Masters: Emotional Sergio Garcia in exalted company at long last

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Ballesteros, who died in 2011 at age 54 of brain cancer, and Jose Maria Olazabal each won the Masters champion green jacket twice and were the event's only Spanish champions until Garcia's breakthrough.

He also praised Garcia's great performance developed in the first four rounds of the competition and said that the golfer had written a golden chapter in one of the major championships in men's professional golf.

Garcia took his emotional, long-sought triumph over England's Rose, the 2016 Rio Olympic champion and 2013 US Open victor, after they finished deadlocked on nine-under par 279 for 72 holes at Augusta National.

"Justin unfortunately didn't play the play-off hole that he would have liked and they both had chances to win it in regulation, but there's certainly nothing for Rose to hang his head about". When asked later if he thought he was going to get his first major, Garcia snapped, "Next question, please".

"It's better late than never", Garcia joked in an interview with Radio Marca. Obviously, this is something I wanted to do for a long time but, you know, it never felt like a horror movie.

"That little two-shot swing there was kind of when he was back in the tournament", Rose said.

Garcia admitted that his major victory only began to "sink in" Tuesday morning, when he "couldn't help but laugh" upon opening his closet door and finding the green jacket tucked inside.

Garcia's first shot on the 13 hole was bad.

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"I'm telling you, it was so freaky that I didn't feel one nerve", Spieth said.

"When I first came here as an amateur in 1999, I felt like this course was probably going to give me at least one major".

He said: "Jose sent me a text on Wednesday saying how much he believed in me and what I needed to do".

"We've played a lot of golf together since we were about 14 years old", he said.

"Everybody that is around me is helping me, making me not only a better golfer but a better person".

And then he missed a putt on the final green to win the Masters. Who knows, in a couple weeks, maybe you'll be ready to win a major. "So if I'm here (as a major champion) and pretty much just started, I'm excited". So I have plenty more looks, and I feel good about it happening. "I wish Seve was here so we could do it too".

The triumph for the Spaniard came on what would have been the 60th birthday of his compatriot and idol Seve Ballesteros, while he was able to remove the tag of being the player with the third-most Major appearances without ever claiming the title. "And I did. And unfortunately it went straight", Garcia said of that crucial moment.

"So nice to say "Masters champion" Sergio Garcia", Today co-host Matt Lauer told him as he introduced him.

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