Sergio Garcia was playing in his 74th major championship at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia this weekend, and on Sunday, he defeated Justin Rose in a contentious playoff to secure his first big title at the 81st Masters, the first since 1954 without legend Arnold Palmer. 

Sergio Garcia Wins 81st Masters For First Major Title

The 37-year-old Spaniard and Rose both signed for their closing three-under 69s (279) to finish 72 holes at nine under par, then began their playoff on the par-4 18th hole, and Garcia ultimately came away with the green jacket after nearly 20 years of playing at the Masters. That green jacket, which was once bought for $5 at a thrift store, was sold at auction for more than $139,000 on Sunday, along with the putter Palmer used to win the 1964 Masters. That putter sold for more than $97,000.

Garcia finished in the top 10 at Augusta three times (2002, 2004, 2013), and now has the most career top-10s in majors history. Only two other Spaniards have won the Masters: the late Steve Ballestero, and Jose Maria Olazabal.

Fittingly, enough, Garcia’s big win came on what would have been Ballestero’s 60th birthday, and the 2017 Masters champion reflected on what the victory meant for him as an admirer of both Ballestero and Olazabal.

“It’s amazing. To do it on his 60th birthday and to join him and Olazabal, my two idols in golf my whole life, it’s something amazing,” Garcia told Jim Nantz on CBS following the win. “Jose sent me a text on Wednesday night telling me how much he believed in me and what I needed to do and just pretty much believing in myself and being calm and not let things get to me like I’ve done in the past.”

Ballesteros died of brain cancer almost six years ago. He won the first of his two Masters in 1980, three months after Garcia was born.

It was on the par-5 13th hole at Augusta on Sunday that the momentum began shifting away from Rose and back to Garcia.

Rose, who held a two-shot lead at that point, appeared strong in the fairway following a nice drive.

“I hit a really good iron shot into 13. I was playing for a little backstop behind the hole, hit a great shot and unfortunately it carried too far and set up a tough two-putt,” said Rose, a 36-year-old South African-born Englishman.

That shot from Rose truly flew slightly far and rested on the back fringe. That left a six-foot birdie attempt back up the hill.

“I didn’t hit that bad of a drive,” Garcia said, of his tee shot on 13. “I’ve been hitting that drive every day like a high cut. This drive was probably going three yards left of the ones I’ve hit the other three days, and unfortunately it hit the tree and went into the bush. In the past I would have said to my caddie ‘Why doesn’t it go through?’ But I was like, ‘If that’s what’s supposed to happen, let it happen. Let’s try to make a great five here and see if we can put a hell of a finish to have a chance. And if not, we’ll shake Justin’s hand and congratulate him for winning.”

Garcia’s fourth shot left 8 feet for par, which the Spaniard made.

“That par save there was big,” Garcia admitted.

Rose then missed, but was still up by two. Two holes later, Garcia caught up to his opponent to tie for the lead.

“That little two-shot swing there was kind of when he was back in the tournament,” Rose admitted. “I feel like if he misses at that point, I make, I’m four clear and I’ve got my eye on Thomas Pieters and Matt Kuchar instead.”

Kuchar, for his part, endeared everyone when he gave the ball he used to sink a hole-in-one on the par-3 16th hole to a young fan on the sidelines, a 10-year-old boy.

“I figured this would make a kid’s day and make a kid’s year,” said Kuchar, who posted a 67 to finish tied for fourth with . “It’s one of the neat things that we can do.”

Here is a highlight reel of Garcia’s greatest moments on Sunday:

Rose, the 2013 U.S. Open champion, has now finished second at the Masters twice in the last three years, and praised Garcia for his performance:

Garcia, who first emerged as a promising golfer as a teenager following a runner-up finish to Tiger Woods at the 1999 U.S. Open, said he felt a mix of several feelings after sinking the winning putt on Sunday.

“Obviously, this is something I wanted to do for a long time,” García said, “but, you know, it never felt like a horror movie. It felt like a little bit of a drama, but obviously with a happy ending.”

The Spaniard and Rose finished three shots ahead of South African Charl Schwartzel, the 2011 Masters winner, who recorded a 68 to finish alone at third.

Two of the tournament’s young American golfers, Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler, were placed together in the second-to-last pair. Both finished tied at 11th at one under-par, eight strokes behind Garcia and Rose. Fowler, who was also seeking his first major, recorded seven bogeys, including some on the last three holes, for a 76. Though they began Sunday within two shots of the lead, both Fowler and Spieth gave a lackluster showing the rest of the final round, just as Spieth had in last year’s Masters when he collapsed on the last day to surrender his 2015 title and green jacket to Englishman Danny Willett. 

“I wasn’t doing much wrong.  And that’s what was so tough,” said Texas native Spieth, who recorded a quadruple-bogey 7 on the par-3 12th last year at Augusta. “I didn’t feel like I was doing much wrong and I just look up and it just wasn’t landing where I thought it would.” 

Jason Day and Phil Mickelson finished tied at 22nd with two over-par.

It was a rough day for Lee Westwood (T18), William McGirt (T22) and Charley Hoffman (T22) who all shot over-par rounds to drop out of the invite bracket.

Garcia added that for now, one major title is enough for him.

“I don’t know if I’ll be the best player to have only won one major,” he said, smiling, “but I can live with that.”

AUGUSTA, GA – APRIL 07: Sergio Garcia of Spain plays his shot from the fourth tee during the second round of the 2017 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 7, 2017 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

Dustin Johnson was forced to withdraw from the 2017 Masters at Augusta on Thursday just before his afternoon tee time in the opening round.

Masters 2017 Round 2 Recap, Highlights, And Leaderboard

Johnson and his team had seemed sure on Wednesday he would be fine to play on Thursday after the 32-year-old American and World No. 1 golfer injured his lower back and elbows while falling down a short flight of stairs.

Charley Hoffman (-3) maintains the lead in the second round, though he’s falling off slightly. The 40-year-old American is, however, +3 for the day largely due to three straight bogeys early in the round.

Hoffman finished Round 1 with a 4-shot lead, the biggest advantage after just one round at Augusta in 62 years. Hoffman is playing in his fourth Masters, and has had much success in the tournament. He’s finished in the top 30 in all three previous events, including in 2015 when he opened the tournament with a 67 that had him tied for second behind eventual champion Jordan Spieth. Hoffman ended up tied for ninth that year.

Phil Mickelson (-1) started off the 2017 Masters strong, and is tied for fourth. Meanwhile, other top players like Spieth (+3), Jason Day (+2), Rickie Fowler (+1) and Rory McIlroy (E) all had varying performances on Thursday. McIlroy is the favorite to win this year’s Masters. Englishman Danny Willett won last year’s Masters after Spieth fell apart in the final round. Spieth recently said Johnson was the man to beat at Augusta this year.

Here is the recap of the first round on Thursday:

 Spaniard Sergio Garcia, meanwhile, remains in contention after finishing with 69 and recording six birdies and three bogies. Here is the 70th-ranked 37-year-old faired on Friday:

Here’s a great putt from Rickie Fowler on Friday:

And here are the highlights from early-afternoon play on Friday:

Here is an interesting statistic common to all Masters winners from the last 11 years, and how it relates to this year’s opening round at Augusta:

And finally, here is the full leaderboard for second-round play:

Dustin Johnson is expected to play in this year’s Masters Tournament, which begins this Thursday in Augusta, Georgia, despite undergoing a brief injury scare just one day before.

Dustin Johnson Fine After Falling Down Stairs, Injuring Back Before Masters

According to the Masters on the Range broadcast, the 32-year-old American was walking down a few short stairs to the garage to move a car at his rental house when he fell and landed awkwardly on his back and both elbows. Johnson thus suffered a muscular injury in the lower left side of his back below the rib cage (his QL muscle).

Nevertheless, Johnson’s trainer stated the golfer is walking around and will be ready for his tee time on Thursday (2:03 p.m. EST) during Round 1.

“We got him to the point where he got mobility,” Johnson’s trainer, Joey Diovisalvi, told Golf Digest on Thursday morning. “He was up and moving around and definitely going in the right direction. He was very much in an under-control point going to bed last night.

“He was walking around, a lot more mobility, took a couple of practice swings slowly without a club.”

Diovisalvi said he momentarily feared Johnson’s injury would caused him to miss the tournament.

“He told us, ‘I’m going to do everything I can to go out and play tomorrow,'” Diovisalvi said. “That basically is his attitude. He was playing with [his son] Tatum. Life sometimes happens. He’s not angry or upset. I’d say more discouraged.”

Johnson was an 11-2 favorite to win the Masters entering Wednesday, according to Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook. Following news of his injury, his odds fell to 7-1, the same as Jordan Spieth’s and Rory McIlroy’s.

Nevertheless, Johnson’s support team remains confident he will be able to prepared to play Thursday afternoon.

“The main goal was to control the pain overnight to minimize stiffness and avoid spasms this morning,” said physiotherapist Dr. Ara Suppiah. “The team acted very quickly, which makes a huge difference in getting control of the situation and prognosis.”

The World No. 1 has won three consecutive tournaments — including two World Golf Championships — ahead of the Masters.

Johnson is in the final group for the opening round: he will tee alongside two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson and PGA winner Jimmy Walker.

This Masters if the first without golf legend Arnold Palmer, who died last September at age 87. Palmer played in 50 Masters and was an honorary non-hitting starter at last year’s 80th Masters. He won the tournament four times: in 1958, 1960, 1962 and 1964.

Many famous players have stated the tournament will not be the same without Palmer.

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO – MARCH 05: Dustin Johnson of the United States plays his tee shot on the 18th hole during the final round of the World Golf Championships Mexico Championship at Club De Golf Chapultepec on March 5, 2017 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Justin Heiman/Getty Images)

One year ago, Danny Willett capitalized on a series of mistakes from Jordan Spieth to win the Masters Tournament, his first major title.

Danny Willett gears up For 2017 Masters

Willett took the fabled green jacket from Spieth and won the $1.8 million first-place prize.

Now, the 29-year-old Englishman is gearing up for this year’s tournament at Augusta, Georgia which begins April 6.

Willett has reflected on his life-altering win from 2016, and how he hasn’t won a tournament since that event.

“It’s just getting everything in perspective and realizing what you’ve achieved is pretty special, that people don’t do that every day,” Willett told CNN’s Living Golf show. “It’s been a sharp learning curve for me because it did knock me back a little bit.”

Then 28, Willett was the first Brit to win in Georgia since Nick Faldo claimed the last of his three titles in 1996. He was also the first European champion since Spaniard Jose Maria Olazabal’s second win in 1999. Willett was ranked 12th in the world at the time.

Willett, a Sheffield native, wasn’t even originally going to participate in the 2016 Masters. His wife was due to give birth to their first child on the final Sunday.

The Englishman vowed to withdraw if his baby didn’t arrive before the tournament began, but his son ended up being born seven days before the first round, so he took a plane out to America.

Willett finished no better than tied 37th in the rest of the year’s three majors.

The reigning Masters champ also had to deal with a loss at the Ryder Cup last year, as well as the fallout from a scathing column his brother Peter wrote about American golf fans around that time.

The Masters victory gave him “unrealistic” expectations, he says.

Dustin Johnson, the world’s number one golfer, is on a hot streak right now, coming off a victory in the WGC-Dell Match Play in Austin last weekend to secure his third win in as many starts in 2017.

Jordan Spieth on how to Beat Dustin Johnson

Jordan Spieth, who has finished no lower than second in his three Masters appearances, (one victory, two runner-up finishes) knows how challenging it will be to defeat his fellow American at this year’s Masters, which begin April 6 in Augusta, Georgia.

“I think Dustin Johnson is the guy to beat in golf no matter where you are,” Spieth said at a news conference on Wednesday. “If I play my best golf, I believe that I can take down anybody, and you have to believe that.

“But I think that he is the guy that everyone is saying he’s playing the best golf in the world right now.”

Spieth, 23, also discussed what he is and isn’t concentrated on right now regarding his golf career.

“Major championships have huge weight and I’m not focused on trying to win majors to get to number one any more,” the World No. 6 added. “So, that side of things, getting number one isn’t the pressure that I feel, but that’s the only way to really take big strides towards him because I don’t think he’s letting up any time soon.”

Spieth, who at age 21 in 2015 became the second-youngest player to win the Masters, concluded by offering some advice on how to beat top players like Johnson.

“Fortunately I’ve played a lot of golf and competed against him on the weekends,” said Spieth, who tied for second last year following a catastrophic final-day meltdown that culminated in Englishman Danny Willett winning the 2016 Masters. “The way to do it is to not get caught up in his game. The thing that’s difficult about beating Dustin Johnson is, you get on the tee and by the time you’re hitting your second shot you’re already at a disadvantage on the hole.

Johnson’s World Match Play title win also made the 32-year-old South Carolinian the first player to win all four World Golf Championship events.

On Monday, Johnson withdrew from this week’s Houston Open.

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO – MARCH 05: Dustin Johnson of the United States plays his tee shot on the 18th hole during the final round of the World Golf Championships Mexico Championship at Club De Golf Chapultepec on March 5, 2017 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Justin Heiman/Getty Images)