In the late evening of April 12th, 2020, the second Sunday in April, the Masters tournament, as it always does, came to a thrilling close. At the culmination of one of the most volatile final rounds on record, the world was left cheering for another deserving champion. This wasn’t the Masters of Tiger’s roaring comeback, nor that of the awakened Golden Bear, but, for the sum of its parts, it may have been – dare I say? – even better.
Here to tell the story are the 83 people who were closest to it as it unfolded before our very eyes.
The apex of the seminal week on the sports calendar, a tradition unlike any other, Sunday at the Masters.
Jim Nantz
Jim Nantz (CBS broadcaster; clothing designer): It was a clear and sunny day among the pristine pines of Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. The apex of the seminal week on the sports calendar, a tradition unlike any other, Sunday at the Masters. And, with a leaderboard also quite unlike any other, it was shaping up to be an historic day. However, like many transcendental stories, it begins long before it actually took place.
Joe LaCava (caddie for Tiger Woods; Carried the bag for two Masters victories): It had been a tough stretch, with Tiger having to pull out of Bay Hill, then The Players. I was very nervous about getting any sort of competitive prep in before Augusta.
Tiger Woods (Tiger Woods): Joey might get fired if he keeps speaking, so I’ll jump in. We played the Matchplay, which is a great tuneup for a major, because every round has that added pressure of needing to survive and advance.
Will Gray (Golf Channel writer): If you lose the opening match in the Matchplay, the odds of making out of your group are below 20%. That is intense pressure right off the bat.
Keegan Bradley (62nd-ranked golfer in the world; major champion, remember?): No one wants to see that they’re stuck in Tiger’s group on the eve of the Matchplay. If you can get out of your group, there’s a ton of world ranking points available. If you’re in Tiger’s group, that window gets real small. I hadn’t been playing great, but I had a couple of bright spots to start the season. I guess, in a way, I lucked out playing Tiger on Wednesday, because he wasn’t quite in his groove, yet.
Tiger Woods: Careful, Keegsy.
Keegan bradley: I would never use the word “rust” to describe Tiger, but he was–
Joe LaCava: Still in the process of peaking.
Keegan bradley: Yes, that’s a good way to put it. Thanks, Joey. Plus, I had a good chat with MJ that morning, and he really got me in the right headspace.
Michael Jordan (The “Jordan” in Jordan Brand, which sponsors Keegan Bradley): I told KB if he didn’t beat Tiger, he might end up being sponsored by Sketchers.
Matt Kuchar (17th-ranked golfer in the world; Skechers brand ambassador): Hey!
Michael Jordan: Keep it to yourself, Kuch. You’re good at that.
Keegan Bradley: In the end, I had to battle like a bulldog–
Kevin Kisner (36th-ranked golfer in the world; Georgia bulldog): You wish.
Keegan Bradley: …to squeeze out a 1-up victory. Man, I am getting beat up today.
Matthew Fitzpatrick (25th-ranked golfer in the world): Keegan beating Tiger was crucial for me surviving our group. Tiger is obviously the alpha dog–
Tiger Woods: Cat.
Matthew Fitzpatrick: Sorry, cat. He’s obviously the alpha cat – I guess that’s a thing now – in the group, so your eyes are on his record the whole time. I mean, you know he’s going to beat Abe, because he literally owns a condo in Abe’s mind after thrashing him at the Presidents Cup.
Abraham Ancer (29th-ranked golfer in the world): Guilty as charged. The doormat at Tiger’s house doesn’t get stomped on by Tiger the way I do.
Matthew Fitzpatrick: So, I knew I couldn’t rely on Tiger losing or tying two matches. I was going to have to beat or tie Tiger to have a chance. Keegan made a tie good enough, as long as I took care of business elsewhere.
Tiger Woods: Fitzy played me tough on Friday, and I just couldn’t get my feels right on the greens. Three days in a row, after you haven’t played competitively in over a month, can be a grind. Another round or two would have been helpful, especially with nothing else on our schedule before Augusta. Getting knocked out early at the Matchplay cost me a few shots at the Masters, for sure.
Mathew FItzpatrick: I was happy to get the tie and advance, but no one was getting past Rory on our side of the bracket.
Joe LaCava: Long story slightly shorter, we didn’t get the ideal number of reps before Augusta. Anyway, back to Masters Sunday. We get out there early, because we just couldn’t get anything going the first three rounds. Tiger can make his way around any golf course without all the guns firing, but especially the National.
Jim Nantz: Before we come on the air, Tiger’s already off to the hottest start I can remember. Luckily, he was still finishing off the first nine when we came on.
Tiger Woods: I went birdie-eagle-par-par-birdie-birdie to get within three shots of the lead. After a birdie on Six, one of the toughest holes on the course, I’m ready to go.
Max Homa (71st-ranked golfer in the world; paired with Tiger Woods in final round): I was amped up. You obviously want to play with Tiger, because it’s always insanity, but this was on a completely different level. You could have told every person there that the leaders were 30-under and playing naked, and no one would have taken their eyes off Tiger. It was special. I didn’t miss a shot all day, and it was 100% because of whatever vibes I was soaking up from the Big Cat.
Tiger Woods: No swing tips, Homesy?
Max Homa: We can discuss that privately.
Jim Nantz: The round of the day so far, believe it or not, had belonged to perennial marker Jeff Knox, who, paired with Sergio Garcia, carded an unofficial 65. Just incredible. Max Homa, clearly riding a wave of momentum created by Tiger, did one better and secured an invitation to the 2021 Masters. Not bad for your first time around the hallowed grounds.
Jeff Knox (Augusta National member; Masters marker): Let’s just say Serge left the club with a little less money than he had at the start of the day.
Sergio Garcia (38th-ranked golfer in the world; 2017 Masters champion): I always enjoy playing with Jeff. It was a pleasant round. I even gave him a gift after we finished – a putter.
Jeff Knox: Yeah, through my windshield.
Sergio Garcia: Oops.
Jon Rahm (2nd-ranked golfer in the world): I taught him that.
Joe LaCava: I’ve seen Tiger play lights out. We’ve all seen it a hundred times, but I’ve seen it up close probably three or four times. This was LIGHTS OUT – you talk about “the zone”, Tiger was three zip codes past the zone and getting farther away.
Tiger Woods: The second nine is where you have to make your move on Sunday. I knew birdieing out would get me to the top spot, at least for the time being, so I decided to give it a try. Ten and Eleven were both playing downwind, which seems impossible, but that made it easy to get on the right track.
Davis Love, III (CBS on-course reporter): I wouldn’t normally get TIger’s group, but because of his early start time, they threw the new guy into the fray. By the time we got to Twelve, and Tiger had already birdied Ten and Eleven, we all realized I just might be walking with the winner and the runner-up. It was madness.
Tiger Woods: The wind was swirling on Twelve, so I just poked it right over the creek and onto the left. Somehow, the wind shifted at just the right moment, and my ball moved a couple feet right, setting up an easier putt than I expected.
Jim Nantz: Three birdies in a row, and he was already 4-under before that.
Davis Love, III: That bogey on Nine was actually a good bogey, but we were all praying it wouldn’t be the difference between number 16 and coming up just short.
Tiger Woods: I did what I needed to do on Thirteen and Fifteen.
Joe LaCava: yeah, I’d say eagling both par-fives was more than doing what he needed to do.
Max Homa: Tiger laid up on 15. He laid up and made eagle! What world is this?!
He laid up and made eagle! What world is this?!
Max Homa
Tiger Woods: I’m not going to say I expected to hole out, but, after squeaking one out to the right off the tee, I knew exactly where I wanted to play my third.
Joe LaCava: Oh, he knew it was going in. Made that same shot in the practice rounds on Monday and Tuesday. Holed out both times. He knew.
Tiger Woods: No comment.
Nick Faldo (CBS commentator; three-time Masters champion): Jack happened to be in the booth for a quick visit, saying hello and so forth. As soon as Tiger holed out on Fifteen, everyone noticed a foul…aroma. We all turned to Jack. It turned out to be a pimento cheese sandwich someone had left next to the air conditioner, but we were all thinking the same thing.
Jack Nicklaus (Six-time Masters champion): I don’t usually stick around for the weekend, but there was a little storm in Florida, so bone fishing wasn’t an option. I had to be in Ohio on Monday, so Barbara and I decided to stick around.
Brandel Chamblee (Golf Channel Analyst): There was no storm in Florida. My wife played 18 in Orlando on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The only moisture in the air came from Jack. He was sweating.
Barbara Nicklaus (Wife of Jack Nicklaus; boss lady): If Tiger was going to have a chance to win his sixth, Jack was sure as sugar going to be standing right there, putting just that little bit of added weight on Tiger’s back. He’ll never leave before Sunday night again.
Joe LaCava: The Boss Man flew it a yard or two too far on 16, gave us a hell of a downhill putt and a scary seven-footer coming back. Made the par, of course, but the momentum was gone.
Jim Nantz: Despite a this-close par on Seventeen and a straightforward four at eighteen, Tiger played the second nine in 29 and finished the round with the first 61 in major golf championship history. An ageless performance for the ages…at the Masters.
Davis Love, III: When the afternoon wave kicked off, I was following the second-to-last group, Bryson and Rickie. Overnight, they were both at 9-under, two off the lead. But, by the time they teed off, they were four behind Tiger, who was in the clubhouse at 13-under, and the course was firming up fast.
Rickie Fowler (27th-ranked golfer in the world): If you can get off to a good start on One, you have a chance. That little bit of confidence is worth a couple of shots down the stretch. I just missed from six feet out, so I’m a little down, even though I shouldn’t be that early in the round. It just felt like a big one that got away.
Joe Skovron (Caddie for Rickie Fowler): I remember Louis’s two on Two a few years back, when Bubba won. Rickie smoked his drive and had a five-iron in. I told him to picture Louis and just ride the green right to the hole. Hit the stick! And it wasn’t too hot, either. A half-an-inch to either side and it’s in, easy.
Rickie Fowler: That eagle at Two more than made up for the push at One. We were two back, made up the overnight difference real quick.
Mark Immelman (CBS on-course reporter; not Trevor): I heard the roars for Rickie, because my group was just ahead on Three tee. Matthew Fitzpatrick had to back off his tee shot, then he looks at me, great kid, and smiles and says, “Rickie, right? His roars are always a bit higher pitch.” Sure enough, we found out later he was right.
Matthew Fitzpatrick: Normally, I don’t mind a bit of noise behind me, because it motivates you. But, when it’s Rickie, he’s such a good guy, you almost want it to happen for him, so you have to remind yourself to keep your foot on the gas.
Rickie Fowler: Dude.
Matthew FItzpatrcik: I’m just joshing. Hell, yeah, I was motivated; when the patrons see me, they wonder why the players are still having their kids caddie for them after the par-three is over. I want a roar like that one of these days.
Rickie Fowler: That was the last one we got on the front–
Joe Skovron: The first nine.
Rickie Fowler: My bad. The first nine.
Mark Immelman: By the time my group reached Ten, Matthew was three off the lead and Patrick Reed was building up some steam to tie Rickie at 11-under.
Patrick Reed (7th-ranked golfer in the world; 2018 Masters champion): We could see on the board that the leaders were parring everything, so we were just looking at Tiger’s number. I wasn’t worried about anyone else.
Rickie Fowler: Dude!
Patrick Reed: [Shrugs]
Rory McIlroy (Top-ranked golfer in the world): There were birdies out there, but the course was faster than it had been all week. And I was so antsy all morning, just waiting around, so I tried to squeeze in a few reps on the bench press.
Brandel Chamblee: Ah-ha! See?
Rory McIlroy: I’m just kidding. Sorry, Brandel.
Brandel Chamblee: Touché, Rory.
Dottie Pepper (CBS lead on-course reporter): The crowds were incredible, but they were starving for a birdie from the leaders. Finally, on Eight, we get our first crack of fireworks.
Kevin Kisner: I pushed one a little out to the left on Eight, so we had some 35 feet for birdie.
Duane “Dewey” Bock (Caddie for Kevin Kisner): I’m reading it eight, maybe eight and a quarter feet outside the cup. Lotta break.
Kevin Kisner: I didn’t ask Dewey, and I’m glad I didn’t. I read about seven feet of break, but I pulled it the tiniest bit, so it ended up rolling as if I’d read eight. If Dewey’d known what I was thinking, I wouldn’t have heard the end of it all damn day.
Duane “Dewey” Bock: Kiz makes the bird, and we’re rolling downhill in a car with no brakes.
Dottie Pepper: Rory bogeys Nine before Kevin even hits his first putt.
Rory McIlroy: That’s a putt I’ve had a dozen times. I caught the lip on the high side, but it just ran by. Suddenly, I’m three back of Tiger and another player is about to leapfrog me.
Kevin Kisner: We were in between clubs on Nine, which isn’t rare, but the adrenaline was pumping after Eight, so I decided to bounce it up. Nearly dunked it.
Duane “Dewey” Bock: Easy bird.
Kevin Kisner: My mindset all morning was just to beat Rory in matchplay. I’d done it to take down the WGC – again – a few weeks earlier–
Rory McIlroy: No need to rub it in.
Kevin Kisner: But I’m going to anyway. So, I knew I could beat Rory head-to-head. When I saw T-Weezy post 13-under, I got worried beating Rory wasn’t gonna be enough, but I stuck with it and, heading to the back, I was 2-up and cruising.
Brandel Chamblee: Rory was playing beautiful golf, but the putts weren’t falling. If he’d putted about average over the first nine, he’d have been on top with Tiger, if not one ahead. But, on a day like that, precision and putting will go a long way. There aren’t too many years you’ll see Rickie, Kisner, Matthew FItzpatrick, guys like that crowding the top of the board at the Masters – even Tiger, at this point of his career, is moreso in that mold.
Jim Nantz: With the leaders on the tee at Ten, Tiger is still in the lead, but Rickie, Rory, Kisner, and Reed are all within three shots. As they say, the Masters doesn’t really start until the second nine on Sunday and, after seeing Tiger post a 29, anything seemed possible.
Frank Nobilo (CBS and Gold Channel commentator): That’s when things started getting really interesting.
Verne Lundquist (CBS commentator): About the time Rory and Kisner made the turn, Xander Schauffele and Tony Finau come to Sixteen. Xander hits his to a foot, right in there. Then, right on top of him, Tony hits one to the right side of the green and it funnels right down to the hole and in!
Xander Schauffele (12th-ranked golfer in the world): I’m so excited for Tony. We’d been struggling all day, so we’re kind of sharing in the misery. Then, he dunks it, and I couldn’t help myself. I ran up to him and leapt into his arms. Unfortunately–
I couldn’t help myself. I ran up to him and leapt into his arms.
Xander Schauffele
Tony Finau (17th-ranked golfer in the world): Yup, it happened again – ankle popped right out. The other ankle this time.
Xander Schauffele: That sound was nasty.
Tony Finau: Popped it right back in again, though, using a divot tool. The adrenaline was so intense, I crushed my drive on Seventeen and made birdie. Suddenly, I’m two back. Eighteen is no walk in the park, but you never know.
Nick Faldo: Tony’s drive on Eighteen took a bounce I’ve never seen before. That thing must have been spinning like a football, end over end.
Xander Shcauffele: I would have needed a 9-iron just to make it down to where Tony’s drive landed.
Tony Finau: I had a 56-degree in, so I took a quick walk to the green. Landed it two yards short, and it was just on the perfect line.
Brandel Chamblee: Do you remember that shot that Kawhi Leonard hit to beat the Sixers? Bounced on the rim about twelve times? This was the golf equivalent.
Xander Schauffele: I was already up by the green after my second, so I had a perfect view. That ball must have hit the cup and the flagstick three times each.
Tony Finau: Man, it would have been so cool.
Frank Nobilo: Tony’s a world-class player, no doubt, but that always seems to be the way things go for him. Forty five percent of the ball was hanging over the lip, maybe more.
Tony Finau: I’ll get it next year.
Tony Finau’s five children: We still love you, Daddy!
Tony Finau: I love you, too, guys.
Verne Lundquist: The next group through is the Bash Brothers, DJ and Brooks. They’d both birdied Thirteen to get to 8-under, still within the realm of possibility, but DJ doubled Fourteen after an awful drive, and Brooks found the water on Fifteen. Found the same branch that Francesco did the year before. By the time they got to me at Sixteen, they were deflated. They decided to skip their balls on the water.
Brooks Koepka (3rd-ranked golfer in the world): DJ hit first, and he thought it’d be funny.
Dustin Johnson (5th-ranked golfer in the world): Rolled it to five feet.
Brooks Koepka: What am I gonna do, not beat DJ? I haven’t done that since 2016.
Verne Lundquist: And the son of a gun aced it! Skimmed the water and aced it! Two groups in a row, I can’t remember that happening before. Definitely not on Sunday. When I saw Lee Westwood step up next, after eagling Fifteen, I nearly had a heart attack on the spot.
Lee Westwood (31st-ranked golfer in the world): It’s not a major Sunday if old Lee doesn’t pop up to say hey.
Nick Faldo: I was rooting for Lee to keep the trend going, but, alas, it wasn’t meant to be.
Lee Westwood: I’d seen Brooks and DJ ahead of us, and I heard the roar for Brooks, so I knew it would be for two in a row, but I had no idea it was for three in a row.
Jim Nantz: Lee missed the turkey by six centimeters. I know that, because that’s how long I tell the folks in hair and makeup to leave the sides.
Mark Immelman: On Twelve, Patrick and Matthew both hit it short-left, which isn’t terrible. Matthew made par, but Patrick had that look in his eye.
Patrick Reed: I’ve been getting put in the worst seats at the champions dinner. I wanted to be back at the head. Simple as that.
Mark Immelman: That chip was so perfect, you almost knew it from the second it landed on the green. It just looked right. Heading to the par-five, Patrick’s only four back. Plenty of time.
Patrick Reed: My drive on Thirteen wasn’t great, but I’ve had worse.
Sergio Garcia: I was watching in the champions’ locker room, and that thing was farther left than mine in 2017. Like, much farther left.
Nick Faldo: All we can see on camera is the bottom of Patrick Reed’s shoes. We thought there was no way he could get a good swing on it with all that vegetation around him. Then, after about a minute, we see his ball come whistling through the trees. It was low, but it had so much speed. It screamed down the fairway and came to a screeching halt just before the creek. Perfect position for the third shot.
Matthew Fitzpatrick: It was a beaut. I could barely close my mouth.
Davis Love, III: Rickie was stuck in a rut, with five pars in a row, but Bryson had a chance for his second straight birdie at Twelve.
Bryson DeChambeau (13th-ranked golfer in the world): I know it looked dicey, but I had that putt all the way.
Rickie Fowler: Bryson’s putt was like JT after three beers; it just kept spinning around and around, until it dropped.
Jim Nantz: On the tee at Fourteen, Patrick Reed was at 11-under with Bryson, but Kevin Kisner was also at 11-under and about to make the ground shake.
Kevin Kisner: I didn’t pay much attention to the wind at Twelve. I’m a gambler, man. I took dead aim and let the chips fall where they may.
Duane “Dewey” Bock: And the chips fell damn near in the hole.
Dottie Pepper: Kevin’s birdie at Twelve sent shockwaves through the course, because, for the first time, it looked like Tiger wasn’t safe. I kept hearing, over the radio, Faldo saying everything about Kevin’s game was in sync. He kept repeating it over and over – “he’s in sync”, “that swing is in sync”. He was right.
Jim Nantz: The best in the business always know how to plant a seed. Sir Nick is one of the best.
Davis Love, III: After a birdie at Fourteen, Rickie and I are standing in the fifteenth fairway, chatting about belts, while he’s waiting to play his second. Suddenly, we’ve got sand spraying in our faces. I got a grain square in the eye.
Rickie Fowler: Then, we look toward the green, and it all made sense.
Patrick Reed: I’m playing a shot from the bunker. It’s not my fault the wind was blowing 40 miles per hour back up the fairway.
Bryson DeChambeau: Yeah, okay, P-Reed.
Mark Immelman: My group is about to finish up on Fifteen. Then, things got weird.
Rickie Fowler: Looking down Fifteen, we see a Green Jacket come running out of the trees. Literally, materialized out of thin air, and walks over to the official with P-Reed and FItz’s group.
Condoleezza Rice (Green Jacket; former Secretary of State): I had been stationed in the trees left of Thirteen – that’s all you need to know. And I noticed an infraction by Mr. Reed. I went to report it, but it took a while to get into the underground tunnel, grab the hypertube, and catch up to the official walking with that pairing.
Jim Hyler (Chairman of the Masters rules and competition committee): Apparently, Mr. Reed was confronted with a low-hanging branch left of the thirteenth fairway. Realizing the cameras couldn’t see him, he elected to use an illegal piece of equipment. In one hidden pocket of his golf bag, Mr. Reed keeps a secret weapon, his wife, Justine.
Patrick Reed: Allegedly.
Jim Hyler: Not allegedly. Mrs. Reed crawled out of the bag, clothed head-to-toe in hunting camouflage, and held several branches out of the path of Mr. Reed’s swing path and ball flight path. As she was carried in the player’s bag, Mrs. Reed is considered a piece of illegal equipment under Rule 4.3(a):
Using equipment (other than a club or a ball) that artificially eliminates or reduces the need for a skill or judgment that is essential to the challenge of the game.
Slugger White (PGA Tour rules official): That is just an atrocity. The guy’s got kids; they may never eat again! Is moving a few branches reason enough to destroy a family and smite them with poverty for all eternity? I haven’t stopped crying for weeks.
Mark Immelman: Patrick was assessed a two-stroke penalty, plus loss of an appetizer at next year’s champions’ dinner, and finished with two bogeys down the stretch on his way to a T-9 at 7-under. Matthew was much stronger, birdieing Seventeen and Eighteen to finish at 11-under. This kid is coming, folks. Look out for him at the Ryder Cup.
Jim Nantz: With the leaders entering the final stretch, we got one more burst of excitement from the groups ahead when Christiaan Bezuidenhout, the first round leader, holed out from the fairway on Seventeen for eagle and his playing partner, Jon Rahm, followed suit in front of the massive gallery on Eighteen.
Jon Rahm: After bogeys on three of the previous five holes, my putter is very happy he stayed in the bag on Eighteen. He was asking to be cracked over a knee.
Davis Love, III: Rickie was back on his horse for the closing stretch, with a long birdie putt at Sixteen and one of the most beautiful chip-ins I’ve ever seen at Seventeen. Bryson got his own birdie on Sixteen, and both players needed birdie on Eighteen to tie Tiger.
Tiger Woods: I’d been doing putting drills for ten minutes at a time all day. When Rick and Bryson both hit the fairway on the last, I finally felt like I needed to hit the range.
Dottie Pepper: Kisner was staying steady at 12-under. He bogeyed Fourteen, but got it right back at Fifteen. Rory, on the other hand–
Rory McIlroy: I was feeling it at that point.
Harry Diamond (Caddie for Rory McIlroy): Rory wouldn’t tell you this, but, on Fifteen, he asked me about the grain near the hole before he’d even hit his second.
Rory McIlroy: We were three back at that point, and I figured I better close that gap pretty quickly, because I didn’t want to leave any extra work for the final two holes. I’d played those two in 4-over for the week.
Dottie Pepper: Rory’s drive on Fifteen was so gargantuan, he nearly had a wedge in for his second.
Brandel Chamblee: It might as well have been a wedge, because he nearly made the two! He made eagle and sent a shiver through the field, but that second shot might have sent August into orbit.
Rory McIlroy: I’m just happy I didn’t have to put from outside three feet.
Jim Nantz: On Sixteen, the final pairing officially made it a crowd at the top of the leaderboard. With two smooth birdies, we had a three-way tie at 13-under.
Kevin Kisner: I’d been stalling at 12-under, so making that 16-footer at Sixteen was a shot to the system. There was no way I was going back down to 12.
Nick b: Kisner was so in sync, I couldn’t think of any other way to describe it.
Rory McIlroy: When Kiz lined up his putt, he winked at me and said something about me finally squaring the match. Then, he makes it and just laughs at me, “guess not”. The pressure meant nothing, he was still talking s#!t. That’s Kiz in a nutshell.
Dottie Pepper: On Seventeen, things looked a little iffy for Rory after his drive went right, but he hit a brilliant recovery and got up right in front of the green. Kevin pulled one to the left fringe, but his putting is so–
Nick Faldo: In sync.
Dottie Pepper: Sure, in sync. He nestled one in close and matched Rory’s par.
Davis Love, III: At that point, Rickie and Bryson are walking up the fairway at Eighteen. They can see the big board, and they know they need birdie to get into a playoff, but there are two world class players at 13-under and still on the course, so birdie might not even be enough. Bryson hit a laser from the fairway, just a dart right over the stick that spun back beautifully. He’s looking golden.
Rickie Fowler: I just had the worst FOMO. Bryson’s birdie was basically a tap-in and there was no way I was missing a playoff. If Rory or Kiz got it to 14-under, so be it. But they weren’t both going to get there, and I wasn’t going to miss the party at 13-under.
Davis Love, III: Rickie had 19 feet for birdie, but he was above the hole and to the right. That’s a tough lag putt, let alone birdie putt.
Joe Skovron: in those situations, I back off, but I know Rick’s been dreaming of a situation like this, so I wanted to make sure he stayed focused.
Rickie Fowler: Just a quick comment about my ill-fated mustache to bring me back to Earth. That was exactly what I needed.
Jim Nantz: With a mountain of pressure squarely on his shoulders, the newlywed Fowler Curled a delicate string of pearls right into the heart of the cup. It looked like it could finally be Rickie’s time.
Davis Love, III: Next, it was Bryson’s turn to putt, and he took a line that surprised everyone.
Joe Skovron: I’ve studied that green from every angle a thousand times, and I never thought that was even an option.
Davis Love, III: With a pretty straight-forward birdie putt down the hill – on the same line as Sergio’s from 2017, but from no more than three feet – Bryson turns 180 degrees, completely in the wrong direction, and taps the ball ever so slightly. Was he trying to get it to gather momentum and roll back down the hill?
Rickie Fowler: I was so confused. It was a J.R. Smith-level brain fart, I thought. DId he not know the score? But, you know Bryson. If he’s doing something, it’s based on piles of data and research. He did exactly what he thought was right.
Davis Love, III: Anyway, the ball moves a few inches and stays put. Bryson quickly turns around, drains the three-and-a-half-footer no problem and flashes this huge, wry smile, as if he knows something nobody else knows.
Brandel Chamblee: Except, he doesn’t.
Bryson DeChambeau: I put the ball exactly where it needed to be. You think I was going for the hole? No way. I wasn’t about to jinx my chance to win the par-three contest.
Rickie Fowler: Wait, what?
Bryson DeChambeau: You know, the curse that no one has ever won the par-three and the main tournament in the same week. Guys putt into the water on purpose all the time in the par-three.
Rickie Fowler: Yeah, in the par-three! Not in the Masters!
Jim Nantz: Are you fucking serious?!
Bryson DeChambeau: It’s science, guys. You don’t mess with science. Do your job, man.
Rickie Fowler: You already hadn’t won the par-three. There was no jinx. The par-three contest was on Wednesday, BEFORE the main tournament.
Bryson DeChambeau: Okay, I know that now. I have a standing Fortnite appointment on Wednesdays, so I must not have realized.
Rickie Fowler: And who the hell prefers to win the par-three anyway?!
Brandel Chamblee: This is incredible.
Dottie Pepper: Okay. Anyway, Rory and Kevin both found the fairway on Eighteen, but neither one got it within 20 feet on the green. With the greens rolling fast that late in the day, they were both happy to hit solid lag putts and take their pars.
Kevin Kisner: Hell, no. I wanted to make that.
Rory McIlroy: I wasn’t going to risk hitting it past and knocking myself out again.
Jim Nantz: With four players tied at the top after 72 holes, we were headed to a playoff. Tiger going for green jacket number six and his second Masters title defense. Rory McIlroy chasing the career grand slam and a few Augusta demons to boot. Rickie Fowler, the young phenom still in search of his first major victory. And Kevin Kisner, a cool guy, so I hear.
Dottie Pepper: On the tee, all four guys were silent. You could feel the gravity of the situation. Until Kevin chimes in.
Kevin Kisner: That’s right. I said, did y’all see Jordan Spieth sitting there by the eighteenth green? He looked like he’d been there for days. Turns out, after he lipped out to miss the cut on Friday, he just sat by the green and stared at it nonstop for 48 hours! I think it was the first time he’s had stubble on his face. He smelled something awful, though.
Jordan Spieth (56th-ranked golfer in the world): I never thought I’d miss a cut at the Masters. I wasn’t leaving that green until I knew every inch and every putt. I saw the guys hit hundreds of putts over those two days. You can bet I’m never missing one on Eighteen ever again.
John Daly (Two-time major champion; Masters sideshow): Damn, I know who I’m putting my money on next year.
Dottie Pepper: Turns out no one else had noticed.
Rory McIlroy: Typical Kiz. He’s looking around, taking it all in, and he still drains the putt. Cold as ice.
Duane “Dewey” Bock: That’s why I call him “Curfew”, because he’s lights out.
Kevin Kisner: I told you, baby, this ain’t no hobby.
Nick Faldo: All four players found the fairway on the first playoff hole, but there was something about Kisner’s drive. He just looked–
Dottie Pepper: In sync?
Nick Faldo: Yes! That’s the perfect word for it. Good call, Dottie.
Dottie Pepper: As we’re walking away from the tee, there’s a mad dash to get behind the group. One gentleman knocks over a security guard, who goes sliding right into the players. Tiger, with reflexes of a cat, quick-steps out of the way, then Rickie, still holding his driver, pole vaults over the security guard.
Rickie Fowler: I have a good coach.
Kevin Kisner: And the guy just takes Dewey down like a ton of bricks.
Duane “Dewey” Bock: Took my legs right out from under me.
Kevin Kisner: He was out. Couldn’t walk. So, I asked if I could get Jordan to fill in. He’s sitting there doing nothing. Heck, the guy’s won the thing before and almost won it a few more times. I figured he’d have some good advice. I’d never take it – dude’s not even in the top 50! – but I figured he’d have it.
Jordan Spieth: I was happy to help out a friend. Kiz is a great guy, a class act.
Patrick Reed: We all are.
Dottie Pepper: Tiger hit it to 20 feet and Kisner’s ball was right inside his. Rory hit it to 14, but he was up against the fringe and above the hole. Rickie was in the bunker, but he’s one of the best bunker players on Tour.
Jim Nantz: With a spectacular shot from the bunker, Rickie Fowler had a tap-in for par. The pressure was on the other three to make a long, difficult putt to take the title. Tiger stalked the green like the predator he is and nearly drained the birdie putt, leaving everyone to wonder what that roar might have sounded like. It was down to Kevin Kisner and Rory McIlroy, two fierce competitors who had battled all day, and only a fortnight earlier had put on a slugfest at the Matchplay, which Kevin won 3-and-2. As he stepped up to his ball, Kevin looked Rory in the eye and blew him a little kiss. Then, seemingly without taking his eyes off the Northern Irishman, stroked a putt that tracked like a great white and will live on forever.
A putt that tracked like a great white and will live on forever.
Jim Nantz
Kevin Kisner: You bet your ass it will.
Jim Nantz: Hoping to send the Masters into double-overtime, Rory took his time making every possible read. In the end, he came up one revolution short, and the local kid, a Georgia bulldog from Aiken, South Carolina, was our Masters champion. And the great Sir Nick, in his dulcet tenor, sang out–
Nick Faldo: Kevin Kisner, God must have spent a little more time on you. Boom, payoff!
Dottie Pepper: oh, gawd.
Jim Nantz: Genius. Until next year, friends!
An Oral History of the 2020 Masters 