Bubba Watson Wins Masters, Green Jacket After Playoff vs. Louis Oosthuizen

AUGUSTA, Ga. — The rarest shot in golf can happen any time Bubba Watson has a golf club in hands.
Watson was so deep in the woods late Sunday afternoon that he couldn't even see where he was going. With his golf ball nestled on a bed of pine needles, he hit a gap wedge that shot out toward the fairway and hooked some 40 yards and onto the elevated green.
Nothing less than the Masters was riding on the outcome. Nothing else would do except for a page right out of "Bubba golf."
And on a thrill-a-minute Sunday at Augusta National, where Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa made only the fourth double eagle in the 76-year history of this major, it made Watson a Masters champion.
"I've never had a dream go this far, so I can't really say it's a dream come true," Watson said. "I don't even know what happened on the back nine. ... Nervous on every shot, every putt. Went into a playoff. I got in these trees and hit a crazy shot that I saw in my head, and somehow I'm here talking to you with a green jacket on."
His amazing shot in the playoff settled 10 feet from the hole, setting up a simple par for the win.
Lost in all the commotion was Oosthuizen making what is commonly called the rarest shot in golf – an albatross – when his 4-iron from 253 yards on the par-5 second hole landed on the front of the green, took the slope and rolled some 90 feet into the cup for a 2.
Oosthuizen had never made a double eagle in his life.
His Masters ended by watching a shot he didn't know existed.
After hitting short of the 10th green in the playoff, he was in the fairway and could only see a trail of fans leading into the woods.
"I had no idea where he was," Oosthuizen said. "Where I stood from, when the ball came out, it looked like a curve ball. Unbelievable shot. That shot he hit definitely won him the tournament."
Watson, who made four straight birdies on the back nine and closed with a 4-under 68, made it all sound so simple. Maybe it's because he has hit so many shots like that before. Maybe it's because he is one of the few players who doesn't have a swing coach, and never has.
"Hooked it about 40 yards, hit about 15 feet off the ground until it got under the tree and then started rising," Watson said. "Pretty easy."
The hard part was holding back tears.
He was blubbering hard on the 10th green, shoulders heaving and face contorted, for so many reasons. Just two weeks ago, he and his wife adopted a baby boy, Caleb. The first person on the green was his mother – his father died right after the Ryder Cup in 2010. He held her tight and cried some more.
As incredible as it all seemed, Gerry "Bubba" Watson, Jr., the powerful lefty with a million shots at his disposal, was a major champion.
"I never got this far in my dreams," Watson said in Butler cabin, where defending champion Charl Schwartzel helped him into the green jacket. "It's a blessing. To go home to my new son, it's going to be fun."
Oosthuizen was trying to join Gene Sarazen in the 1935 Masters as the only major champions to win with a double eagle in the final round. The former British Open champion made one clutch putt after another on the back nine, none more important than a 4-footer on the 18th for a 69 to force the playoff.
Both had a good look at birdie at No. 18 on the first extra hole and missed.
Watson, dressed all in white and using a pink driver, hooked his tee shot on the 10th into the trees, and it appeared he would have no shot at reaching the green.
Walking down the fairway toward an uncertain lie, he and caddie Ted Scott recalled their credo – "If I have a swing, I've got a shot."
Among his idols in golf are Seve Ballesteros, who built a career on magical escapes like this one. It was the first Masters since Ballesteros died last May. Watson also admires Phil Mickelson, who never saw a flag that frightened him.
"I attack. I always attack," Watson said. "I don't like to go to the center of the greens. I want to hit the incredible shot. Who doesn't? That's why we play the game of golf, to pull off the amazing shot."
They finished at 10-under 278, two shots ahead of four players who kept it close and made the Masters as compelling as ever.
Mickelson, playing in the final group for the fourth time, recovered from a triple bogey on the par-3 fourth hole and still managed to stay in the game. He could only make two-putt birdies on the two par 5s on the back and shot 72.
"It's disappointing that I didn't grab that fourth green jacket," said Mickelson, whose wife and three kids flew in from San Diego on Sunday. "It's disappointing that I didn't make it happen on the back nine and get the putts to fall, even though I felt like I was hitting them pretty good. I gave them all good chances. I just couldn't quite get them to go."
Lee Westwood of England ran off three straight birdies, but the last one hurt. He had an 8-foot eagle putt to tie for the lead on the 15th and missed it, and a final birdie on the 18th gave him a 68 and only made it look close.
"I don't feel like giving up just yet," said Westwood, who had his seventh top-3 finish in a major since the 2008 U.S. Open.
Matt Kuchar tied for the lead with a short eagle putt on the 15th, then bogeyed the 16th for a 69. Peter Hanson of Sweden, who had a one-shot lead going into the final round, didn't make a birdie until the 15th hole. He closed with a 73.
Watson, a 33-year-old from Bagdad, Fla., in the Panhandle, won for the fourth time in his career and moves to No. 4 in the world, making him the highest-ranked American in golf. He became the fifth left-hander to win the Masters in the last 10 years.
And he created a legion of fans – especially in Georgia, where he returned to school to get his degree – who chanted, "Bubba! Bubba! Bubba!" as he hugged everyone he could find on the 10th green.
"I don't play the sport for fame. I don't try to win tournaments for fame," Watson said. "I don't do any of that. It's just me. I'm just Bubba. I goof around. I joke around.
"I just want to be me and play golf."
Tiger Woods used to play practice rounds with Watson at the majors because he was intrigued how a guy who has never had a coach could make the ball move any direction he wanted.
Watson hasn't had a lesson since he was 10. His father taught him the basic grip and basic swing, and Watson took it from there. The challenge has always been figuring out the game by himself. "I just swing funny, and somehow it works," he once said.
Woods was among those who congratulated Watson on Twitter before the trophy presentation.
"Congrats (at)bubbawatson. Fantastic creativity. Now how creative will the champions dinner be next year?" he tweeted.
Oosthuizen was trying to become only the sixth player to have won majors at Augusta National and St. Andrews – two of the most revered courses in golf – and almost got it done.
He stayed in the lead with a tricky par putt from 10 feet on the 14th and a 7-foot birdie putt on the 15th, but Watson caught him by making his fourth straight birdie on the back nine, a tee shot into 4 feet on the 16th.
Both hung on for pars the rest of the way.
Woods went from the favorite to not even a factor on the weekend. He closed with a birdie on the 18th for a 74 and had his highest score ever at the Masters as a pro, finishing at 5-over 293 – 15 shots out of the lead.
This, from a guy who only two weeks ago won by five shots at Bay Hill, presumably signaling a return.
"It was an off week at the wrong time," Woods said.
He tied for 40th with U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, also favored to contend. McIlroy was one shot out of the lead after two rounds, then had a 77-76 weekend.
Woods and McIlroy were expected to be a big part of the show. This being Augusta, the show managed to go on. There simply is no greater theater in golf than the Masters, and it lasted all day.
An ace for Bo Van Pelt on the 16th – the second straight year he has made two eagles on the back nine – for a tournament-best 64. An ace for Adam Scott on the same hole, sending him to a 66.
The loudest cheer was for Oosthuizen's albatross.
Hanson was sizing up a difficult chip from right of the first green when Augusta erupted in cheers from down below. No one was sure what it meant until Hanson and Mickelson hit their tee shots on the par-5 second, glanced over at the white leaderboard behind the eighth green and saw that Oosthuizen had gone from 7 under to 10 under ahead of them.
Hanson made two quick bogeys and never caught back up. Mickelson's tournament might have ended on the fourth hole with one swing, one bad bounce off the bleachers, and two straight right-handed shots that led to triple bogey.
"Oh, no," Mickelson said as his tee shot struck the grandstand and caromed into the woods. He could have gone back to the tee and played his third shot. Instead, he tried to chop out of the trees from the right side and barely moved it a yard. He tried the same shot again and slapped it to a muddy patch of grass. From there he went into the bunker, and triple bogey was the best he could do.
Kuchar made a late run, but this back nine – plus two extra holes – ultimately belonged to Watson and Oosthuizen. And when it was over, austere Augusta National had a guy named "Bubba" in a green jacket.

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Thomas Kinkade, popular artist, dies at age 54

Thomas Kinkade, one of the most popular artists in America, has died at his California home, his family said.He was 54.Family and friends recalled the artist as a generous man, who inspired others and will missed."He had a rare ability to exude a sense of warmth, a transcendent light," said Robert Goodwin, who wrote the book "Points of Light: A Celebration of the American Spirit of Giving," with Kinkade."He had a great commitment to inspire others -- one who was nurtured in his early life by family and friends and church to really be an example of selfless acts of service," he said Saturday.Kinkade's death at his Los Gatos home appeared to be from natural causes, according to the family."Thom provided a wonderful life for his family,'' his wife, Nanette, said in a statement late Friday night. "We are shocked and saddened by his death.''Art from the self-described "painter of light," adorns many living rooms in America. It emphasizes simple pleasures and warm, positive images of idyllic cottages, lighthouses and colorful gardens."My mission as an artist is to capture those special moments in life adorned with beauty and light," Kinkade said in a message on his website. "I work to create images that project a serene simplicity that can be appreciated and enjoyed by everyone. That's what I mean by sharing the light."Kinkade painted more than 1,000 pieces on various topics, including cabins, nature scenes, seascapes and classic Americana.In 2006, the artist recalled one of his earliest lessons during an interview with CNN's Larry King."When I was a young boy, my mother told me, 'Your talents are God's gifts to you, and what you do with those talents are your gift to God,'" he said.

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Bogut and Jackson to Warriors for Monta Ellis, Brown and Udoh

A league source confirms that the Golden State Warriors and Milwaukee Bucks have agreed on a trade that will send guard Monta Ellis, forward Ekpe Udoh and veteran center Kwame Brown to the Milwaukee Bucks for center Andrew Bogut and guard Stephen Jackson.

The trade officially ends the Warriors' already-slim hopes of being part of a trade for Dwight Howard. Golden State had told the Orlando Magic it would be willing to do a deal for Howard even though Howard had said he would not sign a long-term extension there.

Instead, the Warriors opted to try and solve their long-held problem in the middle by trading for Bogut, who has been one of the game's top young centers since being taken first overall in the 2005 Draft. However, several injuries over the years to Bogut made Milwaukee leery of his long-term stability, and with $27 million and two years left on his deal, the Bucks weren't ready to give him an extension. A league source said that Bogut was equally uncertain about his future in Milwaukee and had indeed asked for a trade in the last few weeks.

The trade also breaks up the small backcourt of Ellis and Stephen Curry and brings in the type of big man the franchise has been seeking for years.

The deal was done after the Warriors agreed to take Jackson, the veteran guard who had fallen out of favor with Bucks coach Scott Skiles. Jackson has one year and $10 million remaining on his deal and wanted to be moved to a contending team. He had been acquired on Draft day last June from the Bobcats as part of a three-team trade with Sacramento, Charlotte and Milwaukee.

A second source said the Houston Rockets had been trying in recent days to work out a deal for Bogut, who is expected to miss several more weeks after fracturing his ankle in January. Bogut could be back in case the Warriors, who have been playing better of late, complete an improbable playoff run. Golden State is currently just three games out of the final playoff spot in the west.

Yahoo!Sports first reported the multi-player trade.

"We're extremely excited to acquire a player the caliber of Andrew Bogut, who we think is certainly one of the top centers in the NBA,'' general manager Larry Riley said. "He will add an element of toughness to our team and will provide us with scoring, rebounding and a defensive presence in the middle. We've lacked those elements in recent years and think that Andrew's addition will be a key factor in the growth of our team.''

Ellis and Udoh left the team before Golden State's 115-89 win at Sacramento. The deal was announced shortly after the game ended. Ellis, whose future has been subject of trade speculation, was reminded that he recently said he wanted to stay with the Warriors long term.

"Well, everybody says that,'' Ellis said. "But sometimes it (doesn't) always work out like that.''

The players won't be separated from their respective former teams for very long, as the Warriors host the Bucks on Friday night.

Bogut fractured his left ankle Jan. 25 against Houston when he landed awkwardly, and it's not clear if he'll be able to return this season. The original timetable for his recovery was eight to 12 weeks. It's one of several significant injuries that have plagued Bogut throughout his career.

Bogut missed the end of the 2009-10 season when he dislocated his right elbow, sprained his right wrist and broke his right hand in a hard fall to the floor. The injury bothered him for much of last season.

Bogut also missed significant time with an injured lower back in the 2008-09 season.

When Bogut has played, he has played well. In 408 career games, he is averaging 12.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocked shots.

The Bucks struggled in February without Bogut, but have won four of their last five to chase down the struggling New York Knicks in a race for what would be the No. 8 playoff seed in the Eastern Conference.

Jackson, meanwhile, hasn't played since Feb. 19, recently sitting out with what the team has described as a hamstring injury. Skiles benched him for a game in January after he missed a shootaround, he was suspended one game by the NBA for verbally abusing an official and his playing time has been limited ever since.

The deal brings the enigmatic "Captain Jack'' back to the Bay Area. He helped lead the team's only playoff run since 1994, a surprising trip to the second round in 2007. In October 2009, the disgruntled Golden State star asked to relinquish his captain title during a meeting with Riley and then-Warriors coach Don Nelson. He was traded to Charlotte the next month.

Ellis has been the Warriors' main offensive threat, averaging 21.9 points. But Golden State struggled to win with the backcourt tandem of Ellis and Curry. The deal clears a spot for 6-foot-7 rookie Klay Thompson to take over at shooting guard, adding needed size to the starting backcourt

Ellis signed a six-year, $66 million contract in July 2008, then injured his left ankle in August in a low-speed moped crash -- an offseason activity prohibited in his deal as is a standard provision for contracts around the league. It cost him a 30-game suspension without pay.

Udoh is averaging 5.5 points and 3.9 rebounds in 21.8 minutes for the Warriors. Udoh is an athletic power forward who was Golden State's sixth pick in the 2010 draft out of Baylor. The Warriors hoped he would become a reliable defender, rebounder and shot blocker.

Brown, a former No. 1 overall pick by Washington, is likely out for the season with a chest injury and will be eligible to be a free agent this summer.

"The difficult part of this transaction is having to part ways with several players who we really value and one, in particular, Monta Ellis, who has been instrumental in our organization for the last several years,'' Riley said. "We wish Monta, Ekpe and Kwame the best of luck in Milwaukee and thank them for their many contributions.''

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Apple's App Store hits 25 billion downloads

Apple cus­tomers have col­lec­tive­ly down­loaded 25 bil­lion apps from the App Store, the com­pa­ny has announced on its web­page. That’s more than three apps per per­son in the world.

The mile­stone sig­nals not only a vast appetite for apps, but also grow­ing smart­phone pen­e­tra­tion and Apple prof­its (the com­pa­ny takes a 30% cut from every app or in-app pur­chase).

Peo­ple with iOS devices are down­load­ing an increas­ing num­ber of apps. One 2011 study, for instance, con­clud­ed iOS own­ers down­load about 60 apps each, which is 50 more apps that the same researcher found each iOS owner down­loaded in 2008.

And as the num­ber of apps per device has grown, so has the num­ber of devices. In a 2011 Pew Sur­vey, 35% of the 2,277 U.S. adults ques­tioned in Eng­lish or Span­ish said that they owned a smart­phone. Pew released anoth­er study this week that found this per­cent­age has since jumped to 46%. More Amer­i­cans now own smart­phones than fea­ture phones, and the world bought 37 mil­lion of them from Apple last quar­ter alone.

Grow­ing app down­loads and grow­ing device sales are a bit of a chicken-and-egg sit­u­a­tion: Do peo­ple buy iPhones because they want to down­load apps or do they down­load apps because they have iPhones?

Com­bined net sales for the iTunes Store, App Store and iBook­store in 2011 was $5.4 bil­lion — just 6% of Apple’s net sales, but a 33% increase com­pared to 2010.

Whether devices are dri­ving app sales or the app store is dri­ving device sales (or, more real­is­ti­cal­ly, some com­bi­na­tion of both), grow­ing app demand and grow­ing mobile device pen­e­tra­tion have served Apple’s bot­tom line quite nice­ly.

The com­pa­ny report­ed its high­est rev­enue and earn­ings ever last quar­ter. If you go by its mar­ket cap, it is now worth more than all the tea in China.

In this con­text, the $10,000 gift card Apple promised to give away when it hit the 25 bil­lionth app from its App Store looks less over-the-top. Apple hasn’t yet announced the win­ner, but con­sid­er­ing that to enter the con­test, users were required to agree to pub­licly share some App Store picks with the Apple com­mu­ni­ty if they won, we’ll like­ly be meet­ing the lucky win­ner soon.

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9 bedrooms, full-size court: Jordan home for sale

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. (AP) -- Michael Jordan's longtime personal residence in suburban Chicago is for sale for $29 million.

The sprawling estate is in Highland Park, along Lake Michigan, and has more than 56,000 square feet of living space.

That includes nine bedrooms, 15 baths and five fireplaces.

There's also a three-bedroom guesthouse, pool area, outdoor tennis court and three climate-controlled multi-car garages.

An indoor basketball complex features a full-size regulation court with specially cushioned hardwood flooring and competition-quality high intensity lighting. It has a sound system set up to provide perfect acoustics within the court space.

The property was put on the market Wednesday by Katherine Chez-Malkin of Baird & Warner Real Estate.

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