The 19th hole

Last update: April 13, 2008 - 11:02 PM

BOGEY

Steve Flesch was doing just what he needed to do in brutal conditions. Plod along, make a bunch of pars and hope it would be enough to win.

Then he got to Amen Corner. After dunking his ball in Rae's Creek, Flesch didn't have a prayer.

The lefthander took a double-bogey 5 at the picturesque 12th hole, where he knocked his tee shot into the water. Flesch went from only two strokes out of the lead to four, and it all fell apart from there. He played the last seven holes at 6 over, ruining any shot at his first major.

Flesch finished in a tie for fifth after closing with a 78, leaving him six strokes behind winner Trevor Immelman.

"I was playing all right," Flesch said. "The wind just got really tricky on the back nine, and we just pulled the wrong club on the 12th hole."

BIRDIE

Last year's strategy by Zach Johnson held true for another Masters. Champion Trevor Immelman might have been as well known as defending champion Zach Johnson was entering the tournament. But he started his final round just as Johnson did -- with a bogey. Only five others have done that to begin the final round.

And he pointed to how Johnson played the par-5s last year, not going for any in two, as something he decided to employ.

"What I decided after that trip is that I needed to have a 4-iron or less to go for one of the greens on the par-5s [in two]," he said. "It was tempting this week ... but I stuck to my game plan."

SHOT OF THE DAY

Miguel Angel Jimenez had the day's best round, a 68, and was one of only two golfers to break 70 (Heath Slocum was the other, with a 69). Jimenez's big break was on No. 7, on which he holed out his 7-iron approach shot on the 450-yard par 4 for an eagle.

HOLE OF THE DAY

No. 13 • 510 yards • par 5

The final hole of Amen Corner both helped and hurt the final twosome of Trevor Immelman and Brandt Snedeker. Immelman pitched a wedge to within 2 feet for his only birdie on the back nine, while Snedeker hit it in the water in almost the exact same spot for the second consecutive day for a bogey that left him five behind. Tiger Woods also missed a short birdie putt at 13.

QUOTE

"I learned my lesson there with the press. I'm not going to say anything. When you're out there playing, you could care less. You're trying to win a golf tournament. You're trying to put yourself in position, which I did, I just didn't make the putts I needed to make this entire week."

-- Tiger Woods, commenting Sunday on his earlier assertion on his website that winning all four majors in the same year was "easily within reason."

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