Final Round Masters Live Blog

Well, how do you follow that 1960 Masters. Aw, something's bound to happen! Here we go. Big cheesy opening. Ugh, just play the theme and let's see some golf!

11:34 - Nantz says the weather has improved. It's only feeling like it's 48 degrees. He says more birdies on the way. We come on and Tiger's on #1? Don't we usually get the leaders teeing off?  Tiger misses par putt and has a long one for bogey that he makes. Appleby doubles No. 1. What a start. Three way tie: Woods, Appleby and uh, Sabbatini!

11:36 - Tiger hooks it on two with a 3-wood and may be in the creek. Goosen holes out to join the lead at +4! The yellow flag is out!

11:37 - Six way tie for the lead wait, no, Zach Johnson birdies 3, Vaughn Taylor birdies 2. Zach up by one.

11:42 - We're seeing highlights of Phils triple bogey on 1. What's with the Yanni music? We don't get enough the rest of the year? 

11:47 - Nantz: "there's the Dredge Report." Oy. 

11:49 - Did Stuart Appleby sleep in that black Masters sweater? The nappy hair would give that impression. 

11:56 - Cool CBS stat: Avg. last 5 years/2007: Bogeys Per round 3.88/4.87; Birdies per round 2.71/2.16, Total eagles 20.2/8, Total rounds under par 68.6/22, Total rounds in the sixties 21.2/5 

11:57 - Faldo notes that they put "a lot of water on the greens overnight." 

12:02 - Nantz notes that Vijay has a chance to get in early and watch everyone deal with the pressure of being around the lead. Reader David points out that not since Jack in 86 has someone with a chance finished well ahead of the leaders.

12:09 - Joe Ford superimposed over No. 13 to tell us about limited commercial interruption. And now time for the ads. AT&T wheeling out the children and IBM with their spots filmed at ANGC. Good, I didn't have tissue ready for the Phil and my wife Amy ad. 

12:12 - Nantz says it's feeling more normal. Is he referring to the fact they may play under 4:30 today?  Kostis chimes in with "is this any fun?" No, not yet.

12:14 - Vijay pars 10 to stay -2, maintaining his "charge."

12:15 - Luke Donald holes out on 8 for eagle and is within one of the lead held by Tiger. Deserves to win for being the best dressed today. As opposed to say, Retief Goosen in the royal blue NASCAR outfit and now tied for the lead. Figures. Didn't he win another of these freakish Fred Ridley run setups?

12:24 - Rory Sabbatini eagles 8, takes lead. A roar, finally!  Oh let's pray...Mrs. Amy Sabbatini having dinner with Billy Payne tonight. Oh to be a fly on the wall.

12:27 - Luke Donald throwing up all over No. 9, finishes with triple from the middle of the fairway. But hey, he looks good in his Polo doing it!

12:32 - If Rory Sabbatini wins does Nick Faldo get to be there for the ceremony? After all, they are good friends. 

12:37 - Goosen goes to -4 on the day, +2 for the event, tied with Sabbatini for about a minute until Rory's bogey on 9. Uh, when do we get someone on this board we want to root for?

12:46 - Goosen sticks it on No. 9. But misses the birdie putt. CBS reminds us he's finished T-3 the last two years.  

12:58 - Classy Byron Nelson segment remembering one of the greats. A few seconds of black screen would have been nice before the lame AT&T ad. 

1:03 - Appleby drives it in the fairway bunker on 8, drops some f-bombs within range of CBS mikes.  Tiger pulls out three-wood and Oosty expresses surprise.  The lays up short left of No. 8. Wow. With all that real estate right. He just seems out of rhythm. Imagine that, he's human after all!

1:08 - Was Faldo trying not to laugh when Nantz asked him what the message was he sent Goosen in 2001 at Southern Hills?  Well, I can't remember what I ate for breakfast so... 

1:12 - Tiger's massive loogey barely escapes his mouth on 8, misses cup again though. So he's got that going for him. 

1:18 - Jerry Kelly eagles 13. Fourth of the day according to Kostis. Crowd erupts in light applause. 

1:23 - Tiger buries club in ground on 9. Gets a 9.3 for technique from this judge.  Did stick the landing though.

1:29 - Retief changes from 7 to 8 on No. 12, plays it beautifully to center of the green. 

1:36 - Tiger smiles and laughs sarcastically after approach to 10. Just one of those days laugh. Oh but Retief three putts 12 while Sabbatini two putts for bird on 13 to take the lead.  

1:44 - Wow, Goosen lays up on 13. Kostis makes great point that he botched it a few years ago and that might have played into this unusual decision. Tape truck guys are probably scrambling to dig up that footage.

1:46 - Jerry Kelly misses eagle putt that would have vaulted him into second, Augusta members still squirming. 

1:50 - Sabbatini just in front of 14 green, chips way over. What was that?  

1:52 - Tiger drives it where there used to be fairway on 11, breaks club around trees. Editors in New York all begging their photographer was there. Let's hope he didn't use the club he might hit on 12.

1:56 - 74.46 scoring average at this point in the round.  

1:57 - Zach Johnson from 213 on 13: lay up. Wow. Makes Chip Beck look aggressive. 

1:59 - Sabbatini lays up on 15. Was he only 213 too? Or was Feherty referring to Zach Johnson? 

2:04 - Appleby in Rae's Creek. Tiger an easy 7 to the center of the green. 

2:06 - Zach Johnson's lay up pays off. Kostis says it was a wise move because the lie/situation didn't suit his swing. Looks like he's right, with birdie and lead. Goose and Sabbatini one back, Tiger 2 back.

2:11 - Reader Bill from Hartford just sent this thought in: "I just realized that Augusta is playing at a par 72 against the par 70 Winged Foot has.  Watching these guys get punished for good shots by the ridiculous setup, I realized the course is playing 4-6 shots (over 4 rounds) harder then Winged Foot did.   At par 70 (think USGA labels), the winner might come in at 10 over."

2:20 - Kostis after Harrington's eagle on 13: "Once again, the Masters of old has returned." Well, let's not get carried away.

2:22 - Tiger sticks it on 13 after the ball stays atop the ridge for an eternity.  Zach lays up from 251 to the hole on 15. Tiger eagles 13, moves to within 2. Oh and they change the scoreboard on 15, did Zach back off because of the roar?

2:33 - Green numbers for over par on the scoreboards? Is that new? Or just unprecedented?

2:36 - Jerry Kelly is your leader in the clubhouse at 292.  Does he go sit in a cabin and wait? Oh, sorry.

2:44 - Did they zap Verne Lundquist when Zach made the putt on 16? That was some delayed I better act excited because that may be the one they play over and over again call. Johnson looks so composed and calm.

2:47 - Nantz: "Sabbatini delivers the roar" with his birdie on 18. Aren't the CBS guys trying a little too hard to tell us about these roars?  Did they remind us about the roars in 86?

2:49 - Ahhhhhhhh....the Phil and Amy math and science ad. I'm Phil Mickelson and I'm not ashamed to work for Exxon Mobil. Warms my heart every time. And I have it digitally record to relive over and over again.

2:51 - Close up of Tiger dropping loogey on 15. He needs to learn from Sergio about dropping them in nice clean pellets, not the whole drewling look.  

2:53 - Tiger tries to hit a big cut to work around the beautifully planted trees on 15. He can thank his design mentor Tom Fazio for that. And you can hear a pin drop at Augusta. Just think, a few years ago that's an open shot and he's probably hitting the green, putting at eagle.

2:58 - Johnson misses the par putt on 17, Rose is tight on 16...

2:59 - Retief only 133 coming into 18 but from the second cut and is unable to control it, taking birdie out of the equation. The second cut bites again.

3:00 - Kostis says Mickelson's critics will say he's still haunted by Winged Foot. Phil is speechless. Afternoon light really...oh I won't go there.

3:02 - Tiger salvages par on 15 to stay at +3.

3:05 - Justin Rose birdies 16 to get to +2 one back. Johnson looses it right on 18. Not Greg Norman right though. Good chance at up and down.

3:10 - +3 boys can pack up their lockers after Zach hits it tight. Man is he composed.

3:13 - Tiger does a semi-back off on 16th hole birdie putt, then just leaves it up high on the right. Still trails by 2. Rose 1 back in 15 fairway with wood in. The tree planting strikes again. 

3:15 - Rose is dead left of 17 green, chips through the green and is at least two back. He can thank Tom Fazio and Hootie Johnson. 

3:21 - Johnson interview with Bill Macattee. Jesus with him every step of the way. He's crying. Oh the Golf Gods may take note of that. And doing more interviews. If Tiger only knew.

3:26: "Honestly, what the hell just happened. It's dead downwind." -Tiger after hitting in the bunker on 17. Wow.

3:27 - Oosterhuis speculates that something isn't right, Tiger is under the weather. Allergies maybe acting up? 

3:28 - Oosty notes indifferent sand play and softer than usual sand this week. Tiger hits a nice shot, but not in. Zach Johnson has won...oh one more hole I know. It's just that we've been thinking it was only a matter of time before he won a major!

3:31 - Tiger dejected. CBS announcers moe dejected because they've gone so long without being able to point out all the roars like the days of yonder. 

3:39 - Tiger has 134 into 18, 9 iron, misses it right. Zach Johnson is your Masters Champion. Even Nantz had trouble sounding excited saying that! 

3:45 - Tiger and Appleby finish in 4:30, about 30 minutes longer than normal right? Nantz reports that this best's Zach's previous best finish in a major: 17th. 

3:46 - Nantz just adds Zach Johnson to the list of Keiser's, Ford's, Aaron's, Coody's and Mize's to win the Masters! What a compliment. Goose bumps thankfully came during the 1960 Masters rebroadcast.

3:48 - Uh, is that a loop of an eagle or a hawk squawking in the background? Sounds like one of the fake bird sound tapes got stuck. 

3:50 - Tiger said I had to hit a "miracle shot around that tree" on 15 and just hit a "crappy shot." 

3:52 - Zach starts thanking everyone, including trainers, teachers, sponsors, and my Lord and Jesus all my credit. Is this the Daytona 500? Did he just win Best Actor? 

3:54 - "I didn't go for one par-5 in two this week." 

3:57 - Where's Marty Hackel when you need him? Zach, take the vest off! 

3:59 - Reader Jimmy is right, where's the low amateur?? 

4:01 - Well as feared, the 1960 Masters rebroadcast was much more exciting. Break out the chainsaw Billy!