Jordan Spieth’s five-shot lead in the 2016 Masters collapsed on the back nine on Sunday at Augusta National, giving an open path to a tournament win for Danny Willett of England.
Spieth, 22, lost the tournament by three strokes. Two consecutive bogeys with a quadruple bogey on the par-three 12th hole sealed his fate.
"It was a really tough 30 minutes for me that hopefully I never experience again," Spieth said of his dive from five shots ahead on the 10th tee to three shots behind on the 13th tee,
The Associated Press reported.
Willett, 28, finished Sunday’s round with a score of 67 and a tournament total of 283, becoming the first player from England to win the Masters since Nick Faldo in 1996.
Spieth, three shots over Willett, was runner up for the second time in three years.
"You dream about these kind of days and things like that, but for them to happen ... it's still mind-boggling," Willett said.
Sunday’s round echoed the 1996 event in which Faldo won the tournament after a six-shot collapse by Greg Norman,
The New York Times reported.
Two days before the tournament began, defending champion Spieth commented about Sunday’s back nine during a news conference.
"You feel like you’re almost starting another round there. You’re almost starting another tournament. You can feel the difference in momentum," he said.
On Saturday, Spieth became the first player in history to lead the Masters outright for seven consecutive rounds,
The News Star reported. But that unraveled on Sunday’s back nine.
“I didn’t take that extra deep breath and really focus on my line on 12,” Spieth said, according to The News Star. “Instead I went up and put a quick swing on it.”
Willett almost didn’t play because his first child was due to be born Sunday, the AP noted. But Zachariah James was born on March 30, opening the opportunity for Willett’s Masters trip.
"We talk about fate, talk about everything else that goes with it," Willett told the AP. "It's just a crazy, crazy week."
Twitter users responded to Sunday’s upset with a wide range of emotion.
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