Star\u2019s \u2018psycho\u2019 Masters meltdown stuns… and comes at staggering cost<\/a><\/p>\nAussie hopes dashed as Day struggles | 01:49<\/p>\n
\u2018DEFINITELY A PASS\u2019: VERDICT ISSUED ON AUSSIES<\/p>\n
Australia\u2019s hopes of celebrating a second green jacket winner were dashed before 6am on Monday morning AEST.<\/p>\n
Jason Day, who teed off shortly after 4am AEST, started the final round only three shots off the lead after a promising four-under par 68 yesterday.<\/p>\n
But two blunders on the front nine proved fatal – namely a double bogey on the seventh after a horrendous lie in the lip of a bunker.<\/p>\n
The former world No.1 eventually carded a 75 without a single birdie.<\/p>\n
He parred the last 11 holes to fall seven shots shy of McIlroy.<\/p>\n
The caveat of the 38-year-old\u2019s disappointing final day is that he locked in a return to Augusta next year with a top 12 finish.<\/p>\n
A crucial sand save at the last kept him in a share of 12th alongside past champions Jordan Spieth, Hideki Matsuyama, Patrick Reed as well as five-time major winner Brooks Koepka and former world No.1 Patrick Cantlay.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously it\u2019s nice to be able to come back next year but a little disappointing,\u201d Day told reporters at Augusta National.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know I can play well around here. It\u2019s just obviously when you get the opportunities, just take them.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes you have to take them. Sometimes you have to take some unnecessary risk and sometimes you got to take a step back and play the way you need to play.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately I just didn\u2019t play the way that I needed to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jason Day of Australia walks off the 18th green during the final round.Source: AFP<\/p>\n
Day has been a nearly man at Augusta.<\/p>\n
The 2015 PGA champion has five top tens from 15 starts at The Masters, including a runner-up finish alongside countryman Adam Scott on debut in 2011.<\/p>\n
But despite an 11-year major drought hanging over him, Fox Golf expert analyst Paul Gow believes the week was a success for Day.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s a good effort,\u201d Gow said. \u201cHe wasn\u2019t on song with his irons and he made a few mistakes here and there.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s definitely hard to claw your way back when you make a double bogey on seven. He bogeyed five and plunked it in the bunker on seven.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust couldn\u2019t get any momentum going. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s definitely a pass for him,\u201d Gow added.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is six cuts made out of eight events (for the year) now. He\u2019s trending, there\u2019s no doubt.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s got a little bit of work to do on his swing.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s missing some balls to the right we\u2019ve seen this week and all of a sudden, you\u2019ll get a snap hook out of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, there\u2019s some work to be done on his golf swing, but his short game and scrambling is fantastic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Double Bogey – Day’s Bunker blunder | 00:57<\/p>\n
Scott was the only other Australian to make the cut and the 2013 champion pieced together an impressive weekend.<\/p>\n
The veteran shot consecutive rounds of 70 to come in a tie for 24th, and while following Scott around the fairways, Gow liked what he saw.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s playing extremely well,\u201d the former PGA Tour professional said. \u201cHe said his irons yesterday were the best he\u2019s hit them in a long, long time.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs long as his driver behaves itself and he can get that under control, he\u2019ll be fine.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis week, watching him a lot, he just didn\u2019t hole enough putts.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe hit a lot of good putts that didn\u2019t go in. They hit the edges or they just rolled by.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I think it\u2019ll be a big year for the 45-year-old, turning 46 this year, trying to compete with the young fellas.\u201d <\/p>\n
Adam Scott looks on while playing the second hole during the final round.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Disappointingly for Australian fans, Min Woo Lee and Cameron Smith both missed the cut.<\/p>\n
Top-ranked Australian Lee came into the week as a popular choice as an outsider to win the green jacket.<\/p>\n
The hopes quickly unravelled as he produced his worst ever performance in his five Masters appearances – shooting 78 and 77 and only making two birdies across 36 holes.<\/p>\n
\u201cInteresting with Min Woo this week, he came in with high expectations,\u201d Gow said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had a second and a third. He was eighth on the FedEx Cup and he\u2019s 25th in the world. He\u2019s going really, really well.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s all good for him. This week is a bit of learning curve for him. 26 years of age and he\u2019s learning every time he gets to play The Masters.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s getting to that level now where he\u2019s preparing for majors championships around other events on the PGA Tour.\u201d<\/p>\n
Min Woo Lee looks on from the first green during the second round.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
Smith, meanwhile, missed the weekend for the sixth straight time at a major.<\/p>\n
The LIV star was not out of the tournament with an opening round 74, but a Friday 77 ensured he missed the cut by three shots.<\/p>\n
\u201cCam, he\u2019s a work in progress,\u201d Gow said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s not quite hitting how he would like to. He\u2019s scrambling.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first day he said he didn\u2019t hit very well and this is a golf course that bites you if you\u2019re not quite on.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a gritty Queenslander and he tries really hard. I think there\u2019s a few things in his game he has to look at.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s got the ball going left and right. The swing is not quite where it needs to be.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not the work ethic. He\u2019s practising hard, but he\u2019s not putting it all together at the right times.\u201d<\/p>\n
Horror meltdown! Li Haotong shoots a 10! | 01:54<\/p>\n
\u2018HE HAS A POINT\u2019: SCHEFFLER CALLS OUT UNFAIR MOVE<\/p>\n
World No.1 Scottie Scheffler was left ruing unbalanced conditions across the opening two rounds at Augusta after his bid to pull off a record Masters comeback came up agonisingly short.<\/p>\n
Scheffler, who had trailed eventual Masters champion Rory McIlroy by a massive 12 shots after Friday\u2019s second round, finished just one adrift of the Northern Irishman after Sunday\u2019s gripping final round shootout.<\/p>\n
The 29-year-old two-time Masters champion appeared poised to eclipse the previous biggest 36-hole comeback in Masters history, belonging to Jack Burke, who made up eight strokes to claim the green jacket in 1956.<\/p>\n
Scottie Scheffler finishes his final round of the Masters.Source: AP<\/p>\n
But a bogey-free four-under-par 68 left Scheffler one shy of McIlroy\u2019s winning total, leaving the American pondering what might have been had it not been for a difficult second round on Friday where he made four bogeys in a two-over-par 74.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d say Friday probably hurt the most in terms of my chances of winning,\u201d said Scheffler, who felt that moves to soften greens after Thursday\u2019s opening round did not benefit all players.<\/p>\n
\u201cGoing out on Friday, whatever they did to the greens to soften them up, they did some stuff, and I just wasn\u2019t able to take advantage of that going on early on Friday,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would have liked it to have been a little bit more equal in terms of the firmness on Thursday and Friday.\u201d <\/p>\n
Scheffler was in a grizzly mood across the weekend despite becoming the first person since records began in 1942 to go bogey free across the third and fourth rounds.<\/p>\n
His costly Friday was certainly bugging him as having to play a catch-up left him frustrated.<\/p>\n
When a reporter asked after his 65 on Saturday what he felt like his score could have been, Scheffler replied: \u201cThat\u2019s just a terrible question. Next question. Awful.\u201d<\/p>\n
It is not the first time Scheffler has shut down questions in a press conference, but it is uncommon for him to publicly express emotion, especially negative ones.<\/p>\n
Former European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley said on Live from The Masters that he believes Scheffler \u201chas a point\u201d about the conditions, however.<\/p>\n
The course clearly played tougher in the opening round and with warm and dry weather creating a perfect forecast in Augusta, tournament officials opted to not let Mother Nature takes its course.<\/p>\n
Greenskeepers were spotted with the hoses out on the putting surfaces on Friday morning, and the soaking they received was followed by a birdie fest from McIlroy later that afternoon.<\/p>\n
\u201cRory raced to birdie six of the last seven holes on the second day,\u201d he continued. \u201cCertainly the first day no one was racing to that kind of finish as the course played really difficult on the afternoon of the first day.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, he got the wrong side of the draw in that regard and the point that he\u2019s making is – and we all remarked on it – we all expected the greens to be rock and hard, and they certainly were softer on day two.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of guys took advantage on day two and it wasn\u2019t an even draw. I think he does have a point there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fellow commentator Brandel Chamblee disagreed, arguing that Scheffler had no right to be complaining about the conditions earlier in the tournament.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t because the golf course was soft that he missed four putts from four to eight feet,\u201d Chamblee proclaimed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t because the golf course was soft that he hit the ball in the water on 13 trying to turn it around the corner from 245 (yards).<\/p>\n
\u201cCertainly wasn\u2019t because the golf course was soft that from the middle of the fairway, 241 (yards), he knocked it over the green on 15 and into the water.\u201d<\/p>\n
Garcia CRACKS IT in petulant display | 01:05<\/p>\n
\ufeff\u2018IT IS CRAZY\u2019: LIV CRITICS GIVEN AMMO<\/p>\n
Sergio Garcia\u2019s meltdown on the second tee was seized on by critics of LIV Golf as emblematic of the breakaway tour\u2019s lack of competitiveness at Augusta.<\/p>\n
Before touching on the temper tantrum, Tyrell Hatton produced a sizzling finish after starting the final day at 4-under to sit as the clubhouse leader for much of Sunday at 10-under.<\/p>\n
The notion that LIV competitors cannot contend in the majors had previously been put to bed by Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka, with the latter finishing at 5-under for the event.<\/p>\n
But it is indisputable that this Masters was a rough one for former major winnings now on the LIV Tour, with Garcia\u2019s breakdown on the second hole symbolic of a horror at Augusta.<\/p>\n
DeChambeau had been in stellar form leading in but missed the cut. Dustin Johnson finished even with the card after a 3-over finish on the final day. Jon Rahm was one shot worse.<\/p>\n
Garcia, who was forced to use a 3-wood off the tee after snapping his driver on the second, finished at 8-over, while Charl Schwartzel fared worst of those who made the cut when signing off at 12-over for the Masters.<\/p>\n
Cam Smith? Ouch. The alarm bells are ringing for the 2022 British Open champion who has now missed the past six cuts in majors, with his exemptions running out next year.<\/p>\n
But Bubba Watson also had a free weekend and Phil Mickelson did not make the start line.<\/p>\n
The 2023 champion Rahm, who at least found some form on Sunday when scoring 4-under, said he would alter his preparation for Augusta in years to come after a searching week.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is crazy. (I am) the same person. Even though I made some mistakes, I was able to rectify a few of them and have a good round. Too bad about that bogey on 18,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201c(I did) a lot of what not to do. I played really bad those first three days. There are definitely some things I am going to change going forward, preparation wise and what to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cameron Smith walks the second fairway during the first round of the 2026 Masters.Source: AFP<\/p>\n
Rahm did not elaborate on the changes he would make, and also pointed out that the firmness of the Masters made it difficult to take lessons from this tournament.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it is hard to say how much to learn because I don\u2019t think we have ever seen a Masters this firm and I don\u2019t know how long it is going to be until we see one this firm again, both on the tee and on the green,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cHave you ever seen, looking down at the actual property, how yellow the patron areas are and how brown and purple a lot of parts of the green and fairway are? But I definitely have things in mind for future editions when I get to this level.\u201d<\/p>\n
Garcia would not confirm whether he received a warning, which appeared to be the case, but at least he fronted up for a chat afterwards, not that he said too much.<\/p>\n
The 2017 Masters champion, who at one stage carried the bag of his playing partner Rahm, said his frustration had been building \u201cfor a year\u201d and was a result of \u201cbad shots\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously I am not super proud of it but sometimes it happens. It is a combination of everything. It is what it is. I just have to deal with it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Justin Rose of England reacts on the 18th green during the final round.Source: AFP<\/p>\n
VETERAN\u2019S CLASSY RESPONSE TO HEARTBREAK<\/p>\n
Justin Rose expressed disappointment at failing to shed his \u201cnearly man\u201d tag at the Masters as a final-round lead slipped out of his grasp down the back nine on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Rose, 45, has never won the Masters despite finishing runner-up at Augusta National on three occasions, including two nail-biting playoff defeats.<\/p>\n
On Sunday, Rose started brightly and seized a two-shot lead at the turn, but ultimately had to settle for a share of third after three bogeys on the back nine.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust a chance that got away obviously,\u201d Rose told reporters, describing the latest loss as \u201canother little stinger.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cI was by no means free and clear and was nowhere close to having the job done — but I was right in position,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Having started the final day three shots off the lead, the English veteran scored a scintillating 32 on the front nine.<\/p>\n
With overnight leaders Rory McIlroy and Cameron Young faltering, Rose found himself with a two-shot lead at the turn.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was really in control, first ten holes… And the mentality was to run through the finish line, not just try and get it done,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
But as he approached the daunting section of Augusta National known as \u201cAmen Corner\u201d, Rose\u2019s challenge came undone, with bogeys on the 11th and the par-three 12th, where he fluffed a chip from the fringe.<\/p>\n
He appeared to have restored his momentum by reaching the par-five 13th green in two. But his eagle attempt ran wildly past the hole, and he failed to even make birdie.<\/p>\n
\u201cClearly too aggressive with it,\u201d he reflected.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe just lost my patience there a little bit off the back of two bogeys… Those are the little things that end up costing you,\u201d Rose told Sky Sports.<\/p>\n
Despite a birdie at 15, another bogey on the 17th meant Rose\u2019s long wait for the green jacket continues.<\/p>\n
Just 12 months ago, Rose had lost a playoff to McIlroy. In 2017, he also lost an Augusta playoff, to Sergio Garcia.<\/p>\n
While those sudden death losses felt like a \u201cflick of a coin,\u201d this year \u201cwas an opportunity to do better, so obviously that is frustrating for sure,\u201d said Rose.<\/p>\n
He expressed gratitude for the vocal support he received from the crowd. \u201cI think people just know I play hard, I try hard, I\u2019ve been close,\u201d said Rose. \u201cI\u2019ll come back next year and give everything, of course,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After Rory McIlroy successfully defended his green jacket in an unforgettable final round of the 90th Masters, 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