DAY 4 AT AUGUSTA
Keep that card
Sergio Garcia: The winning putt on the first extra hole beat back all the labels that threatened to follow Garcia to the grave — that notion that his unfulfilled potential made him a disappointment; that he lost the verve and joy that once defined him; and that in the largest moments, he came up small.
Toss that card
Charley Hoffman: The even rounds did in Hoffman, who was only two strokes off the lead at the start of the day. He shot 65 Thursday and 72 on Saturday but was a combined 9 over on Friday and Sunday. He closed with a 78 and finished in a tie for 22nd.
On the course with ...
Ernie Els: Early-bird patrons setting up chairs for an afternoon shootout gave Els applause and ovations during what might have been the Big Easy's final round at the Masters. Playing with a marker in the first group on Sunday, Els shot a 6-over 78 to finish 20 over in his 23rd year at Augusta National. His five-year exemption into Augusta for winning the 2012 British Open expires this year, and given his age (47) and the state of his game, Els knows it will be tough to earn his way back. The four-time major winner never won a green jacket.
Masters moment
Matt Kuchar sent the crowd into a frenzy when he made a move on the leaderboard with an ace at the par-3, 170-yard 16th. Kuchar's 7-iron shot landed on the green and curled back toward the pond before dropping into the cup. Kuchar retrieved the ball, signed it and gave it to a young boy along the ropes.
Chip shots
• Russell Henley was the last player to qualify for the Masters by winning the Houston Open the previous week. He'll have no such concerns for 2018. By finishing in a tie for 11th, he's already claimed a spot in next year's field.
• Before Garcia, Mark O'Meara held the record for playing in the most Masters (14) before winning. Garcia won on his 19th try.
Key hole
Par-5, 510-yard No. 13: Trailing by two at the 13th tee, Garcia inexplicably tried to draw one around the corner and it nestled beneath an azalea bush, left of the stream. This was jail, and Garcia had to pick up his ball and drop it again. Bogey seemed likely, worse was in play, and Justin Rose stood both in the fairway and in control. But both made 5. "Even though it was a par," Garcia said, "it kind of made me more confident."
Quote of the day
"If there's anyone to lose to, it's Sergio. He deserves it. He's had his fair share of heartbreak."
— Justin Rose
Tweet of the day
"Those guys who walked through the front gate at 7 a.m. and set down their chairs behind the 18th green are about to get rewarded."
— ESPN's Jason Sobel after Garcia and Rose reached the 18th in regulation tied at 9 under
Up next
Wisconsin becomes the 19th state to hold a U.S. Open when the year's second major championship is held at Erin Hills, 35 miles outside of Milwaukee, from June 15 to 18.
News services