelman tied for second in greens in regulation, tied for fourth in putts per round and was fourth in driving distance.
The gusting winds were expected. What wasn't was 72 in the final round from four-time champion Woods, who trailed by six at the start of play.
"I don't think it's ever easy to win a major in any era. But you know, as you say, I'm playing in Tiger Woods' era," Immelman said. "The guy boggles my mind."
"I just didn't quite have it this week," said Woods, who tied for second in the 2007 Masters. "I didn't make the putts I needed to make the entire week. I had the speed; just didn't get the line right. You have good weeks, and you have bad weeks. Certainly, this was not one of my best."
Woods wasn't the only one leaving Augusta National disappointed. Two days earlier, Fred Couples missed the 36-hole cut by a shot after rounds of 76-72. It ended his streak of consecutive cuts made at 23, a record he shares with Player (1959-82).
2008 Leaderboard |
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| Pos. | Player | Final | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Strokes | Earnings |
| 1 | Trevor Immelman | -8 | 68 | 68 | 69 | 75 | 280 | $1,350,000 |
| 2 | Tiger Woods | -5 | 72 | 71 | 68 | 72 | 283 | $810,000 |
| 3 | Stewart Cink | -4 | 72 | 69 | 71 | 72 | 284 | $435,000 |
| 3 | Brandt Snedeker | -4 | 69 | 68 | 70 | 77 | 284 | $435,000 |
| 5 | Padraig Harrington | -2 | 74 | 71 | 69 | 72 | 286 | $273,750 |
| 5 | Steve Flesch | -2 | 72 | 67 | 69 | 78 | 286 | $273,750 |
| 5 | Phil Mickelson | -2 | 71 | 68 | 75 | 72 | 286 | $273,750 |
| 8 | Andres Romero | -1 | 72 | 72 | 70 | 73 | 287 | $217,500 |
| 8 | Miguel-Angel Jimenez | -1 | 77 | 70 | 72 | 68 | 287 | $217,500 |
| 8 | Robert Karlsson | -1 | 70 | 73 | 71 | 73 | 287 | $217,500 |
| 11 | Lee Westwood | E | 69 | 73 | 73 | 73 | 288 | $172,500 |
| 11 | Paul Casey | E | 71 | 69 | 69 | 79 | 288 | $172,500 |
| 11 | Nick Watney | E | 75 | 70 | 72 | 71 | 288 | $172,500 |
| 14 | Sean O'Hair | 1 | 72 | 71 | 71 | 75 | 289 | $135,000 |
| 14 | Stuart Appleby | 1 | 76 | 70 | 72 | 71 | 289 | $135,000 |
| 14 | Vijay Singh | 1 | 72 | 71 | 72 | 74 | 289 | $135,000 |
| 17 | Retief Goosen | 2 | 71 | 71 | 72 | 76 | 290 | $112,500 |
| 17 | Mike Weir | 2 | 73 | 68 | 75 | 74 | 290 | $112,500 |
| 17 | Henrik Stenson | 2 | 74 | 72 | 72 | 72 | 290 | $112,500 |
| 20 | Brian Bateman | 3 | 69 | 76 | 72 | 74 | 291 | $84,300 |
| 20 | Boo Weekley | 3 | 72 | 74 | 68 | 77 | 291 | $84,300 |
| 20 | Bubba Watson | 3 | 74 | 71 | 73 | 73 | 291 | $84,300 |
| 20 | Justin Leonard | 3 | 72 | 74 | 72 | 73 | 291 | $84,300 |
| 20 | Zach Johnson | 3 | 70 | 76 | 68 | 77 | 291 | $84,300 |
| 25 | Richard Sterne | 4 | 73 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 292 | $54,844 |
| 25 | Angel Cabrera | 4 | 73 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 292 | $54,844 |
| 25 | Arron Oberholser | 4 | 71 | 70 | 74 | 77 | 292 | $54,844 |
| 25 | J.B. Holmes | 4 | 73 | 70 | 73 | 76 | 292 | $54,844 |
| 25 | Stephen Ames | 4 | 70 | 70 | 77 | 75 | 292 | $54,844 |
| 25 | Adam Scott | 4 | 75 | 71 | 70 | 76 | 292 | $54,844 |
| 25 | Ian Poulter | 4 | 70 | 69 | 75 | 78 | 292 | $54,844 |
| 25 | Jeev Singh | 4 | 71 | 74 | 72 | 75 | 292 | $54,844 |
| 33 | Heath Slocum | 5 | 71 | 76 | 77 | 69 | 293 | $42,375 |
| 33 | Nick Dougherty | 5 | 74 | 69 | 74 | 76 | 293 | $42,375 |
| 33 | Jim Furyk | 5 | 70 | 73 | 73 | 77 | 293 | $42,375 |
| 36 | Todd Hamilton | 7 | 74 | 73 | 75 | 73 | 295 | $36,875 |
| 36 | Justin Rose | 7 | 68 | 78 | 73 | 76 | 295 | $36,875 |
| 36 | Johnson Wagner | 7 | 72 | 74 | 74 | 75 | 295 | $36,875 |
| 39 | Niclas Fasth | 8 | 75 | 70 | 76 | 75 | 296 | $33,000 |
| 39 | Geoff Ogilvy | 8 | 75 | 71 | 76 | 74 | 296 | $33,000 |
| 41 | K.J. Choi | 10 | 72 | 75 | 78 | 73 | 298 | $30,750 |
| 42 | David Toms | 11 | 73 | 74 | 72 | 80 | 299 | $28,500 |
| 42 | Robert Allenby | 11 | 72 | 74 | 72 | 81 | 299 | $28,500 |
| 44 | Ian Woosnam | 12 | 75 | 71 | 76 | 78 | 300 | $26,250 |
| 45 | Sandy Lyle | 14 | 72 | 75 | 78 | 77 | 302 | $24,750 |
