Brandt Snedeker and Angel Cabrera led the 77th Masters as the players embarked upon their final round at Augusta.
The American's challenge soon fell apart, but former champion Cabrera lingered at the top of the leaderboard throughout the day.
Jason Day looked like he was going to become the first Australian to don the green jacket when he went nine-under through 15 holes, but it was another his his countryman that laid to rest his Major title ghosts.
Adam Scott drained a fantastic putt at the last hole, but had to do it all again when Cabrera knocked in his birdie after putting an iron stone dead.
However, Scott held his nerve on the second playoff hole - the 10th - to win in dramatic circumstances.
You can read how all the action unfolded below.
Good evening and welcome to Sports Mole for live coverage of the final round of the Masters. By the end of today, one man will be crowned the 2013 champion and write another chapter in Augusta folklore. The question is: who exactly will be wearing green?
LEADERBOARD: -7 Snedeker, Cabrera; -6 Scott; -5 Leishman, Day; -4 Kuchar; -3 Clark, Woods; -2 Fowler, Stricker, Langer, Westwood, Furyk; -1 Watney, Van Pelt, Garcia, Fernandez-Castano; EVEN Olesen, Z. Johnson, Rose, Dufner, Couples
Jason Dufner and Fred Couples are underway and next to tee off will be Zach Johnson and Justin Rose (6.10pm).
Then we have Gonazalo Fernandez-Castano and Thorbjorn Olesen (6.20pm), followed by Bo van Pelt and Sergio Garcia (6.30pm).
And the final pairing sees joint-leaders Brandt Snedeker and Angel Cabrera getting underway at 7.40pm.
So many players have come from nowhere to win this tournament, which does not bode well for the Aussies at the top of the leaderboard. No players from that country has ever won the green jacket before, despite Greg Norman twice coming so close. It's all the sub-plots that makes the Masters a truly magical tournament.
At the moment, Michael Thompson and Ryo Ishikawa are both four-under par and going well, so there are low scores out there.
Let's have a run-through of those challenging at the top of the leaderboard...
BRANDT SNEDEKER (-7): The FedEx Cup champion is perfectly positioned heading into today's final round. He has played solid golf all week, following up consecutive scores of 70 with a three-under 69 yesterday to take a share of the lead. He is a supreme putter, which is a key ingredient for success on the marble greens of Augusta. Snedeker was many people's pre-tournament pick, and he has certainly justified those claims and could well secure his first Major title today. He did not drop a single shot yesterday.
ANGEL CABRERA (-7): The Argentine has previous at Augusta, having secured himself a green jacket and a place in the champions' locker room back in 2009. He has won just twice on the PGA Tour - both have been Majors (2007 US Open). The 43-year-old has slipped down the rankings since those days, and now finds himself way down in 269th place. He did well for a long time yesterday, but had a wobble down the back nine before regaining momentum with two birdies in the final three holes. However, there is no doubt that he has the game to win and a place in the final group is unlikely to weigh heavy on his shoulders. He has strung together rounds of 69 to go with with opening gambit of 71. He played the final six holes of Friday in five-under par.
ADAM SCOTT (-6): Well, here we are again, Mr Scott. The Australian came agonisingly close to securing his first Major at last year's Open Championship, before a spectacular collapse gifted the Claret Jug to Ernie Els for a second time. He has shown good form at Augusta, finishing joint-second behind Charl Schwartzel two years ago. Just the one dropped shot for him yesterday, but there is a question mark over his mental fragility following last year's meltdown at Lytham, which saw him bogey each of the last four holes to lose by one shot. He has shot a pair of 69s either side of a 72 on Friday. He has dropped just two shots on the back nine all week.
MARC LEISHMAN (-5): The second of three Australians bidding to become the first from their country to win a green jacket, Leishman has been at the top of the leaderboard since the end of the first round. He shot the joint-lowest score of the week so far (66) to share the first-round lead with Sergio Garcia. He followed that up with a battling 73, before and up-and-down round of 72 yesterday secured him a spot in the penultimate group. The 29-year-old has shown that he has what it takes to make birdies around Augusta by taking advantage of the par fives yesterday, but he has surrendered shots when premium accuracy is required. He may find it difficult to do what the likes of Greg Norman could not.
JASON DAY (-5): The last of the challengers from Down Under, Day, who also finished tied second with Scott in 2011, looked like he would see out the third round at the top of the leaderboard. He played extremely patiently to shoot 12 consecutive pars before carding a birdie at 13 yesterday to move seven-under. However, bogeys and 17 and 18 yesterday dropped him two shots back. That might not be the biggest tragedy - yes, it was a wobble, but it came at the end of his round and he has had the night to regather himself. It could also take some of the pressure off his shoulders. A 68 on Friday saw him scale the summit of the leaderboard and another round like that could see him wearing green by the close of play. And for a talented players such as him, that's by no means beyond the realms of possibility.
MATT KUCHAR (-4): The reigning Match Play and Players champion is another who was tipped for glory before pitching up at Augusta. Very rarely does a par five escape without him picking up a shot, but things could be a lot better for the 34-year-old, who carded 75 for his second round on Friday. That score is sandwiched between a 68 and yesterday's 69. He has shown his mental fortitude in the past, and his game is based on solidity. Green could well be his colour.
TIM CLARK (-4): The South African shot the lowest round yesterday as an early starter. He rather spoiled a solid opening round of 70 on Thursday with a messy 76 on Friday. Can he join Trevor Immelman and Charl Schwartzel as the third man from his country to win the tournament since 2008?
TIGER WOODS (-3): We come to the 14-time Major champion, who many believe is lucky to still be in the tournament following his illegal drop at the 15th hole on Friday. Woods was hit with a two-shot penalty for taking two yards off his approach into the green, although opinion is divided as to whether he should have been disqualified. Some even believe that he should have withdrawn. However, that is now a moot point, and he is right in there with a shot of further closing the gap to all-time leading Major titlist Jack Nicklaus (18). The 37-year-old, who famously wears red on his final round, opened with a 70 on day one, before bad luck saw him shoot one-over for his second round. That was despite him scrambling well with a serious of testing par putts. Yesterday was more steady than spectacular, but we're all more than accustomed to the brilliance he can produce, especially on the back nine with the scent of victory in his nostrils. Is this the same Tiger that dominated the game for so long, though?
RICKIE FOWLER (-2): It's been a funny old week for the talented 24-year-old. An opening round of 68 looks good on paper, but it was spoiled by two double bogeys. His second round looked to be keeping him right in contention, until a disastrous triple bogey at the 16th saw him drop back to even par. However, a two-under round yesterday gives him an outside chance of claiming his first Major. If he can replicate his sometimes-stunning form this week and cut out the mistakes, then who knows what can happen at the top? But is that too much to ask of the young man?
STEVE STRICKER (-2): It's quite a feat for the 46-year-old to be in with even a chance of victory at this stage, having found himself five-over through 10 holes on Thursday. He eventually finished one-over on 73, and subsequent rounds of 70 and 71 have given him an outside chance of doing something today. However, a double bogey at the last marred yesterday's round, so we could have been talking about him in more grandiose terms. He has been stellar on the back nine all week, so if he can get off to a good start then he could be the man.
BERNHARD LANGER (-2): The German was triumphant here in 1985 and 1993, but this is the first time he has made it past the cut since 2005. It has been a really good week for the 55-year-old, who has been the model of consistency with scores of 71, 71 and 72. However, it's unlikely he will figure in the final reckoning. Fred Couples dropping down the leaderboard yesterday could see him finish as the highest-placed senior , which would be a great achievement.
LEE WESTWOOD (-2): The Englishman's first Major has been on the horizon for many a year now. He finished second to Phil Mickelson here in 2010 before tying for third last year. That goes with a number of close runs in each of the other three championships. The 39-year-old started with a 70 on Thursday, and has backed that up with a 71 and a 73. That leaves him with a chance, albeit a slim one. His other challenges have often come from further up the leaderboard, so maybe a different approach could help him get it done. But his putting can often let him down, and that's something that just won't do on the glass greens of Augusta. He would be a popular winner, that's for sure.
JIM FURYK (-2): The American's first eight holes sent a statement of intent to the rest of the field, as he shot four birdies to shoot up the leaderboard. A bogey at the ninth put the brakes on his round and he shot the back nine in even par. Another good round was wasted on Friday when dumped into the water at the 15th. He was four shots up, but went on to make a double. A birdie at 18 was a crumb of comfort, though. Like the rest of the field, he struggled yesterday, ending one-over par. He's another with a slim chance, and he's a proven Major champion.
It would take something unbelievably special, and meltdowns at thwe top, for the one-unders to win. Chances are already slim for the two-unders. This is the Masters, though...
Speaking of those on two-under, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano has just birdied the first to join that particular group. Good start for the Spaniard.
Garcia (-1) is underway on his final round and has found the green at the first, although still a long way from the cup. He has such a promising first round. However, in true Sergio fashion, he followed that up with a stinker of a 76. He went back in the right direction yesterday, but still finished one-over par.
The Spaniard makes par at the first, as does his playing partner Bo van Pelt. So they both stay at one-under
The final round at the Masters is often defined by 'that one shot'. Tiger's chip at 16, Mickelson's shot at 13 and, of course, Bubba's big hook from the trees at the 10th in last year's playoff against Louis Oosthuizen. Will we have another one of those moments? I really, truly hope so. Never one to be biased, but let's hope Westwood...
One of the stories of this tournament has been 14-year-old Guan Tianlang, who is the youngest player ever to tee up at Augusta. He finished on 12-over par, but as the only amateur left, he will be awarded the Silver Cup. A truly remarkable achievement from a player who no doubt has a big future in the game.
Rory McIlroy played himself right out of contention yesterday with a disappointing round of 79 to leave himself on five-over, but he has got back it back to two-over by claiming three shots back today. Nice way to finish, but even just a decent round yesterday would see him in with a chance of putting his Augusta ghosts to rest.
Lee Westwood has got his round underway playing with Bernhard Langer. Unfortunately, he found the bunker, but he's dropped his recovery shot to around 10 feet from the pin, giving himself a fantastic chance of carding a birdie on the opening hole.
PAR! So close for Westwood, it looked in all the way! It just broke to the right late and missed the hole. He taps in for an opening par, but that would have been a fantastic start.
BIRDIE! Langer sinks a monster putt to move onto three-under par after the first hole! Well, well, well...
Thomas Bjorn (+5) has just finished his final round and he has offered some insight to Sky Sports News: "It's really easy to see someone going low on the back nine. The pins are quite generous. I think if you can get that front nine going, that's the key to the round. I think somebody can really go low."
Are you as excited as I am?
Heeeeeere's Tiger! He's on the first tee now, clad in his famous Sunday red.
Tim Clark finds the fairway with his tee shot at the first. Tiger takes a three wood to his, but goes left and into the rough.
DUFF! Fernandez-Castano can't get the elevation out of the front greenside bunker at the fourth. He doesn't take long to have another go, and settle for just getting it on the green, going far past the hole. He's thrown away the early shot he made up, then.
WHAT A SHOT! Westwood finds the green with his second shot at the par-five second with an Oosthuizen-esque stroke. Not quite as good, of course. But he's putting for an eagle. That really would be forward momentum. Langer has also made the green, but he's a considerable distance from the cup.
Tiger finds the green with his second at the first hole, but will need a good putt for birdie. Clark misses to the right.
Garcia shows Fernandez-Castano how to get out of the trap at the fourth. He gets it as close as is reasonably possible to the cup, which isn't all that close really. A difficult hazard to escape from, that one.
MISS! Oh no! Another one slips by for Westwood! That was for eagle, but he will mop up for birdie. One shot gained. Stay positive.
BIRDIE! Langer also makes birdie, so that's two shots picked up on the opening two holes and he is at four-under now.
Westwood bombs one down the fairway from the third tee. He'll have a pitch onto the elevated green, and with the improvements he's made in his short game he might think he can get close to this pin.
Woods and Clark both made par on the first hole. However, the world number one drags his tee shot at the par-five second way left and is in trouble there.
Jason Day and Matt Kuchar are underway. Neither man has been able to make the green. The American found himself in the left rough and needed to punch a low runner onto the green, but ends up in the front bunker.
Adam Scott and Marc Leishman are next to get underway.
Westwood's second into the third green isn't up to scratch and he runs off the back. That'll require a good chip to save par... or a miraculous birdie if he can hole out. Then you really are thinking 'what if...'
Kuchar's pitch out from the bunker sees him go off the back of the green. A few early nerves from the usually-steady American.
Woods punches out from the rough at the second and gives himself a decent wedge into the green to set up a possible birdie opportunity.
Westwood's chip leaves himself around five feet left for par at the third.
BIRDIE! WOW! Langer picks up another shot! He moves to five-under now. Is this the Masters miracle?!
BIRDIE! Yes! Day shows no ill effects of the two late bogeys last night bu picking up a shot at the first hole. He's back up to six-under and closes to within one of the lead.
Tiger's approach to the second doesn't quite find the line and the spin meant that it had no release, so he's got a tough birdie putt. Clark goes the more direct route over the bunker and has a decent opportunity.
PAR! Westwood tidied up on the third green for par. He remains on three-under.
Langer hits the back of the green on the par-three fourth. Westwood flirts with the bunker but just about stays on the fringe. That'll do.
PAR! Tiger lags his birdie put close before tapping in for a five. Missed opportunity, you have to say. You need to take advantage of these par fives when you are chasing the lead on a Sunday.
The final pairing of Snedeker and Cabrera are about to get underway.
Snedeker hits it in characteristically rapid fashion, has a little look, likes it and turns to his bag man. Cabrera starts his down the left... and it stays left. That's not a good start for the Argentine.
Langer sends the ball on its way at the fourth, but it really is a long one. it arcs from left to right, but he leaves himself with a testing one from around 10 feet to save par.
Day plugs his second shot to the par-five second right in the bunker. It'll be difficult to make birdie from there.
BOGEY! Uh oh, shades of Lytham for Adam Scott as he drops a shot at the first. It was only a short putt as well.
PAR! Langer saves his par at the fourth. Well done, Sir.
PAR! Westwood (-3) sinks his par putt as well.
PAR! Leishman (-5) rolls into the middle of the cup for par at the first.
EAGLE! OH MY WORD! Day holes out from the bunker! What was I saying, difficult to make birdie? WHAT DO I KNOW?!?! He moves into the lead on eight-under par!
Snedeker (-7) sets up a birdie opportunity at the first with an iron into the green, leaving himself around 12 feet from the cup.
BIRDIE! And we're tied at the top once more! Snedeker rolls in his chance at the first to get to eight under. What a start it has been to this final round. We're in for some magic, I can FEEL it!
PAR! Csbrera saves par. That's massive, as it keeps him within one of the new co-leaders. Especially after pulling his tee shot way left.
Westwood (-3) sets up another birdie opportunity with his approach into the par-four fifth. Meanwhile, Day safely finds the fairway at the third.
PAR! Another par for Woods (-3), as his birdie putt swings right to left, but just past the hole.
Snedeker and Cabrera both find the short grass on the second. The Argentine gets a good kick off the side of the fairway bunker, and he'll have a decent shot into the second green. Great eagle/birdie opportunity, depending on your second shot, of course.
Great shot from Rose (E) at eight! He uses the spin expertly to stop it dead pin high. He'll have that for a birdie.
Day finds the heart of the green at the third. It's another birdie opportunity, but he'll need a good putt. Should be making par from there...
PAR! Another birdie opportunity slips through Westwood's hands. He's not capitalising on his good play, having set up two decent birdie chances and a superb chance of an eagle.
Scott has left himself with a difficult putt for par at the second. And the way he's started, I actually think he might miss it.
PAR! Langer saves par once again, tapping in on the marble green from just over five feet. But it was a tap. And it was excellently controlled. He's still going!
MISS! Day's birdie chance at three goes begging. He'll have three foot for par.
Scott does roll in for par. From a different angle, it wasn't actually that difficult, but when you take into account his previous, maybe it was. I don't know...
Snedeker takes a wood to his second shot at the par-five second hold, but can only find the bunker. Day's bunker, it shall forever be known if the Aussie goes on to win this tournament.
Cabrera's second hits the right line and slowly but surely feeds down to leave himself a great chance of an eagle.
After Snedeker and Cabrera finish the second, I'll provide you with the updated leaderboard. Exciting!
HERE COMES THE RAIN! Not quite the words penned by George Harrison, but that's what's happening at Augusta now. A shower will soften up the greens, possible allowing the players to really fire at the pins.
MISS! OOOH! So close from Cabrera, who leaves his eagle putt on the edge of the hole. He'll join the leaders on eight-under. And the plot thickens...
PAR! The par train keeps rolling for Woods (-3), but that was a difficult birdie putt.
BOGEY! Is it drying up for Langer? Well, he has just given a shot back at the sixth, so he moves back down to four-under.
PAR! Snedeker can only make par at the second, so we have a three-way tie for the lead. Board coming up.
LEADERBOARD: -8 Day, Snedeker, Cabrera; -5 Scott, Leishman; -4 Langer; -3 Westwood, Clark, Woods, Kuchar; -2 Olesen
BIRDIE! Adam Scott gets his round back on track with a long birdie at the third! Great Scott! He moves back up to six-under. Have his early nerves settled? We all know his caddie Steve Williams is "a great frontrunner" but how is he coming from behind? We'll see...
Another great shot from Westwood sets up a birdie opportunity which he surely must take at the seventh! He just has to! The ball pitched at the top of the green and the slope fed it back towards the hole.
PAR! Day (-8) rolls in for par at the fourth.
However, he finds the bunkers to the left of the fairway with his tee shot at the fifth. Trouble.
Snedeker is in basically the same position as Westwood was off the back of the green at three. He does better with his chip, leaving himself around three feet for par.
Trouble for Tiger on the fifth green. It was a tricky one, which was uphill at first before feeding down. He has left it a good 20 feet short and that looks like a dropped shot. He could be moving backwards.
PARS! Cabrera makes par on the third hole to stay at eight-under, as does Snedeker.
BOGEY! Woods does indeed drop a shot and moves down to two-under.
BIRDIE! Yesss! Westwood rolls in from short range to get to four-under! He's moving in the right direction and is two clear of Woods, but still four adrift of the leaders.
DOUBLE BOGEY! It doesn't look like our Masters miracle will come from Bernhard Langer, as he doubles the seventh to drop back to one-under, worse than when he started. Oh well...
Day finds the green with a big hook at the fifth hole. That'll be another chance for birdie, still a hard one though.
BIRDIE! I'll tell you what, Thorbjorn Olesen is going great guns! He's three-under for the day and the championship. He's approaching the 10th, so is about to play the back nine. Thomas Bjorn said earlier that there are shots to be picked up on the final stretch, so can he put any sort of pressure on our leaders?
Tiger's tee shot at the sixth clings onto the fringe and he will have a decent chance to grab that dropped shot right back.
It's just been confirmed that it was actually a bogey for Langer at seven, so he's still on three under. My apologies.
PAR! Day (-8) taps in for par at the fifth after his birdie putt doesn't quite have the legs and fades right.
PAR! Another birdie chance for Woods, same story. It was on its way, looking like it might drop, but it too fades right and finishes inches from the cup.
BOGEY! Snedeker (-7) bogeys the fourth and drops out of the lead!
PAR! No mistakes for his playing partner and championship rival Cabrera (-8), who rolls in from closer for his par.
Great shot from Scott at the fifth. That's the best approach at that hole we've seen so far and that's a very makeable putt for birdie!
Cabrera sends a three woods perfectly down the middle of the fairway. Lovely shape on that shot from right to left.
Snedeker pulls his tee shots, but gets lucky by avoiding the bunker. He's in a bit of thick rough, though. Could be worse.
Lovely pitch shot from Westwood at eight! That's another birdie chance, can he make it back-to-back? That would take him to five-under and then we really are talking about a charge.
MISS! Scott cannot make his birdie at five and he remains on six-under.
PAR! He does tidy up for par, though. So no damage done.
PAR! Westwood's birdie putt at eight didn't look in as soon as he hit it. He left it out right and has to settle for par.
Cabrera hits the front of the green at the par-four fifth. That's a really difficult putt from there and he'll do well to make par. I think I hear shouts of "LUUUUKE!"
I did, I did hear shouts of "LUUUUKE!". He pitched out from the bunker at 16 and looked like he was going to finish quite far from the cup until it fed back slowly, slowly, slowly... and really, it was in all the way. He has a smile, but he's on two-over for the tournament. Still, it's always nice to see that.
BOGEY! Day makes bogey on the sixth, leaving Cabrera leading on seven-under. But with the Argentine in trouble at the fifth then we could be tied at seven, which is like a shot gained for the likes of Westwood and Woods.
Snedeker is also in trouble on five.
BOGEY! Uhhhh, that;s another shot dropped for Tiger. Not sure if he wants to win this. Maybe he is 'disqualifying' himself as Nick Faldo suggested? Maybe not, but in any case he is on two-under.
Sorry, one-under for Tiger.
PAR! Cabrera (-8) two-putts for par and he does retain the lead on his own.
BOGEY! Snedeker, however, drops another shot. So after a birdie at the first, he has given away two now and slips to six-under.
Westwood's fourth into the par-four eighth finishes next to the hole. So he can tap in for his five and he'll move back down the three-under. His original approach came rolling back off the green.
Cabrera (-8) lands on the green at the sixth but is miles from the cup. Snedeker (-6) is falling apart a bit and he let out a groan after hitting that, but still finds the front edge of the green... just.
LEADERBOARD: -8 Cabrera; -7 Day; -6 Snedeker; Scott; -4 Leishman; -3 Langer, Westwood; -2 Huh, Olesen, Garcia, Kuchar; -1 Toms, Els, Fernandez-Castano, Watney, Woods
PAR!Great putt from Snedeker to finish a yard from the hole and make par.
PAR! Day gets up and down from the sandtrap to save par and remain on seven-under. He's got a great opportunity to pick up at least birdie on the par-five eighth now!
PAR! Cabrera (-8) remains in the lead with an excellent two-putt par. His first putt was easier than Snedeker's by virtue of it being on the top shelf of the green, but he left if close.
Scott (-6) doesn't have quite enough muscle to make the green at seven and he'll need to chip close enough to save par.
Cabrera tees off with a three wood at the par-four seventh and finds the fairway. Much better from Snedeker as he follows the Argentine onto the short grass.
Westwood (-3) has an uphill putt from the fringe at 10 for a birdie.
PAR! Woods rolls in for par at the par-five eighth. It's not his been his round and things don't look like changing.
PAR! Nothing gained, nothing lost for Scott (-6) at the sixth.
Cabrera knocks his approach into the seventh stone dead! He'll have a tiddler for a birdie to get to nine-under, two clear of Day (-7).
PAR! Oooooh! Westwood's birdie putt at the 10th looks like it might have the legs but the pace dies as it reaches the hole. He stays on three-under par.
Jason Day is in trouble at the par-five eighth. He's in the trees.
PAR! Snedeker (-6) comes up short again, this time on the seventh.
BIRDIE! Cabrera (-9) moves two clear of Jason Day (-7), who has just punched out to the greenside rough at the eighth and looks like saving par.
BIRDIE! Tiger picks up his first shot of the day at the ninth! But surely not even he can mount a comeback from two-under?
PAR! Day (-7) does indeed make par at the eighth. A par five goes begging for the Aussie, and with Cabrera playing well behind him there's every chance he could find himself further behind when the Argentine tees up at that hole.
Or when he leaves the green at that hole, rather. It's been a long weekend. I'm tired.
Scott (-6) will have an eagle opportunity, albeit a long one, at eight after finding the green in two.
Snedeker finds the fairway with his tee shot at the eighth, but Cabrera looks like he's in the sand. Not a disaster on this par five, though.
Great shot from Westwood! He finds the green on 11 to set up a birdie chance. It goes without saying he needs to take this. He's on three-under and needs to get a move on in the very near (very, very near) future. Immediately, if possible.
Not a great effort from Scott (-6) for his eagle on eight. He leaves himself with a hard one for birdie, and if he misses this opportunity to make a move he'll kick himself.
BIRDIE! Olesen picks up another shot at the par-five 13th to join the group on three-under.
PARS! Once again, Westwood's putting proves to be his detriment as he only makes par at 11. Meanwhile, Scott three-putts eight to stay on six-under. That's not good.
Cabrera (-9) is now in trouble on the eighth. His second shot looked to be going left until it hit a spectator and bounced back into the rough. His route to the green is still a troublesome one, so the Argentine is scrambling for par.
At the same time, Day (-7) does the same thing as Westwood did at the ninth and comes back off the green with his chip. He's left with the same shot, and drops it right next to the pin. Where was the difficulty, eh?
So Cabrera and Day are both in trouble. We could be coming back a shot here, but we'll have to wait and see. Still nothing happening for Snedeker (-6), while Westwood (-3) is giving himself plenty of opportunities and has nothing to show for it. Adam Scott (-6) is plodding along.
BIRDIE! Have I written Woods off at my peril? He makes back-to-back birdies at nine and 10 to get back to three-under. I still can't see it (But am I now saying that to tempt fate?) Bit of both, I'd say...
Lovely shot from Snedeker at eight! He uses spin well to leave himself pin high for a birdie to get something going. Cabrera is also on in four, although he went the hard way and has left himself a gargantuan one. Still, he can make par with a two putt.
BOGEY! Day taps in for his bogey and moves down to six-under.
With Tiger (-3) now moving up, could the leaders be moving back towards him? Six shots separate him and Cabrera as things stand, so really both need to happen. It's not unheard of.
BIRDIE! Snedeker makes his birdie and gets back to seven-under.
PAR! good save by Cabrera on the par-five eighth to remain in the lead on nine under. He made a dog's dinner of that hole, but a bit of luck and he's heading to the ninth with his two-shot lead still intact.
LEADERBOARD: -9 Cabrera; -7 Snedeker; -6 Day; Scott; -4 Leishman, Olesen; -3 Westwood, Woods, Kuchar; -2 Huh, Garcia; -1 Toms, Els, D. Johnson, Fernandez-Castano, Watney
Now Snedeker's cooking! He's finding the fairways, and does so again at the ninth.
Cabrera is also on the fairway about 30 yards further on.
BIRDIE! Leishman moves back to five-under with a birdie at the ninth.
PAR! Another birdie chance goes begging for Scott (-6) at the ninth.
Day (-6) fires at the flag at 10, but it just turns right. He will have an uphill putt for birdie.
Snedeker drops his ball safely on the green with his second to the par-four ninth. Cabrera, who crushed his tee ball, also finds the green, so both will have similar putts for birdie from around 30 feet.
Scott starts his tee shot right at 10 and it feeds round nicely on the fairway. Leishman tries the same but doesn't get anywhere near the same distance, but still lands on the fairway.
IN THE WATER! Westwood (-3) goes for the par-five 13th green in two but finds Rae's Creek. He had trouble with that all week, missing the dancefloor to the right once more.
Not enough legs on Cabrera's birdie putt at the ninth, so it looks like he's staying at nine-under unless he misses from three foot or so.
Snedeker (-7) can't show Caberera how its done by connecting too firmly with his putt. Both make par and head to the 10th tee.
Snedeker cuts hit tee shot at 10 and doesn't get the draw necessary to bend around the right-to-left dog leg. Cabrera goes even further right, so the leaders could be dropping a shot. I've said that already tonight, so hang fire...
BIRDIE! Olesen cards another birdie at the 15th to get five-under with three left to play. Dark-horse material.
PARS! Scott (-6) and Leishman (-5) leave their putts short at the 10th but both mop up for par.
Cabrera is mulling over a shot, but he's hampered by a tree. It's bothering him and he hands the club back to his caddy, who is also his son. All he can do is pitch out and he'll need a really good approach into the green to save par.
Snedeker is further in but he does have a swing, and punches out. He can't quite get up the elevated face of the green, but will have a fairly simply chip from the fringe.
Cabrera (-9) can't drop it close, which is unsurprising considering that hole has played hard pretty much all week. Looks like he'll be taking a step backwards here.
BOGEY! Westwood drops a shot at 13 and slips to two-under. That looks to be his challenge over with. Unlucky, because his second shot into the green looked on line with the flag, it just needed that extra yard or two of carry.
Woods (-3) doesn't give himself a great chance of making the green in two at 13, so he needs to make sure he gives himself at least a birdie opportunity. An eagle at this par five would have really made things interesting with Cabrera looking like he'll be falling back.
BOGEY! Indeed, Cabrera drops to eight-under with a bogey at 10. How will he react?
BOGEY! Snedeker (-6) also drops one at 10 having looked like he could save par, so the Argentine's lead stays at two strokes but the rest of the field effectively move up one.
LEADERBOARD: -8 Cabrera; -6 Day, Scott, Snedeker, Leishman; -5 Olesen; -4 Garcia; -3 Woods, Kuchar; -2 Huh, Westwood; -1 Toms, Els, D. Johnson, Couples, Fernandez-Castano, Clark
Nice shot from Woods at 13 gives himself a chance of birdie.
PAR! Tee to green, Westwood has been the best all day, apart from his blunder at 13. Another par putt misses by mere inches to leave him stranded on two-under. Close, but no cigar.
Snedeker and Cabrera at both in the short grass once again and have nice angles into the green at 11.
Leishman finds the middle of the green at the 12th.
Snedeker's approach into the 11th green only finds the front edge and he'll have a long one for birdie. Most likely a two-putt, but if he does drain that monster that'll be some confidence boost. Remember, who always talk about 'that one shot' at the Masters, right?
Scott joins Leishman on the centre of the 12th green. Two good tee shots.
PARS! Olesen and Garcia go close for birdie at the 16th, but both settle for pars.
PARS! Also settling for pars are Scott and Leishman at the 12th.
BIRDIE! Woods makes birdie on the 13th to get to four-under, and four shots off the lead with five holes left to play. It can't happen. It can't happen. IT CAN'T HAPPEN.... or can it?
Westwood's approach to the 15th just about hops onto the green and avoids getting wet.
BOGEY! Another dropped shot for Snedeker at the 11th. That's back-to-back bogeys and it leaves him on five under par.
PAR! Cabrera remains at eight-under with a par at the 11th. He is holding things together at the moment, but no one is making a surge. The closest we have is Olesen (-5), possibly Woods (-4).
Olesen comes up short of the 18th green with his second shot, meaning that a par is really the best he can hope for. That'll leave him on five-under and that's shy of what's going to be needed, you have to feel.
Woods (-4) can't dial a nine iron into the 14th green with his second, meaning that he's unlikely to pick up a shot at 14.
Scott's (-6) tee shot just about stays inside the spectator rope, but he'll have a decent crack at the green on the par-five 13th. He made the green in two at eight and three-putted for par. Needs to take advantage here and get a move on.
BOGEY! Well, we were probably living in dreamland thinking that Olesen could challenge late on. He drops one at the last to eventually end on four-under, but he's had a cracking final round. You can't help but think what might have been had it not been for his 78 in the opening round.
PAR! Snedeker misses a great opportunity to end a run of back-to-back bogeys with a birdie, but has to settle for par. His putter is not being his mate today.
BIRDIE! Day (-8) cuts Cabrera's lead to one stroke by picking up a shot at the 13th. It was another fantastic bunker shot that set up the putt.
Cabrera's opening gambit at the par-five 13th isn't a good one. Is he getting tight? He's into the pinestraw.
PAR! A poor second shot means that Woods cannot make further gorund at 14, but he's making his way to the 15th, which he has fond memories of...
But in all seriousness, it has been a good hole for him in the past, forgetting Friday.
Scott goes for the green in two at 13 aaaaaand makes it.... no?! It's going backwards, backwards... is it heading for the creek? No! Just sticks in the rough. That'll be a chip to get close for birdie, and he could be moving onto seven--under.
Woods hits a whale of a shot down the fairway at 15.
Scott's chip flirts with the hole but he'll make birdie at 13!
PAR! Leishman misses a birdie putt to get to seven-under par. Scott stands over his...
BIRDIE! Scott joins Day on seven-under! Shades of 2011 as those two tie for second place. They're just one off Cabrera now.
However, Day gives himself a fantastic chance of tying for the lead with a brilliant approach at 14.
IN THE WATER! Well, well, well! Snedeker AND Cabrera go into Rae's Creek! WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?!?!
The Argentine went for the green instead of laying up, and instead of possible making a four could now be signing for a six. It's getting hot, even if the weather's not!
Snedeker's chances have died a death, but Woods gives himself a chance of eagle at 15 by making the green in two. Now THAT would really be something.
BOGEY! Garcia finishes with a bogey to land on three-under par. What might have been, eh? Could say that for a few of them though, to be fair...
BIRDIE! Day sinks his birdie putt to tie the lead with Cabrera in trouble at the 13th!
Whoa! Great shot by Scott, as he fires right at the pin at 13 to leave himself with another chance of birdie.
BIRDIE! No eagle for Tiger, but it's a birdie and he moves to five-under. He's three back with three holes left to play.
PAR! Snedeker (-5) saves par at the 13th.
BOGEY! Cabrera makes his first real glaring error at the birdie-able 13th by dropping a shot after finding Rae's Creek. He drops out of the lead he's held for the majority of the day.
So it's all change at the top, when Scott has finished his hole you'll have an updated leaderboard.
PAR! Oooooh! Scott's putt wiped it's feet but stayed outside. He stays on seven-under and Jason Day is one shot clear on his own at eight-under.
Woods gives himself another chance of a birdie at 16 with his tee shot into the green.
LEADERBOARD: -8 Day; -7 Scott, Cabrera; -6 Leishman; -5 Woods, Snedeker; -4 Olesen; -3 Garcia, Westwood, Kuchar; -2 Huh, Clark; -1 Toms, Els, D. Johnson, Couples, Watney
Cabrera (-7) finds the green at the 14th but needs a good putt if he is to grab a share of the lead back.
PAR! No birdie for Tiger at 16. He's had his chances, but struggled on the green today. Can't remember him making a middle-distance putt all day.
PAR! Cabrera's birdie attempt comes up short on 14. He stays on seven-under and will head to the 15, where there is a chance on an eagle. Definite chance of a birdie.
PAR! Also making par is Jason Day. He had a decent chance of stretching his lead at the 15th but stays just the one ahead.
BOGEY! Snedeker drops another shot that's got to be him out of contention on four-under. It's all gone wrong for him today.
Day did make birdie at 15, I do beg your pardon. So he does stretch his lead to nine-under.
PAR! Westwood finishes with a par and ends on three-under. He also had his chances. So many of his putts burned the edge of the hole. Tee to green, his play was superb bar the blip at 13.
LEADERBOARD: -9 Day; -7 Scott, Cabrera; -6 Leishman; -5 Woods; -4 Olesen, Snedeker, Kuchar; -3 Garcia, Westwood, Clark; -2 Huh, Clark; -1 Toms, Els, D. Johnson, Couples, Watney
Day goes long with his tee shot at the 16th. He's off the back of the green. Scott is on the par-five 15th in two and has a chance of eagle. Australia's wait for a green-jacket winner could be nearing an end!
Day (-9) chooses to putt from the rough and leaves himself a tricky one for par. It's around five feet.
BIRDIE! Scott birdies the 15th and gets within one shot of Day! Will his nerves be jangling over that putt on 16?
Of course, this is a different story for Scott than the one last year's Open Championship at Lytham, where he was the one being hunted. The huntee has become the hunter here.
BOGEY! Day pushes wide and we're tied for the lead on eight-under!
Cabrera's approach to the 15th hits the rough and trickles into the bunker. He's got plenty of green to play with in order to get close and give himself a chance of birdie to tie the lead at eight-under.
Scott finds the green safely at 16 and that's a birdie opportunity.
Cabrera (-7) can't find the right bunker shot at 15 and comes up well short of the hole.
Woods splits the fairway at 18. Day the same at 17.
PARS! Cabrera's birdie putt at 15 moves right to left, but past the hole. Scott's does the same at 16, so it's as you were.
Tiger (-5) finds the front bunker at 18 and that is definitely all she wrote. Up and down for par would give him at least a share of fourth.
Day (-8) hits the front bunker himself on the 17th, and that'll be a treacherous save from the trap. Remember, he bogeyed the last two holes yesterday to drop out of the lead.
Cabrera (-7) finds the green at 16 and will have a sight at birdie.
Woods pitches out of the bunker and nearly holes it, but the ball runs on another eight feet past the hole.
Day has played the bunkers well today, eagling from one and setting up birdie with another. This one isn't too bad either, but it's still a really difficult putt to save par. Especially with the nerves really biting, which they seem to be doing!
BIRDIE! Cabrera drops the first birdie putt from a fair distance for what seems like and eternity and we have a three-way tie at the top! But Day has a tester, so let's go over there...
BOGEY! Day drops out of the lead with another bogey on 17! Is it going wrong for him again, right at the last? And what does that do for Australian hopes?
PAR! Woods finishes with par. He ends his championship on five-under.
-8 Scott (17), Cabrera (17); -7 Day (18)
Cabrera puts his tee shot at 17 right down the middle. Jason Day does the same at 18.
It's been another late collapse from Day, who was nine-under after the 15th. He now needs birdie on the 72nd hole to make it into the equation, unless both Scott and Cabrera drop shots on the last two holes.
PAR! Scott's birdie putt falls just short, so he stays on eight-under.
Snedeker (-5) finds the green at 17, but more importantly Cabrera does as well. Without rain, that would have skipped on closer. How close? Hard to tell, but it stopped dead in the turf. It's still an opportunity for birdie, and his putt on the last hole might have just give him that extra bit of confidence.
Last roll of the dice for Day on 18, and he hits the green! It's a chance for birdie, albeit a tough one.
Scott finishes just short of the bunker on 18. It got held up in the thick stuff. He'll have a shot into the green, at least.
Cabrera is really weighing up this putt on 17. It's a big opportunity to go nine-under and force Scott to pull something out the hat on the last.
Cabrera is really weighing up this putt on 17. It's a big opportunity to go nine-under and force Scott to pull something out the hat on the last.
WIDE! Oh my, it was so close! But Cabrera's putt burns the edge of the hole and he remains tied with Scott on eight-under!
WIDE! Oh my, it was so close! But Cabrera's putt burns the edge of the hole and he remains tied with Scott on eight-under!
WIDE! And Day's putt for birdie goes inches past the hole! It looks like heartbreak for him, especially having been nine-under through 15!
Two late collapses have cost him the chance of the green jacket. Could we now be heading for a playoff?
Scott finds the green with his approach at 18! Birdie chance! Cabrera is on the tee behind him.
Cabrera shapes that absolutely exquisitely from left to right and finds the fairway. It's going to the wire, who can hold their nerve? Big questions of Scott, while Cabrera has been there an done it!
Leishman (-5) plays his shot out of the right green-side bunker first, and it's an absolute peach. He's contended well this week, considering that he's never really been in this position before.
BIRDIE! SCOTT GETS TO NINE-UNDER PAR! OH MY, WHAT NERVE! THAT COULD WIN HIM THE GREEN JACKET!
He exploded with joy when that dropped in. Such a dramatic display of emotion, and you can understand why. That's been bubbling up for years, and intensified by events at Lytham. Even I let out a little yelp then!
What can Cabrera do now? Just what can he do?
Snedeker's round is captioned by his poor approach to 18, which fails to find the target. It's up to you, Angel...
OH MY WORD! THERE ARE NO WORDS! NONE WHATSOEVER! CABRERA HAS KNOCKED IT ABSOLUTELY STONE DEAD!
Just when you thought Scott had done it on the 72nd hole, Cabrera does that. He liked it as soon as he hit it, eyes fixed and chasing it.
Still, he has to finish it off...
BOGEY! Snedeker finishes with a dropped shot, leaving him on four-under. Not been his day.
BIRDIE! And we're going to a playoff! Scott vs. Cabrera. Australia vs. Argentina. New winner vs. Old winner.
Scott is also bidding to become the first player to win the Masters with a long putter. Quite the polar opposites these two.
The Australian thought that he had done it. His celebration at the last was something to behold from a player who usually shows less emotion that Jason Dufner. But if I'm picking someone now, it'd be Cabrera. That shot at the last was something else, but then so was Scott's putt.
We're going to the 18th for the first playoff hole.
It will be the 16th time the green jacket will be decided by a playoff. Second in a row, and fifth since 2003. When Cabrera won his in 2009, you guessed it, it was by playoff.
When Cabrera beat Chad Campbell and Kenny Perry, he became the first man from Argentina, and from the continent of South America, to win the Masters. So he'll understand a little bit about what Scott is going through. One big difference is that Cabrera already had one Major title under his belt, the 2007 US Open.
Here we go, Scott will hit his tee shot first.
It's a good 'un. Right down the middle. Cabrera follows him into the short grass, though. He is in a similar position from where he hit that second just around 20 minutes ago.
Scott looks like he's up first again with his second shot from the fairway.
Uh ohhhh, he's run back off the front of the green. What can Cabrera conjure now?
He steps up quickly and takes it... and he's off the front of the green as well! He just needed to get it on there to give himself a chance, but the two balls have ended inches from each other.
Cabrera's up first with his bump and run from off the green.
Great shot, and it nearly sinks! It goes just beyond the hole, but that should be a tap in for par. Scott needs to match him now.
And match him he does, although he didn't really give it a chance of holing. He finished up short, while Cabrera went long. They're about equidistant to the cup. Scott will go first.
PAR! Job's a good 'un! Now Cabrera...
PAR! It's easy to underestimate those puts from so close, but I get nervous playing for a pint at my local club. These two are in a playoff at the Masters.
We're going to the 10th tee now. This hole will favour Scott, while the last hole favoured Cabrera. It's easier for Scott to get the right to left shape on this, whereas Cabrera likes the power fade.
Scott hits it, and he likes it. Similar to his tee shot there on the normal round, where it hits the fairway and funnels round.
Cabrera also finds the fairway with an iron, so no quarter given by either man.
The Argentine is up first, having some some off his yardage by using the iron. He wasn't about to put himself in danger with a wood. He opts for a 6 iron, and he's happy with the result as the ball lands the ball for a birdie chance.
And now Scott replies with a beauty as well! Arguably a better shot. This is exciting, gripping, tense. Everything a Masters playoff usually is. No outrageous Bubba shots needed, though.
Not yet, anyway...
Cabrera up first...
OH DEAR! He leaves it on the edge of the hole! So unlucky... but it's advantage Scott now.
Scott is taking his time here, and quite rightly. He and Steve Williams are assessing the angle thoroughly. This to win the Masters.
ADAM SCOTT WINS THE 77TH MASTERS!!!
Finally, Australia, and more importantly ADAM SCOTT, has a green jacket.
And he does it with a birdie! Angel Cabrera shows sportsmanship and humility in congratulating Scott warmly. What an absolute class act he is! Cabrera didn't lose it, Scott won it. His putt at 18, his putt on the second playoff hole. Superb!
Cabrera: "That's how golf is. I had that chip on 18 and I could have won it, but Adam is a truthful, good winner."
Cabrera: "He's a great person, a great player. I get along with him, we play at the President's Cup."
We'll stick around for the presentation ceremony, where Bubba Watson will be slipping a green jacket over the shoulders of an Australian player for the very first time in Masters history.
How does that sound, Aussies? You know we in the UK love nothing more than to celebrate out successes together. You win, we win... right?
Lots of people, myself included, thought that Cabrera would prevail in the playoff. It just shows you how much Scott's learned from defeat. I won't harp on about last year's Open any more. There's no need. He's won the Masters, and he's one of the most popular winners as well.
Here is the amateur champion, Guan Tianlang, accompanied by last year's winner Bubba Watson and this year's champion Adam Scott.
Adam Scott: "I don't know how that happened. Even from a couple of years ago, and last July. It went my way today. Bubba's an inspiration, and so is Guan Tianlang. I'm honoured to be here."
Adam Scott: "I tried not to think about anything today. I just tried to stay where I was today. Australia is a proud sporting nation, and this was one notch in the belt that we hadn't got. It could have been Marc or Jason, but there's one man who inspired a nation of golfers and that's Greg Norman."
Adam Scott: "It was only a split second I thought I'd won [on the 18th]. Never count your chickens."
And with that, Bubba helps him into the jacket and Australia beams with joy. Well done, Adam Scott. Much deserved.
What a week it has been at Augusta. We didn't have quite the drama of previous years, despite the playoff. But it was a memorable one nonetheless. The Masters always is.
That brings and end to Sports Mole's coverage of the 77th Masters at Augusta. Thank you for joining us these last four days. Come back again soon!
Written by
Michael Penkman
Michael Penkman
