My Five Takeaways from the 2016 Masters

What a tournament.  Every year the Masters is always such a great event to watch, no matter how much of a golf fan you might be.  Whether you happened to watch the 2016 Masters or not, this should help sum most of the important things up.  Here are my top five takeaways from this week.

5. Augusta responded.

(Golf Channel)

Last year, the winning score relative to par was -18.  This year? -5.  After Jordan Spieth blitzed the field in a wire-to-wire win in 2015, Augusta National surely did not want to be embarrassed again.  Gusting winds provided all sorts of trouble for the players over the first three days, and while conditions settled on Sunday, only a few were able to post low rounds. Tough hole locations and colder temperatures yielded no sub-70 rounds on Friday as well.  It was clear after watching this year’s event that many of the world’s best players simply could not figure out the course, including the top three: Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, and Rory McIlroy.  While Spieth’s opening round-64 eliminated most of the dramatics in 2015, higher scores caused by tough conditions made for a much more entertaining finish this year (more on that in a bit).

4. No Grand Slam for McIlroy yet.

(Getty Images)

As I mentioned before, Rory was my pick to win the Masters this year.  It felt like his time to finally complete the career grand slam and become just the sixth player to do so.  Early on he looked to be in great position, and a hot finish on Friday afternoon propelled him into the final pairing on Saturday.  McIlroy failed to make a birdie on Saturday though, leading to a 77 that pretty much dropped him out of any real contention on Sunday.  McIlroy played very solidly throughout the tournament, but was plagued by a recurring theme of simply not being able to get any momentum going.  At the end of the day, McIlroy still found his way into the Top 10 for the third straight year, which should continue to boost his confidence at Augusta. Maybe next year?

3. The back nine on Sunday NEVER disappoints.

(Gomattolson)

I’m going to be honest. For about nine holes on Sunday the Masters was really not that interesting at all.  Jordan Spieth opened up a significant lead heading into the back nine.  More specifically on Jordan in a bit, but WHAT A BACK NINE.  At one point I couldn’t even begin to guess who would walk away with the Green Jacket. Even Lee Westwood, who was +3 heading into the weekend, sniffed a potential victory after making a clutch eagle on 15, producing just one of many fantastic shots we saw on Sunday afternoon. (How about three aces on 16?!? Insane.)  The dramatics that played out over the last nine holes on Sunday gave all of us a degree of entertainment we really hadn’t seen at Augusta since Adam Scott’s playoff victory in 2013.

P.S. Thank God Bubba Watson did not win this year.  Might not have been able to live with myself. True golf fans will agree with me.

2. Say hello to Danny Willet!

(David Cannon/Getty Images)

Danny Willet is certainly not a household name to many average fans.  Willet came into this year’s Masters ranked 12^th in the world but had not previously won in the United States.  So to big golf fans like myself, Willet’s victory is not a complete shock if you view it strictly from the perspective of his play and ability.  Willet fired a bogey-free 67 (-5) on Sunday that tied for the best round of the day.  Often times the man who plays the best round on Sunday will come away with the Green Jacket and Willet, who did just that, certainly deserved this victory.  In my opinion Willet’s tournament winning shot came on the par-4 17^th hole after he tugged his approach shot long and left of the green, the one place you did not want to miss.  Facing a mid range chip shot that started uphill and eventually ran straight downhill, Willet brilliantly coasted his ball a couple feet below the hole to save par.  He played his last six holes in 3 under par.  That's good. On Sunday at the Masters? That's great. Danny Willet becomes just the second English player to win the Masters, following Sir Nick Faldo.

1. Jordan Spieth collapses. 

(Getty Images)

As I was watching Spieth rattle off his fourth straight birdie to close out the front nine, I thought to myself—there are not enough words to describe it.  He was poised to win back to back Masters, and his third major overall, at just 22 years old.  Then disaster struck, and again I thought ironically to myself—there are not enough words to describe it.  Seriously.  What happened? After bogeys on 10 and 11, Spieth came to the infamous Par-3 12^th hole and found the water not once, but twice to card a quadruple bogey 7.  He stood on the 10^th tee with a five shot lead, and walked off the 12^th green trailing by three. Here’s what I can’t fathom. Why why WHY did Spieth choose to go after such a dangerous hole location on 12 while he still held the lead?  It was very uncharacteristic of him to make such a poor decision, especially since he had clearly been battling his swing all week.  He was certainly not playing at the level he played at last year, as we saw in his bogey-double bogey finish on Saturday.  But that’s what separates Jordan from the pack.  He does not excel at any part of his game, but he is good enough at each aspect, and smart enough, to consistently put together solid rounds; his ability to recover from mistakes is almost unparalleled.  And I know he came back with a pair of birdies down the stretch but this collapse will most certainly stick with him for a while.  As a fan of both Spieth and the game of golf, I wish for his sake that he can recover as best as he can and put together another great season.