by Jules Gonsoulin

sports editor

This year’s Masters tournament differed from recent years in that there was no playoff in the final round. In fact, it wasn’t even close down the stretch. Bubba Watson separated himself from Jordan Spieth, Jonas Blixt and Fred Couples with about nine holes left, and never looked back.

Although Watson put on an incredible display of golf mastery, the story of the weekend had to be Jordan Spieth. The 20-year-old early graduate of the University of Texas entered his first Masters with nothing but a little college golf experience—then made a huge splash, outplaying legends such as Couples, Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott.

In fact, for most of the tournament’s third and fourth rounds, Spieth looked to be in total control, leading by as much as three strokes. In the golf world, a three-stroke lead is considered to be total domination. Spieth made plenty of memorable shots, such as a chip-in birdie from a sand hazard about 40 feet away from the hole. Unfortunately, his inexperience came out when he bogeyed many of the most difficult holes on the course and seemed overwhelmed emotionally.

Watson, on the other hand, was able to overcome his poor play in the third round and birdie the majority of the holes in the fourth round. The widely popular flamboyant Georgian was able to relax on the final two holes on his way to a second green jacket in three years.

Although the 2014 Masters wasn’t as exciting as recent years, it set Bubba Watson apart as an elite golfer. Younger players such as Blixt and Spieth also established themselves as the future of golf, playing phenomenally well in their first Masters tournament.