Changes since 2002: How the 18th hole plays now

The 18th hole at Augusta National Golf Club wreaked havoc all week.

From Henrik Stenson’s quadruple bogey on Thursday to Padraig Harrington’s double bogey on Sunday, the 465-yard closing hole made life tough on the world’s best golfers. For the tournament, the 18th ranked third-most difficult with an average of 4.309. Only Nos. 1 and 11, also par-4s, played harder.

The 18th hole produced high drama as Bubba Watson and Louis Oosthuizen battled down the stretch.

Oosthuizen got down in two shots from the back of the green in regulation to save par and force a sudden-death playoff with Watson. On the first extra hole, No. 18, both had medium-range birdie putts but missed. Watson won the playoff with par on the next hole, the 10th.

One player who solved the hole known as Holly was Bo Van Pelt. He made birdie to punctuate a round of 64 that included a hole-in-one at 16 and an eagle at 13.

He said the strategy began on the tee, which was lengthened 60 yards in 2002.

“I hadn’t missed a fairway all day, and I was just really trying to concentrate on hitting one more good drive,” Van Pelt said. “That’s what I told myself, don’t end on a bad one. I was real proud of that. I hit a good drive there.”

From there Van Pelt hit it tight, using the slope in the middle of the green to good advantage to attack the traditional Sunday pin placement just over the front bunker.

“I hit a little draw, and the wind just straightened it up perfect,” he said. “I had a good yardage with a 7-iron, so that’s what made it nice. Then you just get lucky, you catch the slope, and then obviously it came down and got real close.”

Six players have made birdie to win the Masters on the final hole – Art Wall Jr. in 1959, Arnold Palmer in 1960, Gary Player in 1978, Sandy Lyle in 1988, Mark O’Meara in 1998 and Phil Mickelson in 2004.

There’s also been plenty of heartbreak, with Palmer’s double bogey in 1961 preventing him from becoming the tournament’s first back-to-back winner.

Ian Poulter came to No. 18 trying to make birdie and take the clubhouse lead at 7-under, but his ball hung up on the left side of the green and left him in an awkward spot.

“Really just such a shame to three-putt the last,” said Poulter, who closed with 69. “You know, it’s left a bit of a sour taste in the mouth from what was a really flawless day.”

Lee Westwood was able to birdie the final hole and take the clubhouse lead at 8-under. Still, it wasn’t enough for the Englishman looking for his first major title.

“The longest (putt) I made was 10 foot on 18,” he said. “I made a good one at the right time, but that’s not really good enough.”