Biggest winners and losers from 2017 Masters

Winner: Sergio gets the monkey off his back

Once upon a time, Garcia was Tiger Woods’ peer as one of the very best young golfers in the world. That was before the start of the 21st century.

He burst onto the international scene as a 19-year-old amateur at the 1999 Masters, tying for 38th place in the same tournament that fellow Spaniard José María Olazábal claimed the green jacket.

At the time, it was expected that Garcia would join Olazábal and Seve Ballesteros sooner, rather than later, as a Spanish major champion.

Years went by, and Garcia couldn’t manage to live up to the high expectations. In fact, he shrunk when the lights got hottest in major tournaments, choking away leads on more than a few occasions. Twenty-two times he finished in the top 10 during major championships, but never did he win.

It appeared he’d suffer the same fate on Sunday when, two shots back of Rose on the par-five 13th hole, he shanked his drive into the bushes to the left of a water hazard. As a result, he ended up taking a penalty drop.

Meanwhile Rose was in perfect position, and it appeared the tournament was his to win.

Somehow Garcia saved par, and on the same hole Rose faltered on the green, also making par.

As golfers know, not all fives are created equal. Garcia went on a tear the next two holes, going birdie-eagle on 14 and 15, and suddenly things weren’t so crystal clear.

It appeared Garcia would potentially once again find a way to lose when he pushed his putt to win on the 72nd hole, but it ended up being Rose who couldn’t get the job done on the 73rd hole.

The rest is history.