The 15th hole
Before Tiger hit his second shot on 15 after a 300-yard drive, five players were tied for the lead. Few people remember that Molinari, despite his water ball on 12, was one of the five as he birdied 13 after his mishap. But the 15th proved as critical as the 12th, as Molinari lost his chance to win the green jacket on the famous par 5 as his third shot hit branches and fell into the pond guarding the green, leading to a double-bogey 7. Meanwhile, Woods took the outright lead with a birdie after a two-putt from 45 feet. This hole also proved critical for Cantlay, who was playing well ahead of the leaders. Cantlay steadily moved up the leaderboard and earlier had taken the outright lead with an eagle on this hole. But then he bogeyed 16 and 17. The hole proved crucial for Schauffele and Finau, as well.
Cantlay: I was so far ahead of everyone else, so even though I had the lead, I knew the leaders were on the 10th, 11th holes and had all the easy holes to play. So I knew realistically I needed a birdie or two to have a chance. When I made birdie on 5 on Sunday, I knew I was getting there. As I was climbing up the leaderboard, I could feel it.
Schauffele: The unraveling for me started on the 15th tee box. I hit it right out into the trees. I just had like a childish moment. I was literally standing over my driver and I thought, “Holy crap, I’m leading the Masters.” Which is cool, but at the same time, fake it till you make it. Act like you’ve been there. And I didn’t. I could have easily stepped off and kind of regrouped, but I pulled the trigger and hit it into the trees and I was scrambling for par on 15.
Molinari: I should have hit a better second shot on 15. The 12th hole that day was playing particularly tough, especially with the wind, and a few guys in front of us hit the ball into the water, too. So (the shot at 12) can happen. So I was still in it, tied with Tiger, so 15 was the blow that kind of stopped my round. I was on the needles on the right (after his drive) and I had to hit a low shot because I had some tree limbs in front of me. So I tried to chip a 4-iron down the hill and I was trying to get to the left side because I thought to that flag I would be like chipping up the hill. But I just hit my second shot probably 5 yards too far. And then I had the branches of the tree in front of me.
LaCava: We had to wait three or four minutes. That’s a long time on the golf course with 228 yards to the green with a 5-iron in your hand. The wind is going back and forth just enough to get your attention. Tiger never blinked. I think that’s the only time I got a little antsy. You’re hitting a shot over water. Doesn’t take much to hit it in the water if you hit it a hair heavy. And if you catch it a little thin it’s over the green, and you’re never making four from over there. He had a nice number which helped. But you’ve still got to hit the shot, especially after waiting three or four minutes. That’s not a lot of fun. But he never flinched, never wavered. Hit it 40 feet to the right, pin high. It’s a putt he practices all the time.
Woods: The most pure shot that I hit was the second shot into 15, just through the forest, straight up in the air and turned it over. The shot I hit on 16, yes, that was a nice shot, and it ended up in a really good spot, but the best shot I hit all day was the second shot into 15.
Finau: I’d like to have that eagle putt on 15 back. I hit 7-iron from 195 and had 7 feet up the hill, right to left, and it broke a lot. I barely pulled it and missed it on the left edge. Tapped in for birdie. Even with the fiasco at 12, I would have been one back with that eagle with three to play. I birdied 16 and had good looks on 17 and 18. I would have teed off in front of Tiger at 16. No one knows what would have happened if I had been one shot back and on the tee first at 16. But my chances would have been a whole lot better.