from AUGUSTA, Ga. — It was chilly enough to make bare knees knock. Parkas were buttoned. Blankets were spread. Shadows rode in on the breeze.
“I said, ‘Buddy, it looks like we’re collapsing,’” said Jordan Spieth.
A car alarm blared in the distance. Deep groans echoed off the pines. Sunburned men rattled their empty plastic beer cups, quietly nudged each other’s attention to the leaderboard, and whistled through their teeth.
“It just kind of stunk to watch it,” said Smylie Kaufman.
There were nine holes left in the Masters on Sunday afternoon and it was over. Spieth had a five-stroke lead in a tournament he had owned for two years. He already had one green jacket. The other guys on the leaderboard had none. This wasn’t a competition, it was a coronation.
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“It went from an incredible performance to a mixture of disaster and torture,” said Nick Faldo.
Making the turn, Spieth bogeyed one hole. Bogeyed the next hole. Then, on the next hole he was facing 155 yards over water. That was the shot. Hit the ball over a slice of water that didn’t even qualify as a lake or pond, but a creek, Rae’s Creek. Keep the ball dry and end the skid and stride toward history.
“I didn’t take that deep extra breath,” Spieth said.
The kid rushed. The kid splashed. The kid drowned. He dunked his ball in the creek not once, but twice. He turned golf’s grandest stage into a morning at the muni. He scored a seven on the par-three 12th hole. It’s called a quadruple bogey. It looked four times that bad. And he was done, the biggest collapse in this 80-year-old tournament occurring in about 15 minutes.
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“Big picture, this one will hurt,” Spieth said.
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Danny Willett of England walks along the 15th hole during the final round of the Masters on Sunday at Augusta National Golf Club.
(Matt Slocum / Associated Press)
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Jordan Spieth gathers his thoughts on the 18th green before finishing the final round with a one-over 73.
(Brant Sanderlin / Atlanta Journal Constitution)
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Jordan Spieth presents Danny Willett the winner’s green jacket Sunday evening at Augusta National Golf Club.
(Andrew Redington / Getty Images)
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Augusta National chairman William Porter Payne presents American Bryson DeChambeau with the trophy for being the top amateur at the Masters during the awards ceremony Sunday evening.
(Andrew Redington / Getty Images)
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Masters champion Danny Willett gives the thumbs-up sign to fans after the awards ceremony at Augusta National Golf Club.
(Harry How / Getty Images)
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Jordan Spieth gets a pat on the back from caddie Michael Greller on the 18th hole after finishing second at the Masters.
(Harry How / Getty Images)
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Jordan Spieth takes a second drop on the 12th hole after one of the two times his shots landed in Rae’s Creek while hitting approach shots there during the final round of the Masters tournament.
(David J. Phillip / Associated Press)
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Jordan Spieth plays his second shot on the 11th hole from the trees during the final round of the Masters on Sunday.
(David Cannon / Getty Images)
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Danny Willett reacts after making a putt at No. 14 on Sunday during the final round of the Masters.
(Don Emert / AFP / Getty Images)
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Hideki Matsuyama of Japan chips onto a green during the final round of the Masters on Sunday.
(Don Emmert / AFP / Getty Images)
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Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays a shot out of the bunker during the final round of the Masters.
(Jim Watson / AFP / Getty Images)
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Lee Westwood of England reacts after making an eagle on the 15th hole during the final round of the Masters.
(Matt Slocum / Associated Press)
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Jason Day of Australia reacts after playing a shot Sunday during the final round of the Masters.
(Jim Watson / AFP / Getty Images)
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Patrons leave Augusta National Golf Club after the third round of the Masters.
(Andrew Gombert / EPA)
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Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays a shot onto the 16th green during third round of the Masters.
(JIM WATSON / AFP/Getty Images)
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Bernhard Lange tips his cap to the crowd after putting out at No. 18 during the third round of the Masters on Saturday.
(Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)
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Jordan Spieth walks out of the trees along the 18th fairway after hitting a recovery shot during the third round of the Masters.
(Erik S. Lesser / EPA)
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Jordan Spieth hits out of the rough along the 17th fairway Saturday during the third round of the Masters.
(Matt Slocum / Associated Press)
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Hideki Matsuyama of Japan plays his second shot on the 12th hole during the third round of the Masters.
(Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
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Rory McIlroy reacts to a missed birdie putt on the 17th green during the third round of the Masters.
(Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
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Sergio Garcia of Spain lines up a putt on the 13th green during the third round of the Masters.
(Jim Watson / AFP / Getty Images)
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American Scott Piercy creates a splash of sand as he hits out of a bunker during the third round of the Masters.
(Jim Watson / AFP / Getty Images)
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Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays his shot from the 17th tee during the first round of the 2016 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
(Harry How / Getty Images)
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Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy hits out of a bunker on the 18th green during Round 1 of the 2016 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
(NICHOLAS KAMM / AFP/Getty Images)
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Ian Poulter, of England, reacts after missing a putt on the first hole during the second round of the 2016 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
(Chris Carlson / Associated Press)
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Danny Lee, of New Zealand, hits a drive on the second hole during the second round of the 2016 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
(David J. Phillip / Associated Press)
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Mike Weir of Canada hit out of a bunker on the second hole during the second round of the 2016 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
(Matt Slocum / Associated Press)
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Jason Day, of Australia, watches his drive on the second hole during the second round of the 2016 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
(David J. Phillip / Associated Press)
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Charl Schwartzel, of South Africa, hits out of a bunker on the fourth hole during the second round of the 2016 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
(Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)
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Patrons walk along the first fairway before the start of play during the second round of the 2016 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
(Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)
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A scorekeeper peers through a hole from behind a board during Round 1 of the 2016 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
(JIM WATSON / AFP/Getty Images)
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Martin Kaymer of Germany down the fairway on the fifteenth hole during the first round of the 2016 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
(ANDREW GOMBERT / EPA)
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Australia’s Steven Bowditch putts on 1st hole during Round 1 of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club in April. (DON EMMERT / AFP/Getty Images)
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Rickie Fowler hits out of the rough off the first fairway during the first round of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.
(Matt Slocum / Associated Press)
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Jordan Spieth hits on the second fairway during the first round of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.
(David J. Phillip / Associated Press)
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Victor Dubuisson of France and caddie Leonard Francois walk up the third fairway during the first round of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.
(Harry How / Getty Images)
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Amateur Bryson DeChambeau tees off on the third hole during the first round of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.
(David J. Phillip / AP)
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Jordan Spieth lines up a putt on the first hole during the first round of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.
(ANDREW GOMBERT / EPA)
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A scorekeeper places numbers on a leaderboard during the first round of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.
(Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)
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Jack Nicklaus waves before hitting a ceremonial first tee shot before the first round of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.
(Matt Slocum / AP)
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Steven Bowditch of Australia celebrates after chipping in a birdie on the first hole during the first round of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.
(Matt Slocum / AP)
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Lee Westwood of England chips on the second hole during the first round of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.
(TANNEN MAURY / EPA)
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A sign bearing the names of the honorary starters Gary Player of South Africa, Jack Nicklaus of the U.S. and Arnold Palmer of the U.S. before they ceremonially open the first round of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.
(TANNEN MAURY / EPA)
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Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player together on the first tee at the ceremonially opening of the first round of the 2016 Masters Tournament.
(TANNEN MAURY / EPA)
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Patrons wait for the gates to open near the first fairway before the start of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.
(ANDREW GOMBERT / EPA)
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Patrons file onto the course after the gates are opened near the first fairway before the start of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.
(ANDREW GOMBERT / EPA)
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Spectators line a fairway to watch the first round of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club.
(David J. Phillip / Associated Press)
Historical picture, the Masters was won by Danny Willett, a 28-year-old Englishman with no PGA Tour wins, four European Tour wins, and the great fortune to be playing decently when Spieth’s nightmare fell into his lap. Willett shot five under par for the round and the tournament, finishing three strokes better than Spieth and Lee Westwood.
“It’s all a bit surreal,” Willett said.
Realistic picture, this was about how golf’s brutally unforgiving nature can claim the heart of the even most prodigious of athletes even as he is dominating the most picturesque of events. For three days here Spieth was a 22-year-old savant. Then suddenly he was just, well, a 22-year-old.
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“I was absolutely shocked,” said Jason Day.
Everyone was quick to compare this to Greg Norman’s collapse to Faldo in 1996, but there really is no comparison. Norman was leading by six at the beginning of the final round, but was leading by only two after nine holes. This collapse was more than twice as bad in a fraction of the time.
“I’m sure he’s killing himself for it,” Day said.
He was killing this golf course entering the back nine, so much that the fans abandoned the hopeless pursuers, crowded toward the final holes and waited to honor the boy king.
“Jordan was in absolute control; walking to the tee was like a procession to his second green jacket,” Faldo said.
But once he began the back nine, he admitted that he decided to play it safe, and the safe play strangled him.
This golf course is about touch and nerve, and when one of them goes, you’re in trouble.
— Nick Faldo
Jordan Spieth gathers his thoughts on the 18th green before finishing the final round with a one-over 73.
(Brant Sanderlin / Atlanta Journal Constitution)
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“I knew par was good enough and maybe that’s what hurt me . . . just wasn’t quite aggressive,” Spieth said.
Even the two bogeys didn’t have to be game-changers, but suddenly he became distracted, distressed, and couldn’t get the ball over that darn water.
“This golf course is about touch and nerve, and when one of them goes, you’re in trouble,” Faldo said.
For Spieth, they both departed at once, leaving him muttering to himself, gesturing in confusion toward caddie Michael Greller and nervously flexing his suddenly hostile clubs in his hands, again and again.
“Just a lapse of concentration,” Spieth said.
He came back to birdie two of the next three holes, and had a chance to flip the entire narrative after landing his tee shot within six feet at No. 16. But he ran his birdie putt past the hole, killing any chance of a comeback, at which point many in the crowd turned their backs with audible sighs.
“Wow,” some whispered.
Spieth’s trademark march became a trudge. While traversing the final two fairways he stared aimlessly at the ground. Near the 18th green he stopped and crouched for the longest minute, just crouched and hung his head. When he finished the round he tossed his ball sideways into the crowd as if discarding a piece of lint, and then walked briskly down toward the scorer’s cabin, stopping only to politely ask a cameraman to please get out of his face.
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His pain was so great, it was visibly felt in another state by another sports superstar. When word of the collapse reached Spieth’s friend Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors before a game in San Antonio, he reportedly dropped to the gym floor in agony.
“We’re all in disbelief,” Faldo said.
But just as Spieth learned a lesson on this darkest of Sundays, he also taught one, on how to handle defeat with grace.
In keeping with Masters tradition, as the previous year’s winner he had to place the green jacket on winner Willett in Butler Cabin. Never before in Masters history has a defending champion had to rebound from such misfortune to put on such a smiling face. In any other sport, there’s a chance that a former champion in a such a dire situation would disappear.
But Spieth showed up. He lost his balance and nearly fell while putting the jacket on Willett, but he showed up. He later looked like he was going to be sick as he walked outside to attend the jacket ceremony, but he showed up.
“As you can imagine, I can’t think of anybody else who may have had a tougher ceremony to experience,” he said.
As Spieth finished answering questions outside the clubhouse early Sunday evening, the wind picked up and the chill deepened. Wearing no jacket, he shuddered once and walked away.
Bill Plaschke, an L.A. Times sports columnist since 1996, is a member of the National Sports Media Hall of Fame and California Sports Hall of Fame. He has been named national Sports Columnist of the Year nine times by the Associated Press, and twice by the Society of Professional Journalists and National Headliner Awards. He is the author of six books, including a collection of his columns entitled “Plaschke: Good Sports, Spoilsports, Foul Balls and Oddballs.” Plaschke is also a panelist on the popular ESPN daily talk show, “Around the Horn.” He is in the national Big Brothers/Big Sisters Alumni Hall of Fame and has been named Man of the Year by the Los Angeles Big Brothers/Big Sisters as well as receiving a Pursuit of Justice Award from the California Women’s Law Center. Plaschke has appeared in a movie (“Ali”), a dramatic HBO series (“Luck”) and, in a crowning cultural moment he still does not quite understand, his name can be found in a rap song “Females Welcome” by Asher Roth.
