O’Meara is the new Master

AUGUSTA (GEORGIA), April 13: Mark O'Meara has scratched his name off the list of great golfers who have never won a major championship, winn...

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AUGUSTA (GEORGIA), April 13: Mark O’Meara has scratched his name off the list of great golfers who have never won a major championship, winning the Masters a year after his close friend, Tiger Woods, dominated the tournament.O’Meara’s victory yesterday was nearly overshadowed by the performance of 58-year-old Jack Nicklaus, who thrilled fans at Augusta National Golf Club as he made a run at his seventh Masters title.

O’Meara rolled in a 20-foot (6-meter) birdie putt on the final hole to take the lead for the first time in the four-day tournament. He had played in 56 major championships without winning.

O’Meara, 41, and Woods, 22, live in the same community near Orlando, Florida, and are constant golf and fishing companions. O’Meara finished one shot ahead of David Duval and 1992 champion Fred Couples, who led after the first three rounds.

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The birdie on No. 18 gave O’Meara a closing round of 67 and a 72-hole total of 279, nine strokes higher than Woods’ record score last year. Betrayed by erratic playall week, Woods finished at 285, 15 strokes higher than last year.

Jim Furyk was fourth at 281, with Paul Azinger at 282 and Nicklaus and David tied for sixth place at 283. The victory by O’Meara meant that the last 14 major championships have been won by 14 different people.

As thrilling as the finish involving O’Meara, Couples and Duval was, Nicklaus all but stole the show. Nicklaus, playing in his 40th masters, made four birdies in the first seven holes and was within three strokes of the lead with nine holes to play. But he couldn’t match the 30 he shot on the back nine in 1986 when he won his final Masters at age 46. Still, his closing round 68 put him at 283, good enough for sixth place, the 22nd time he has finished in the top 10 at the Masters.

The crazy flip-flop finish appeared to be all but over several times, first with Couples looking like he was the winner and then with Duval seeming to have things under control, and finally with a playoff almost certain.

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Throughout the day, O’Meara wasa mere afterthought as the possible winner until he made three birdies on the last four holes.

“I don’t think it’s sunk in yet,” O’Meara said as Woods put the winner’s green jacket on him and gave him a big hug. “I’ll treasure it for a lifetime.”