Friday 5 April 2019 08:34, UK
Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood will lead a strong English challenge at The Masters this year, as another Englishman celebrates the 30th anniversary of his maiden victory at Augusta National.
Nick Faldo became the first English winner of The Masters when he claimed the first of his three wins in the major in 1989.
Faldo, then aged 31, received his green jacket from Sandy Lyle after winning in dramatic style following a play-off to make it back-to-back British champions.
Lee Trevino set the early pace with a first-round 67, with Faldo just one behind, and the pair shared the lead at the halfway stage on three under after a difficult scoring day on the Friday.
Bad weather forced the third round to be completed on the Sunday morning, with Trevino stumbling to an 81 as he dropped out of contention, while Faldo slipped five behind third-round leader Ben Crenshaw after struggling to a five-over 77.
An exciting final round saw six different players at the top of the leaderboard on the back nine, with a back-to-form Faldo, who had switched putters, setting the clubhouse target on five under with a seven-under 65 after birdieing four of the first seven holes and adding superb birdies on the 16th and 17th.
Greg Norman made a back-nine charge but failed to join Faldo on five under after bogeying the 18th, as did Crenshaw.
That left Scott Hoch, who missed a 25-foot birdie putt at the last which would have handed him the title, although his score was good enough to force a play-off with Faldo.
Hoch took charge of the first play-off hole - the 10th - when he hit his approach to 25 feet as Faldo found sand, but the American missed his birdie putt and then stunned everybody by missing a two-foot par putt as Faldo also made a bogey.
Faldo made the most of his great escape by holing a 25-foot putt for birdie at the 11th to claim his second major title, following his Open success in 1987.
"It was ecstasy to make that putt," said Faldo, who became just the second man to retain the title in 1990. "It was a dream. You dream it was going to happen. When it does right before your eyes, you can't believe it."
