RE-MASTERED
Grigorian Wins His 2nd Masters
Defeats Moawad In Sudden Death Playoff
8 years. Nearly a decade after winning the inaugural edition, Armen Grigorian was crowned Masters Champion once again. A 2nd title had become so long in the making, Grigorian had written off the possibility. “I honestly didn’t think I would get back [to winning it],” he said, “because the competition is so great.”
For the 2nd straight year, 18 holes were not enough to decide the winner. 2-time Masters champion Chris Moawad nearly made the playoff unnecessary but his 25-foot birdie attempt on the final hole, incredibly bounced in and out of the cup. Always gracious in defeat, the 2-time winner was also pragmatic. “[My] round today wasn’t hinged on that putt going in. That was a great shot [but] I had so many bad shots that cost me more than that.”
It may not have been the best played playoff – each of their tee shots found the bunker and green of the wrong hole – but when it’s the 2 best players of the MGM Tour, does it even matter? Thankfully, though, the trophy does not explain how it was won.
Cooler temperatures – thanks to favorable cloud cover – tempted the field, but on cue the skies opened up, cascading the sun’s rays on the back-9 like a broiler. Back-to-back defending champion John Mann – the first in Masters history – shot a career worst score, The Masters callously proving, what it giveth, it taketh away.
2013 MASTERS FINAL SCORES
| PLACE | GOLFER | SCORE | HANDICAP | NET |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 T8 T8 10 | Grigorian Moawad W. Vargas D. Vargas Gordón Fidler Mann Vaughan Quiroz (alt) T. Joe (alt) | 79 79 80 85 94 92 93 98 102 102 | 0 0 0 0 8 5 5 8 12 8 | 79* 79 80 85 86 87 88 90 90 94 |
QUICK CHIPS
8 years: How long was Armen Grigorian’s Masters drought? Since his 2005 victory, the Tour has witnessed 7 marriages, 12 births, and 3 divorces. 9 golfers came and left the Tour… Another Tie Broken: Previously tied with Chris Moawad for most career Major victories, Grigorian now stands alone with 7… Tweet-tweet: Travois Gordón carded the lone birdie of the tournament thanks to a fantastic 20-foot right to left, top to bottom putt on 10… Moawad and Grigorian carded a tournament-high 8 pars, while 2 time defending champion John Mann went par-less… The Good: Grigorian’s front-9 34 was a new career best. Doug Vargas broke 40 on the front-9 for the first time in 4 years. Chris Moawad’s runner-up finish was his 3rd at The Masters. With his 2 wins, he has finished in the top-2 in 5 of 9 starts… Walter Vargas was this year’s Devil’s Gulch winner, going just +3… The Bad: The Masters this year raised the max score to 10 for both par-4’s and par-3’s. Tim Joe, Chris Moawad, Gerry Vaughan, Rene Quiroz, and Doug Vargas wish they hadn’t… The back-9 is generally considered the make-or-break portion of The Masters. Vaughan went 16 worse than his front-9, Grigorian 11 worse, D. Vargas 7. Both Gerry Vaughan (98) and John Mann (93) carded career worst scores at the Masters… Milestones: Grigorian played his 85th career tournament, Moawad his 70th, and Doug Vargas his 65th.
