Masters Strange loss for major player

Masters Strange loss for major player

In 1985, the future two-time U.S. Open champion was Nicklaus in reverse on the back nine at Augusta National, a stretch of holes as compelling as any in the game. In a figurative sense, while Jack got carried off on the shoulders of fans, Strange got hauled off on a stretcher. "We talk about Jack Nicklaus and his back side in 1986, and the flip side of that coin Augusta National And Jack Nicklaus was me and my one chance to win Augusta," Strange reminisced this week. "So there is a lot of excitement, and a lot of heartache and disappointment." Partly because he would later win back-to-back U.S. Open titles starting in 1988, Strange's double-drowning on the crucial par-5 holes Sunday at Augusta has have largely been forgotten. Not by him, necessarily. Twenty-six years ago, Strange stood in the 13th fairway Sunday with a two-shot lead as his nearest pursuer, Bernhard Langer, played in front of him. Knowing full well that the key to victory is taking care of the par-5s, Strange figured he needed to make something happen. It was theatrical, at least. Strange tried to blast the ball out golf lessons of the creek and onto the green, but didn’t find the putting surface. By the time he cleaned up the mess, he'd made a bogey, and his lead had been trimmed to one shot. Recalling the hole in 2002, Strange said: "The shot that was the worst of the whole scenario was the first out of the creek. I didn't hit it hard enough. That's the shot I'd like to have back." Worse, on the fateful 15th, another reachable par-5, he made it a double-splashdown when his approach failed to clear the pond fronting the green. This time, it was an accounting error, not a physical one. Langer was having no such issues. He birdied both of the par-5s coming home and shot 33 on the back nine, donning the green jacket for the first time. As much as any Masters over the past 30 years, the 1985 affair reinforced how crucial the tempting Nos. 13 and 15 are in the overall scheme.