No. 16 gives up two aces on Sunday

Aces wild

Aces were the shot of the day at No. 16 on Sunday at the Masters.

Bo Van Pelt and Adam Scott each aced No. 16, a 166-yard par-3. It marked the third time in tournament history that two hole-in-ones were made at No. 16 during the fourth round. Padraig Harrington and Kirk Triplett did it in 2004. Nathan Green and Ryan Moore did it in 2010.

Van Pelt's 6-iron flew past the flag to the right and rolled several feet back around the slope into the cup. It was the seventh hole-in-one of Van Pelt’s career and fifth in competition.

“My 5-year-old asked me the other day if I had ever made a hole-in-one and I said, ‘Yes.' And he said, ‘You haven’t had one in quite a while,' so it’s neat that now I’ll get to tell him about this,” Van Pelt said.

His wife, Carrie, and 10-year-old daughter, Olivia, were standing near the green and saw the shot.

Scott followed a few groups later and used a 7-iron. It was the 23rd ace in tournament history and 15th on No. 16. Scott said the roar after his shot was incredible.

"It was loud," he said. "It was massive down there."

Van Pelt also had another highlight. He hit a choked-down 5-iron from 198 yards on his second shot at par-5 No. 13 and thought it was going in too.

“I’ve never made a double-eagle and as it was rolling I thought, ‘Holy cow, I’m going to make a 2 at Augusta on a par-5,’” he said.

The ball stopped two inches short of the hole. Louis Oosthuizen followed by making a double-eagle on No. 2 later in the day.

Van Pelt shot a 30 on the back nine to finish with an 8-under 64. He had several chances to tie or even break the Masters’ single round record of 63. He missed makeable birdie putts on No. 7, 11 and 12. He missed another birdie chance on No. 17 but made one on No. 18.

He said after making the hole-in-one, he really didn’t think about trying to shoot a 63.

“After you a hit a hole-in-one, you’re so excited you’re just trying to focus,” he said.

-- DOUG ROBERSON

Garcia at a loss

Sergio Garcia had some light moments Saturday while shooting his third-round 75 that put him out of contention. His hug of playing partner Rory McIlroy, when both birdied No. 12, was captured by television cameras and shown worldwide.

However, Garcia’s mood darkened following the disappointing round that dropped him eight strokes off the pace. In an interview with Spanish reporters, Garcia questioned his career at golf’s major championships, including the Masters.

“I’m not good enough,” Garcia was quoted as saying. “... I don’t have the thing I need to have. In 13 years, I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to play for second or third place.”

When asked if he was referring to the Masters, Garcia said, “In any major.”

Garcia's winless history in major championships overshadows his career. His best finish at the Masters was a tie for fourth in 2004. In the next seven Masters, his best finish has been a tie for 38th, including three missed cuts. He has finished runner-up at 1999 and 2008 PGA Championships and the 2007 British Open.

Garcia was in position to make a run at this Masters title when he stood at 4 under after the first two rounds. However, he struggled Saturday with a front-nine 4-over 40.

“I’m not good enough,” Garcia told Spanish reporters. “I had my chances and opportunities and I wasted them. I have no more options. I wasted my options.”

-- CHRIS VIVLAMORE

Early birds

Come Masters week, Jack Nichols is an early riser.

You have to be in order to get a prime viewing seat around the greens at Augusta National, especially at No. 18 on Sunday.

Nichols, of Silver Spring, Md., has been coming to the Masters since 1983. His Sunday tradition is to place his folding chair around the 18th green for a front-and-center view of the tournament's culmination.

Fans start lining up at the grounds entrance around 4 a.m., four hours before they open. Once the gates open, Augusta National members will walk the crowd -- do not pass the green jacket -- to the main course entrance and metal detectors. The crowd is again escorted to the main scoreboard off the first fairway where fans are released -- but can’t run -- to desired locations.

“I duck-walk up the hill as fast as I can,” Nichols said.

There is room for five rows of chairs around the 18th green and by the time the general public arrives, nearly four rows are already filled with chairs belonging to member guests and sponsors.

“The amazing thing is you’ll see people come in here at 10 or 11 o’clock and think they can move a chair and slide one in,” Nichols said. “Most people are pretty good and say ‘You can’t do that, because some of us have been up since 4.’”

According to Nichols, getting such a spot around the 16th green is by far the tougher challenge. Many people hire runners to place their chairs.

“It’s cutthroat,” Nichols said. “If you can get to it, they are phenomenal seats.”

Nichols’ favorite memory from his prime spot is watching Angel Cabrera’s victory in 2009, the first Masters he attended with his son. He also fondly remembers watching Ben Crenshaw’s win in 1995.

“He cried right there,” Nicolas said.

-- CHRIS VIVLAMORE

Low amateur

A poor first nine in the final round cost Hideki Matsuyama a chance at defending his low-amateur title on Sunday.

Patrick Cantlay, who trailed Matsuyama by six shots before the fourth round, shot an even-par 72 to finish the tournament at 7 over and win the Silver Cup given to the low amateur.

Matsuyama shot a 6-over 42 on the front nine – four shots higher than his worst nine during the week -- on his way to an 80. He finished the tournament 9 over par.

Kelly Kraft, the only other amateur to make the cut, shot an 80 to finish 18 over.