O'Meara Makes His MArk

By THOMAS BONK

April 13, 1998 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

AUGUSTA, Ga. —

How tough is it to win the Masters with birdies on the last two holes? Nothing that couldn’t be handled by Mark O’Meara, the 41-year-old Long Beach native who until Sunday at Augusta National was best known as Tiger Woods’ easy-going golfing buddy back home in Florida.

But as the shadows from the stately pine trees grew long across the 18th green, O’Meara won the first major title of his 19-year career by winning the Masters like no one else has done in the last 38 years.

O’Meara birdied the last two holes to beat Fred Couples and David Duval by a shot, a birdie-birdie finish that has not been seen around these parts since Arnold Palmer did it to win in 1960.

On his way to a five-under 67, O’Meara birdied three of the first four, stayed close, then finished with birdies on three of the last four.

Masters history was against O’Meara, but it didn’t matter. Only four other players had birdied the last hole to win the Masters--Art Wall in 1959, Arnold Palmer in 1960, Gary Player in 1979 and Sandy Lyle in 1988. Now there are five.

Tied with Couples and Duval at eight-under, O’Meara sent a seven-iron from 148 yards out to 18 feet right of the flagstick. From there, he figured a slight, right-to-left break, and simply rolled it in.

O’Meara raised both arms in triumph, ending a nearly two-decade old search for a major title. Why it took O’Meara so long doesn’t seem to matter much anymore.

“Hey, listen, if I knew, I would obviously have solved the problem,” he said.

“To win a major championship, especially the Masters, it’s a dream come true. Nobody can ask me that question again.”

For a long time, O’Meara and his question were still very much alive. He didn’t catch up with Couples and Duval until he wiggled in a five-footer at the 17th hole.

Duval already had finished his round of 67 and was waiting in the Jones Cabin to see if he was going to be in a playoff or whether he should just pack his wrap-around sunglasses and forget it.

When he watched O’Meara’s putt on television, Duval wasn’t at all shocked that the ball dropped in the hole.

“That’s just how he putts,” Duval said. “He’s one of the best putters out here and he makes plenty of them.”

Jim Furyk finished with a 68 and wound up fourth, one shot ahead of Paul Azinger, who had a 70. Six-time winner Jack Nicklaus, 58, charged early and tied for sixth with a 68 at five-under 283, the same as David Toms, who finished with a 64.

Duval’s chances made a quick and unexpected disappearing act. When he stood on the 16th tee, Duval led Couples and O’Meara by three shots.

But he three-putted the 16th, made a bogey and the race was on. Couples quickly got himself back in it when he eagled the 15th, a turn of events that would have been even greater if not for a green-jacket shredding double-bogey seven on the par-five 13th, a hole that Couples had eagled on Saturday.

Couples was tied with Duval at eight-under when he arrived at the 13th tee, with one thought in mind--to get the ball around the corner on the dogleg left hole.

“I did,” Couples said. “I turned it 90 yards around the corner and up into the junk.”

His ball landed on a dirt path behind some trees. Couples knocked the ball out and had 162 yards left to the flagstick. He tried to hit a seven-iron high and easy, but he “shoved it.” The ball bounced off the embankment of the green and dribbled into the water.

“I played pretty darned good,” Couples said. “I just had a big blunder on 13.”

As unlucky as he was on No. 13, Couples pointed to his bogey on No. 9 as a “huge blunder.”

Couples crushed his drive on No. 9 and had only 105 yards uphill to the hole. But he failed to get the ball on the top shelf of the green and it rolled back down. Couples wound up with a bogey while O’Meara, whose drive missed the fairway, still managed par.

“You know, at that time, I’m killing myself,” Couples said.

He felt a lot better when he eagled the 15th after hitting a six-iron from 198 yards to three feet from the hole.

And when Couples walked to the 18th tee, he was in a three-way tie with O’Meara and Duval, which made a playoff appear imminent.

It didn’t happen. Couples drove into the left fairway bunker, then found the right greenside bunker with his second shot. He got out all right, blasting to five feet below the hole. But O’Meara was putting first, and he made the most of his chance.

He gave himself a little pep talk before he stood over the putt.

“I said, ‘Look, this is what it’s all about, this is what you play golf for,’ ” O’Meara said. “I said, ‘There’s no need for a playoff, I’ve got it in my own hands, I can finish it off right now.’ ”

He promptly did just that, the finishing touch to a terrific tournament on the greens. O’Meara needed only 107 putts and wound up with only one three-putt in four days--the second hole in the second round.

O’Meara made short ones and he made long ones, including a 30-footer at No. 3 and a 50-footer at No. 4.

For the champion, the green jacket fit nicely. And, what’s more, it was last year’s champion Woods who helped him slip into it. O’Meara talked about how he held together mentally, what a great day it was and how he hadn’t been playing that well coming in.

As many times as it had been pointed out, the fact that he hadn’t yet won a major was something he could not avoid.

It weighed on him, all right.

“You have a little bit of self-doubt in your brain,” O’Meara said.

Not anymore. That self-doubt disappeared as soon as that golf ball dropped into the last hole on the last day of the 62nd Masters.

Associated Press

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

MASTERS: Tournament at a Glance

THE FINISH LINE

O’Meara: -9

Couples: -8

Duval: -8

Furyk: -7