COMPULSIVE VIEWING

Forget American Idol, Eastenders et al, the final day’s play at Augusta in the year’s first Major kept millions of viewers (not all of them regular golf fans) glued to the telly for this annual TV serial into the small hours. The pairing of Woods and Mickelson (contrived?), an impossible seven shots behind Cabrera and Perry, provided 16 holes of magic, as both came within one shot of catching the leaders. Mickelson’s outward nine of 6-under-par and Wood’s refusal to allow him to steal the stage drew 90% of the crowd, while the final pair played in an eerie silence. It was only when Woods and Mickelson collapsed over the final two holes, that the trio of Chad Campbell, Kenny Perry and Angel Cabrera, who were playing 3 and 4 holes behind respectively, were able to inherit centre stage and the full attention of their audience. Indeed 48 year-old Perry, the only one of the leaders not to drop a shot after 16 holes, seemed destined to become the oldest winner of a Major in history as his birdie on the 16th gave him a 2 shot lead with 2 holes to play. Sadly, the enormity of the occasion got to him and his closing 2 bogeys demoted him to a play-off with Cabrera and Campbell. All three succumbed to nerves on the first play-off hole, the 18th., Cabrera getting out of gaol to match Perry’s par, while Campbell’s bogey left Cabrera to follow his 2007 U.S. Open victory with only his second win on U.S. soil – both of them Majors, beating the crestfallen Perry on the second play-off hole. What a shame that we have to wait another year for the next instalment.

Tags: American Idol, Cabrera, Perry