Reporting from Augusta, Ga. — The record will show that Sergio Garcia won his first major on his 74th try on the 73rd hole of the 81st Masters tournament.
But most who were watching on Sunday will tell you that he won the tournament on the 13th hole when he and Justin Rose both made pars.
Two pars decided the tournament?
It makes sense if you relive Sunday’s final round, which turned out to be match play between Garcia and Rose. In the end, it was the only pairing that mattered.
Garcia led by three strokes after five holes.
Rose led by two after 11 holes.
They were tied at nine under after the 17th hole … and the 18th.
“I knew I was playing well,” Garcia said. “I was very calm, much calmer than [Saturday], much calmer than I’ve felt in any major championship on Sunday.”
The first and only playoff hole started when Rose pushed his drive to the right on No. 18, landing in the pine straw with a yawning tree branch blocking a natural route to the hole. All he could do was punch out and it wasn’t that good of a punch.
“If I had any option to try and do something creative, I certainly would have done so,” Rose said. “But I had a little pine cone behind the ball which meant I couldn’t really spin the ball. … So I really had nothing.”
Garcia had knocked his drive straight, almost 300 yards down the fairway. He put his second shot to about 12 feet. Rose put his third to 14 feet. Rose missed his putt to the left.
All Garcia had to do was two-putt. He only needed one, draining it for birdie.
Garcia fell into a crouch clenching his fists, showing the kind of emotion that has been a trademark of his 18-year pro career. At 37, he was no longer the best player never to have won a major.
Sunday started with Garcia and Rose tied for the lead and playing in the last group. The smart money was on Jordan Spieth, two shots back, who was playing with Rickie Fowler, who began one shot behind. Spieth shot a 75, Fowler a 76.
Garcia moved out to a quick lead by birdieing the first and third holes. Rose then bogeyed the fifth and the difference was three.
But then Rose made three birdies in a row, sinking putts of 12, four and 15 feet. They were even at the turn.
The 10th is where Garcia’s game went awry. He took a bogey when he put his second shot right of the green and hit his third through the green. Then he bogeyed the 11th when he needed three shots to make the green and then two-putted from 14 feet.
Rose was up by two.
“Barring a great comeback from Sergio, it was mine to cruise to the house,” Rose said. “But it’s not always that easy. At the end of the day . . . you’re going to win majors and you’re going to lose majors but you’ve got to be willing to lose them.”
Both parred the 12th.
Then came No. 13, a par five.
Garcia put his drive to the left and underneath an azalea bush. He had to take a one-shot penalty for an unplayable lie.
“In the past I would have been going, you know, [complaining] at my caddie,” Garcia said. “You know, why doesn’t [the shot] go through and whatever.
“But I was like, well, if that’s what is 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 got about 110 yards on his third shot, a punch-out, leaving him 90 yards short of the pin.
Rose hit a perfect drive and was slightly over the back of the green about 25 yards from the hole on his second shot.
This looked like a potential two-shot swing putting Rose up by four.
But then . . .
Garcia’s fourth shot hit inches from the cup and spun eight feet away. Rose’s third shot went past the hole by four feet.
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Sergio Garcia of Spain celebrates after winning the Masters golf tournament in a playoff on Sunday at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Sergio Garcia is greeted by fiancee Angela Akins after winning the Masters in a playoff.
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Justin Rose, left, congratulates Sergio Garcia on the 18th green after Garcia won the Masters on the first playoff hole.
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Danny Willett, left, the 2016 Masters champion, congratulates Sergio Garciaduring the green jacket ceremony at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Sergio Garcia get help putting on the Masters champion’s green jacket by 2016 winner Danny Willett.
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Sergio Garcia admires the winner’s trophy during the awards ceremony following his victory at the Masters.
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Sergio Garcia reacts after making an eagle putt in front of Justin Rose at No. 15e during the final round of the Master.
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Justin Rose and Sergio Garcia walk over the Hogan Bridge at No. 12 with their caddies Mark Fulcher and Glen Murray during the final round of the Masters tournament.
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Justin Rose of England reacts to a putt for birdie on the sixth hole during the final round of the Masters.
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Rickie Fowler reacts after a drive on the fourth hole during the final round of the Masters tournament.
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Sergio Garcia of Spain hits a drive on the fourth hole during the final round of the Masters.
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Justin Rose of England plays his shot from the third tee during the final round of the Masters.
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Paul Casey of England plays his second shot on the first hole during the final round of the Masters tournament.
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Jordan Spieth plays his third shot from a bunker at No. 10 during the final round of the Masters tournament.
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Adam Scott of Australia hits his tee shot at No. 4 during the final round of the Masters.
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Jimmy Walker reacts to his missed birdie putt on the sixth hole during the final round of the Masters tournament.
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Sergio Garcia hits from a bunker alongside the seventh green during the final round of the Masters tournament.
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Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland lets go of his club on the follow through of his tee shot at No. 4 during the final round of the Masters tournament.
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Justin Rose hits his tee shot at No. 2 during the final round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Rickie Fowler lines up his putt with caddie Joseph Skovron at No. 8 during the third round of the Masters tournament on Saturday at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Sergio Garcia celebrates after making a birdie putt at No. 6 during the third round of the Masters tournament.
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Charley Hoffman hits his tee shot at No. 4 during the third round of the Masters tournament.
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Jon Rahm reacts after missing his birdie putt on the 17th hole during the third round of the Masters.
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Jordan Spieth hits his tee shot on the 12th hole during the third round of the Masters tournament.
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Justin Rose makes his club selection at the second tee box during the third round of the 2017 Masters
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Sergio Garcia reacts to a missed putt at No. 12 during the third round of the Masters tournament.
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Ryan Moore plays a shot from a greenside bunker at No. 10 during the third round of the Masters.
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Fred Couples olines up a putt on the 16th green during the third round of the Masters.
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Will McGirt watches his bunker shot roll toward the hole on the 17th green during the third round of the Masters.
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Sergio Garcia pitches a shot onto the 13th green during the third round of the Masters tournament.
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Jason Day on the second tee during the third round of the 2017 Masters tournament.
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Phil Mickelson plays his second shot from a bunker at the 12th hole during the third round of the Masters.
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Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and Jon Rahm of Spain walk over the Hogan Bridge at No. 12 at Augusta National Golf Club during the second round.
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Jason Day of Australia plays a shot from a greenside bunker at the 16th hole during the second round of the Masters.
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Matt Kuchar and caddie John Wood head toward the second green, where the flagstick is bowed by the wind, during the second round of the Masters.
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Fans get a close-up view of Charley Hoffman hitting an approach shot during the second round of the Masters tournament.
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Spain’s Rafa Cabrera Bello looks at his ball in the pine straw at the 14th hole during the second round of the Masters tournament.
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Si Woo Kim of South Korea plays his third shot at No. 15 during the second round of the Masters tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Fred Couples reacts to his birdie putt on the 13th hole during the second round of the Masters.
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Rickie Fowler plays his tee shot at No. 12 during the second round of the Masters tournament.
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Charley Hoffman hits a drive on the 18th hole during the first round for the Masters golf tournament.
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Will McGirt hits a drive on the eighth hole during the second round of the Masters golf tournament.
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Charley Hoffman looks at his approach on the 15th hole during the first round for the Masters golf tournament .
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Justin Rose of England plays his second shot on the 17th hole during the second round of the Masters tournament.
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Charley Hoffman hits a tee shot on the 15th hole during the first round of the Masters tournament on Thursday at Augusta National Golf Club. Hoffman shot a 65 to take a four-shot lead.
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Pat Perez reacts after missing a putt at No. 16 during the first round of the Masters golf tournament on Thursday.
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Augusta National Golf Club Chairman Billy Payne, right, leads a moment of silence for Arnold Palmer at the start of the Masters Tournament on Thursday.
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Jason Day plays his shot from the third tee during the first round of the 2017 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Dustin Johnson walks off after announcing his withdrawal during the first round of the 2017 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Thomas Pieters of Belgium hits a shot through the trees at the 17th hole during the first round of the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Caddie Jamie Lane lines up a putt on the second green during the first round of the 2017 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
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Brendan Steele walks up the second fairway during the first round of the Masters golf tournament on Thursday.
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American Dustin Johnson walks out of the Augusta National clubhouse after withdrawing from the Masters golf tournament because of a back injury before his afternoon tee time Thursday.
(Tannen Maury / EPA) Garcia made his putt. Rose missed his. Par. Par. Advantage, Garcia. Momentum, Garcia.
“I knew I need to make that putt to stay with it,” Garcia said. “I knew what I could do, what I did on 14, 15,16. That putt really turned the clock for me. Got me more confident.”
Rose was well aware.
“That little two-shot swing was kind of when he was back in the tournament,” Rose said. “I feel like if he misses at that point, I’m four clear and got my eye on Thomas Pieters and Matt Kuchar.”
Garcia then birdied the 14th and made a 15-foot putt for an eagle on the 15th. In 13, 14 and 15, Garcia had found his Amen Corner.
Rose birdied the 16th hole and bogeyed the 17th. On the final hole of regulation, Rose missed a seven-foot putt and Garcia missed a five-footer.
On to the playoff and the vanquishing of some demons.
“It’s been an amazing week and I’m going to enjoy it for the rest of my life,” Garcia said.
Golf fans will just store it away as another memorable Masters.
john.cherwa@latimes.com
@jcherwa
