No golf lessons, ever: Bubba Watson wins the Masters

AUGUSTA, Ga. \u2014 For the second year running, the Masters was decided in the woods beside the 10th fairway.

A year earlier, it was Rory McIlroy's drive into the trees on the left that ended his Sunday and opened the door for Charl Schwartzel. This time, Bubba Watson stood deep in the pine straw on the right side of the 10th in a sudden-death playoff \u2014 and hit a wedge that will be replayed for as long as golf is televised. Hooked nearly 40 yards around the trees from 160 yards out, it settled 15 feet from the pin. Two putts later, he had beaten Louis Oosthuizen and won the green jacket.

It was only the second truly historic shot of the afternoon. The first belonged to Oosthuizen, who made a double eagle on the par-five 2nd \u2014 a 253-yard four-iron chased the length of the green and dropped in. The first double eagle ever on that hole, and only the fourth in Masters history, vaulted the South African from seven under to ten under and briefly looked like it might win him the tournament outright.

Watson, who broke down sobbing after his winning playoff putt, plays a game he calls "Bubba Golf": he has never taken a lesson, curves virtually every shot to match what he sees in his mind, and owns the most unorthodox swing on the PGA Tour. Yet he led the Tour that year in both driving distance and greens in regulation. The Masters was his fourth career victory \u2014 and his first major championship.

Based on reporting from the 2012 Masters at Augusta National.

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- For the second year in a row, the Masters was decided in the woods lining the 10th fairway. Last year on Sunday it was Rory McIlroy's disastrous drive into the trees left of the fairway that knocked him out of contention and opened the door for Charl Schwartzel. This year, it was Bubba Watson's Hail Mary wedge shot from deep in the trees on the other side that somehow, against all right and reason, wound up 15 feet from the pin. Two putts later, he had defeated Louis Oosthuizen in a playoff and won the green jacket.

[caption id="attachment_6071" align="aligncenter" width="553" caption="Bubba Watson hugs his caddie Ted Scott after winning the Masters golf tournament following a sudden-death playoff on the 10th hole Sunday"][/caption]

"I had to keep it under 15 feet under a tree, then it started rising and hooked about 40 yards. Pretty easy," Watson said, describing the 160-yard shot.

Watson, who broke down sobbing after his winning playoff putt, describes his style of play as "Bubba Golf." He has never had a lesson and has the most untraditional game on the PGA Tour, curving virtually every shot one way or the other, to reflect how he sees it in his mind. Yet he leads the PGA Tour this year in both driving distance and hitting greens in regulation. The Masters represented his fourth career win and first major.

It was the second truly historic shot of the day. The first came on the par-five second hole Sunday, when Oosthuizen scored a rare double-eagle. From 253 yards, he used a four iron to chase the ball down the length of the green and into the hole. The first double-eagle ever on that hole, and the fourth in Masters history, instantly vaulted Oosthuizen from third place at seven under par to first at 10 under par