To call Sunday’s final round of The Masters wild would be doing it a disservice. The Masters leaderboard was a whirling dervish of activity as the major players fought for control, only to watch South African Charl Schwartzel wrestle the lead away with a performance for the history books on the back nine. Schwartzel made the turn in the thick of things, but four-straight birdies on the final four holes vaulted him to the top of the leaderboard, and into Butler Cabin to receive the green jacket as the winner of the 2011 Masters.
Rory McIlroy began the day with a four shot lead, but saw it evaporate at the snap of a finger with a disastrous 10th hole. McIlroy went where no man had gone before, sending his drive into a neighborhood where it came to rest between two cabins. The end result was a triple-bogey as he fell right out of contention.
It wouldn’t be Sunday at Augusta National without Tiger Woods, and Woods obliged by mounting a comeback with a front nine 31 to snatch the lead, if only momentarily. He faded down the stretch, and finished at 10-under, four shots off the pace, but it was a ride as he hit incredible shots to nudge into contention.
Adam Scott finished in a tie for second with Jason Day after also coming on strong down the stretch. Day and Scott finished at 12-under, two shots behind Schwartzel. Day finished his day with a birdie on 18, while Scott couldn’t quite come up with enough magic to slow down the surging Schwartzel.
For more on the tournament, check out our 2011 Masters StoryStream. For more on the tournament, check out SB Nation’s full 2011 Masters coverage, or head over to SB Nation Atlanta.