Masters 2009 Final round up

The drama simply never stopped coming on the final day of The Masters.

Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods made the final round of the 2009 Masters utterly spell-binding. And Kenny Perry – bidding to become the oldest winner ever of the coveted green jacket… played his part!

Mickelson shot a record-equalling 30 for the front nine to bring himself to one shot off the lead. And that was after starting a massive seven behind joint leaders Kenny Perry and Angel Cabrera.

Tiger hung onto his coat-tails, with a 33 going out. Even though his driving was wayward, his iron-play distinctly average, he nailed putts when it mattered.

Kenny Perry parred his way out, plotting a path to his intended goal. But had he allowed for the heroics from Mickelson?

Trouble was… Mickelson doesn’t know whan to stop firing at pins. He should have stopped firing at pins on the 12th. Tiger hit an 8-iron to the middle of the green. Mickelson thought he could attack the tight pin with a nine.

He went in the water and took a double-bogey. Carbrera had also started going backwards and Chad Campbell was kind of holding on.

Tiger Woods suddenly came to life on the 15th with a birdie. And another on the 16th took him to 10 under, level with Mickelson and one off the lead.

But the dynamic duo could not keep the sucker punches coming. Mickelson missed an easy birdie putt on the 17th and both were horribly wayward off the tee on the last. Both bogeyed the 18th.

So much drama, so much action – and yet we were back where we started. Campbell, Perry and Cabrera all in with a shout of glory.

Perry, at a shade under 49 years old, had decided he wanted to be the oldest winner in town. He hit his tee shot at 16 to within two feet and moved to 14 under – two shots clear of Campbell and Cabrara.

Perry missed the green on the 18th in two and chipped to within 15 feet. His par putt dropped agonisingly below the hole and there was a three-way play-off. Cabrera, Perry and Campbell now had to duke it out over extra holes.

Cabrera hoiked an awful drive well right and Campbell was in the middle of the fairway. After two shots, Perry was short of the green, Cabrera was 90 yards out and Campbell also missed the short stuff.

Miraculous up-and-downs saw Cabrera and Perry live to fight another day. Campbell missed a three-footer for par.

Then there were two. Both Cabrera and Perry drove it down the middle, but Perry’s approach missed the green left. His chip left a gnarly 12-footer. He missed!

Cabrera only had to two-putt from eight feet. And he did so – to claim his second Major.

The Brit challenge never really materialised. Lee Westwood fell apart on the back nine and ended up three over par. Ian Poulter came in two under.

Rory McIlroy concluded an up-and-down week… well, up-and-down. After a patchy 37 for the front nine, he caught fire over his final nine, shot 31 and ended the tournament two under for a share of 20th.

Japanese Shingo Katayama never gave up, either. He shot a credible 68 and came in 10 under for a tie for fourth.

PLUS: See how every round ended up and how it all came down to one dramatic Sunday in the Augusta heat.