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IMMELMAN WINS THE MASTERS

Trevor Immelman is fitted with his Green Jacket by 2007 champion Zach Johnson

Trevor Immelman brilliantly held his nerve to claim a famous wire-to-wire victory over Tiger Woods at the Masters today.

The 28-year-old, only the second South African to win the Masters after Gary Player, defied 25mph winds that brought with it fast, dry greens that destroyed most of his opposition to beat the huge pre-tournament favourite Tiger Woods by all of three strokes - and this less than four months after having a benign tumor, thought to be malignant, removed from his diaphragm.

In the process he wrecked Woods stated aim of winning his first Grand Slam of all four majors this season - and most importantly did it with a fierce and dignified courage and conviction that had even the most pro-American supporters cheering his impressive maiden major triumph

His ability to keep his cool and put set backs behind him was especially impressive and he had Nick Faldo and his fellow TV commentators wondering how much of this could be put down to an SMS sent to him by Gary Player last night which said, among other words of encouragement and advice, "I know you can win it".

Immelman was six clear and cruising with four to play and was still five ahead teeing off at the 16th when he inexplicably pulled his tee shot left into the water guarding the green for a double-bogey five.

It was the acid test of a champion for he could so easily have fallen apart at that moment. He didn't. Instead he calmly steadied his ship, found the green with a no-risk second tee shot and putted for two to limit the damage to a five

When he hit his approach to the 17th green into a guarding bunker there was a look of horror and shock on his face.

With Woods having just made a 12-footer for birdie on the last to post a five under , Immelman was in danger of bogeying and going to the last only two in front.

But again he held his nerve and bravely got up and down after a superb bunker shot and then, when he got a magnificent drive away down the 465-yard last, he let out a huge sigh of relief.

What he did not know then was that his drive was to finish in a deep divot hole, but he got it up on the green with no fuss and although he missed his birdie, he finished a fine job with a par.

After two 68s and a 69, Immelman only managed a closing 75 for an eight-under-par aggregate of 280 and while nobody has ever shot higher in the final round to become the Masters champion, he could not have cared less.

"I can't believe I did it," he said, his eyes wide in awe.

"It was just so tough and I was trying to be tough.

"I kept saying to myself 'hang in there, one shot at a time.' There's a disaster round every corner".

As it turned out there was a whole lot more glory than disaster for this astute young man.

Woods quite rightly said putting had cost him dear after a closing 72.

"I figured if I played the last seven in three under I might be in it, but I just didn't make any putts all week."

There was a 70-footer on the 11th, but he missed out on the two par-fives after that and missed from inside eight feet at the 16th.

Joint third were Woods' fellow Americans Stewart Cink and Brandt Snedeker, the latter reflecting on an amazing roller coaster 77 containing an eagle, two birdies and no fewer than nine bogeys.

Open champion Padraig Harrington finished top European in joint fifth place with left-handers Phil Mickelson and Steve Flesch, who played the last seven holes in six over.

Harrington, never close enough to threaten a repeat of his Carnoustie heroics, was round in a fine 72, but for others it was a real tale of woe.

Paul Casey, fourth when he teed off, turned in 41 and ended up with a 79 for 11th spot alongside Lee Westwood (73), while Ian Poulter, his chances re-ignited by birdies on the opening two holes, then had four double bogeys in a 78 to be only 25th on four over.

Immelman, whose last trip to The Masters a year ago put him out of action for over a month when a parasite entered his stomach, leaves this time as just the fifth South African in history to lift a major, joining Bobby Locke, Gary Player, Ernie Els and Retief Goosen.

Immelman lost his two-shot overnight lead early on, but then gave a quite wonderful display.

It was all the more remarkable given that he had never finished higher than fifth in any other major, this at Augusta three years ago, thanks to a hole-in-one at the selfsame 16th that he ironically double bogeyed today

It should also be remembered that in seven previous stroke play events this season the world number 29's best finish was 40th.

If ever a player hit form at the right moment, it was Immelman this week.

He and Snedeker, his closest overnight challenger, both began shakily with bogeys, but the American then moved into a share of top spot with a 30-foot eagle putt on the 575-yard second - only the second eagle of the tournament there.

But then, while Snedeker went on to bogey the third, sixth and seventh, however, Immelman's only deviation from par over the same stretch was a superb birdie at the 455-yard fifth, where he struck his approach to within a yard of the flag.

He had a four-stroke advantage going to the long eighth, but three putts for a bogey six there cut the gap to two as Flesch had birdied it just before that.

By then, though, Casey had already fallen out of the running barring a miracle. Only two behind when he birdied the third, he failed to get out of a bunker on the short fourth, double-bogeyed it, and then had five bogeys in the following seven holes.

That included the 180-yard sixth, where he called a penalty shot on himself when his ball moved after he had addressed it on the green.

Woods threatened to move into a back-nine charge when, after bogeying the 10th to be six adrift, he sank an amazing, curling putt estimated at 70 feet on the next.

However, he missed a four-footer for birdie at the 13th, then bogeyed the next.

That was one big bonus for Immelman and more came with Flesch going in the water for a double bogey at the 12th and three-putting the 14th.

The Cape Town golfer did bogey the 12th himself, but that still left him with a three-stroke cushion and by the time he reached the 15th tee that had swelled to six and he was almost home and dry, his stumble at 16 slowing him, but in no way stopping him heading to the greatest triumph of his life.

ALL THE FINAL ROUND SCORES
(USA unless stated, par 72):

280 Trevor Immelman (RSA) 68 68 69 75

283 Tiger Woods 72 71 68 72

284 Stewart Cink 72 69 71 72, Brandt Snedeker 69 68 70 77

286 Phil Mickelson 71 68 75 72, Steve Flesch 72 67 69 78, Padraig Harrington (Irl) 74 71 69 72

287 Robert Karlsson (Swe) 70 73 71 73, Andres Romero (Arg) 72 72 70 73, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spa) 77 70 72 68

288 Paul Casey (Eng) 71 69 69 79, Nick Watney 75 70 72 71, Lee Westwood (Eng) 69 73 73 73

289 Vijay Singh (Fij) 72 71 72 74, Sean O'Hair 72 71 71 75, Stuart Appleby (Aus) 76 70 72 71

290 Mike Weir (Can) 73 68 75 74, Retief Goosen (RSA) 71 71 72 76, Henrik Stenson (Swe) 74 72 72 72

291 Justin Leonard 72 74 72 73, Zach Johnson 70 76 68 77, Boo Weekley 72 74 68 77, Bubba Watson 74 71 73 73, Brian Bateman 69 76 72 74

292 Jeev Milkha Singh (Ind) 71 74 72 75, Arron Oberholser 71 70 74 77, J.B. Holmes 73 70 73 76, Adam Scott (Aus) 75 71 70 76, Ian Poulter (Eng) 70 69 75 78, Angel Cabrera (Arg) 73 72 73 74, Stephen Ames (Can) 70 70 77 75, Richard Sterne (RSA) 73 72 73 74

293 Jim Furyk 70 73 73 77, Nick Dougherty (Eng) 74 69 74 76, Heath Slocum 71 76 77 69

295 Justin Rose (Eng) 68 78 73 76, Todd Hamilton 74 73 75 73, Johnson Wagner 72 74 74 75

296 Niclas Fasth (Swe) 75 70 76 75, Geoff Ogilvy (Aus) 75 71 76 74

298 KJ Choi (Kor) 72 75 78 73

299 Robert Allenby (Aus) 72 74 72 81, David Toms 73 74 72 80

300 Ian Woosnam (Wal) 75 71 76 78

302 Sandy Lyle (Sco) 72 75 78 77