At the 74th time of asking, Sergio Garcia finally got over the line in one of golf's major tournaments, as he edged out Justin Rose in a play-off to win the Masters on Sunday night.After an absorbing tussle between the pair on the back nine, Garcia initially missed the chance to clinch the title when a four-foot putt slipped agonisingly by at the 18th. But the popular 37-year-old kept composed on the first play-off hole, making a birdie to win the sudden-death shootout.The Spaniard's triumph not only landed him an iconic green jacket at Augusta, but also a cool $1,980,000 (1.6 million) in prize money.Here's a reminder of how things finished up at another incredible Masters tournament, the prize money breakdown and a recap of how Garcia etched his name into history.Garcia Finally Gets OneAs Garcia and Rose traded punches at Augusta late on Sunday, Rory McIlroy took to social media to say "let him have one" in reference to the Spaniard; "Vamos," he then added. But Rose did not yield for long spells in a thrilling final round.Indeed, it wasn't until the shadows started to grow long on the plush playing surface that the Englishman started to waiver. A putt at the 17th hole slid by, and when he missed his chance at No. 18, Garcia had a putt to win the tournament.As he's done in the past, Garcia faltered when presented with his opportunity, and after his putt failed to break left, Rose looked to have momentum in the play-off. But, on what would have been the 60th birthday of Garcia's compatriot and idol Seve Ballesteros, who died in 2011, the Spaniard dug deep to conjure a brilliant approach and this putt:The win makes Garcia just the third Spaniard to win this coveted garment along with Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal. He paid tribute to both after his victory."It is amazing," the new Masters champion beamed, per Richard Parry of the Evening Standard. "To do it on his [Seve's] 60th birthday and to join him and Jose Maria Olazabal, my two idols in golf, it is something amazing. Jose Maria texted on Thursday saying how much he believed in me and to believe in myself."The emotion showed in Garcia when he holed the winning putt, and the esteem he's held in by the rest of the golfing world became clear after his triumph, with some legendary figures expressing their congratulations:Rose, who won his first major title at the U.S. Open in 2013, also paid a classy tribute to his European Ryder Cup team-mate after their shootout on Sunday:Although the green jacket will be the most treasured item in Garcia's wardrobe from now on, there are other merits to this triumph.Most pertinently, a prize pot of around 1.6 million is a hefty amount to take home. As noted by the European Tour Twitter feed, Garcia's maiden major title takes him to seventh in the world rankings, too.But in years to come, this can facilitate more major charges for Garcia. After all, the main obstacle in his pursuit of the biggest prizes in the past has been his brittle mentality; this triumph would have surely stiffened that. Per Jason Sobel of ESPN.com, the Masters champion has come a long way in that regard:For Garcia, it was a moment to cherish. To have finally earned the title his talent warrants was special, and to win the Masters in such high-pressure circumstances says a lot about how much he's developed as a player.Augusta is a venue renowned for incredible storylines. But even by the standards of this magical sporting stage, Garcia winning his first major on the birthday of his great idol is a remarkable tale.
Click here to read full news..