By Mark Lamport-Stokes
AUGUSTA, Georgia, April 9 (Reuters) – Champion Bubba Watson
will always have the prestigious green jacket but, once the dust
settles, the most stirring memory of the 76th Masters will be
the wonder shot for the ages conjured up by Louis Oosthuizen.
Oosthuizen, who romped to a seven-stroke victory at the 2010
British Open, triggered one of the loudest roars ever heard at
Augusta National with his astonishing albatross two at the
par-five second.
The gap-toothed South African with the silky swing holed out
from 253 yards with a four-iron to record the first albatross,
or double-eagle, on that hole and only the fourth ever achieved
at the Masters.
Playing with eventual winner Watson in Sunday’s final round,
Oosthuizen watched as his ball landed on the front of the green
in between the two bunkers and bounced along before rolling up
the hill.
The fans crammed around the green applauded politely but the
ball kept on rolling, tracking sharply from left to right before
dropping into the cup with what appeared to be its dying breath.
The cheering reached an ear-splitting crescendo and the
sound reverberated around the Georgian pines as players on every
part of the course were alerted to something very special.
Oosthuizen thrust both arms skywards before high-fiving his
caddie. Watson considered joining the celebrations but thought
better of it.
“When we were walking up 18 during regulation, I told Louis
I just wanted to run over there and give him a high-five,”
Watson said after beating the South African on the second extra
hole to claim his first major title.
Continued…
