Apr8 Mastersothers

Retief Goosen was dubbed the comeback king at Augusta after almost missing the cut at +8 – and then finishing the tournament tied second. The South African shot 70-69 over the weekend to pull himself right back into contention, but his first two rounds of 76 had done irreparable damager as far as victory was concerned. He said: “I’m very thankful to Zach – if he hadn’t messed up his last three holes on Friday I wouldn’t have made the cut! So I’m happy to be here, but sad I didn’t win it.”

Final round leader Stuart Appleby didn’t become the first Aussie to win the Masters after a nightmare final round 75 – including a double bogey at the first. Appleby, who was out in the final group with Tiger Woods, said: “It was a tough day, but I enjoyed it. I think Zach was a emotionally a lot sharper than everyone else, and I think there was an element of luck involved. But the course was ultimately the beast this week – and Zach had the right relationship with the course.”

An miracle eagle on the eighth and a clutch birdie on the last helped South African Rory Sabbatini into best ever Major performance. The South African finished tied second after a final round 69. He said: “This feels as good as my first victory on the PGA Tour. Talking about his snaking eagle putt on eight, he said: “I practiced that putt earlier in the week, but you still don’t expect them to go in.”