1995

By David Westin
Staff Writer

Augusta, Ga., Monday, April 10, 1995 -- Ben Crenshaw, carrying the thoughts of his late golf teacher Harvey Penick with him every step of the way, kept his concentration almost to the end in Sunday's final round of the Masters Tournament.

By the time the focus was gone, the Texan's second Masters title was well within sight and he had don Mr. Penick, who died April 2, proud. Mr. Penick had been Mr. Crenshaw's golf coach for 37 of his 43 years.

Mr. Crenshaw, the 1984 Masters champ, suffered his only bogey on the back nine in the entire tournament on the 72nd hole and won the 59th Masters by one shot over Davis Love III of Sea Island, Ga., on Sunday at the Augusta National Golf Club.

``I lost concentration on my second shot to No. 18; I was fortunate I had a two-shot lead,'' Mr. Crenshaw said.

Mr. Crenshaw, who covered his face with his hands and knelt over after making a short bogey putt on No. 18, said, ``I let all the emotion go. I couldn't wait any longer. I had a 15th club in the bag today and that was Harvey - Harvey Penick.''

``There couldn't be a better end to Harvey Penick's life then to have Ben Crenshaw win the Masters the same week he passed away,'' said Mr. Love, who said his late father, Davis Love Jr., patterned his life after Mr. Penick, his golf coach at the University of Texas.

It was just meant to be that Ben would play well this year,'' Mr. Love said. ``I think he felt that. Ben was driven.''

With a closing round of 4-under-par 68, Mr. Crenshaw shot 14-under-par 274 for the 72-hole distance. He had six birdies and two bogeys on Sunday.

``It was magical here,'' Mr. Crenshaw said. ``I felt a good flow going through the whole round.''

The 274 tied for the third-lowest score in tournament history, three shots off the record shared by Jack Nicklaus and Raymond Floyd.

Mr. Crenshaw is the oldest Masters champion since Mr. Nicklaus, who won when he was 46 in 1986. He also tied Mr. Nicklaus for the length of time between victories - 11 years.

Mr. Love, three shots behind third-round co-leader Mr. Crenshaw at the beginning of play, had finished more than 45 minutes before Mr. Crenshaw, who was in the last group of the day. Mr. Love closed with a 66, which featured seven birdies and one bogey.

``Davis is fabulous,'' Mr. Crenshaw said. ``I think he's going to win many coats here. He's so loaded with talent.''

Mr. Love had to watch helplessly as Mr. Crenshaw, one of the greatest putters in the history of the game, made birdie putts of 3 feet on No. 16 and 12 feet on No. 17 to seal the victory.

``You have no control,'' Mr. Love said. ``You have to watch Ben Crenshaw putt and you know he's going to make them.''

Mr. Crenshaw did not have a 3-putt green in the entire tournament. He was tied for 16th place, four shots off the lead, after a first-round 70. Mr. Crenshaw was tied for fourth place at the half-way point, two back, after a 67. With a third-round 69, Mr. Crenshaw shared the third-round lead.

Not since Mr. Nicklaus won the 1986 Masters has there been such an emotional victory.

Mr. Penick, Mr. Crenshaw's longtime teacher and mentor, died eight days ago in Austin, Texas, after a lengthy illness. Mr. Crenshaw, who already was in Augusta the day Mr. Penick died, returned to his hometown of Austin on Wednesday and served as a pallbearer.

``I believe in fate,'' Mr. Crenshaw said. ``Fate is what decides it al lot of times here. It's like someone put their hand on my shoulder this week and guided me through.''

``Maybe there was something in the wind,'' said Greg Norman, who tied for third place with Jay Haas, three back of Mr. Crenshaw. ``Maybe Harvey's up there looking down saying, `Hey Ben, I'm going to help you do this.' You've got to admire someone like Ben doing that. It takes a lot of nerve.''

``It was never a burden,'' Mr. Crenshaw said. ``We have a tremendous feeling four our teachers. He's gone. You try to remember things he tried to tell you over the years and try to get through tournaments. I believe in fate.''

``You've got to admire somebody who flies back to Texas to be a pallbearer and comes back here and wins the championship,'' Mr. Norman said. ``That's the strength of his character.''

Mr. Love, who qualified for the Masters with a victory in the Freeport McMoRan Classic a week ago, led the Masters at 13-under-par for the tournament after he made birdie on No. 15. Mr. Crenshaw, three holes back at the time, was 12 under and bunkered on the par-3 12th hole.

Mr. Norman had joined Mr. Crenshaw at 12 under with a birdie at No. 13. Mr. Crenshaw did par No. 12. After Mr. Love made a 3-putt bogey on No. 15, the three golfers were tied at 12 under.

Mr. Crenshaw went to 13 under with a birdie on No. 13, but Mr. Love matched that minutes later with a birdie on No. 17. Mr. Norman, playing with Mr. Love, had a 3-putt bogey on No. 17 and dropped to 11 under.

After Mr. Love made a scrambling par on the 18th to finish at 13-under 275, Mr. Crenshaw was in the middle of the 15th fairway.

When Mr. Crenshaw parred No. 15, he needed to play the final three holes in 1-under-par fashion for the title. He knocked in a short birdie putt on No. 16, and then made the 12-footer on No. 17 to build the two-shot lead. He needed that cushion after making the bogey on No. 18.

``I'll never forget Nos. 16 and 17 as long as I live,'' Mr. Crenshaw said. ``I played No. 17 like a dream. It was the prettiest putt I think I've ever hit.''

In addition to winning in 1984, Mr. Crenshaw has finished in the top 10 eight times in the Masters, including a second-place finish in 1983 and two third-place finishes.

``We felt like we let two or three Masters slip away,'' said Carl Jackson, a former Augusta National caddy who has caddied for Mr. Crenshaw in 19 straight Masters. ``Ben deserved more than one win here.''

The first-place check was for $396,000. Mr. Crenshaw had won just $159,142 coming into the Masters and had missed the cut in last week's Freeport McMoRan Classic, where he was the defending champion.

``I don't know where I got some confidence from just a few practice days,'' Mr. Crenshaw said. ``I don't know how it happened. When you're 43, you don't know how many chances you're going to get.''