They already his jacket size ready, the sleeves hemmed, the annals keeper already had his name written down at the champion of the 2009 Masters tournament after his tee shot on the par-3 16th.
But that glass slipper just didn't want to stay on Kenny Perry's foot.
Earlier in the day, fireworks were provided by two of golf's heavyweights as Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were paired together, the number one and two golfers in the world. They were perched at 4-under, seven shots back of the leaders going into the final round. Woods and Mickleson knew, realistically, to have a chance, they would need to post 65's and hope the leaders remained stagnant. The crowds that surrounded this group were absolutely incredible, lining the fairways of every hole they played, what looked like tens of thousands of people focused on these two legends.
Mickleson lit the course on fire in the first nine, pulling off incredible shot one after another, turning the front nine into his own personal playground. While Tiger struggled to get anything going, Mickleson fired a 6-under, 30, tied for the Masters record for lowest front nine score. Woods, however, with the help of an eagle on No. 7, fired a 3-under, 33. The gallery that engulfed these players exploded with every birdie, making the leaders full aware that they were on the prowl.
After Tiger birdied No. 16, each player went into the final two holes at 10-under par, two shots off the leader, Kenny Perry. A costly drive into the left trees left Tiger making bogey and Phil had an easy 4-footer for birdie. I say easy as though I wouldn't have blown it by 10-feet on those greens, which is like putting on glass. Mickleson missed the birdie putt, which would have pulled him to within one shot of the leader and the crowd let out a huge moan as that putt slid by the left edge. Also sliding by was Mickleson's chances at a third Green Jacket.
Both had an anti-climatic finish on the final hole, each one making bogey to put them at 9-under and 8-under, respectively, leaving the stage set for the current leaders to make their mark on history, whether it be that or infamy. Tiger shot a final round 68 and Mickleson a 67, a few shots short of where they knew they needed to be at the end of the day.
We join the action on the par 3 16th.
Perry had just almost holed his tee shot on No. 16, with a one shot lead, soon to be two with two holes to play, it was his tournament to lose. That is when the proverbial wheels fell off the proverbial wagon, with all of the momentum behind him from the birdie on the difficult 16th. But for anyone who has ever watched the Masters, they know that the tides can change on any hole, with a double bogey never far away and never out of reach.
Perry stepped up to the 17th tee box the owner of only four bogeys the entire week on perhaps one of the toughest golf courses in the world, Augusta National. Perry sat at 14-under, while competitors Angel (pronounced Ahn-hell) Cabrera and Chad Campbell lurked behind at 12-under. Cabrera was playing with Perry in the final group and Campbell was one group ahead. On perhaps the most important tee shot of the tournament, Perry hit a striper down the left center of the fairway, leaving him in position to at least make par. But that is when the Kentucky-native learned the hard way that major titles don't come without heavy pressure.
He second shot from the short grass took on bounce on the green and went over, leaving him with a difficult chip back towards the pin. Perry hit his chip a little too firm, sending the ball down over the mound and to the front of the green, making bogey a certainty. But all was well, Cabrera made par and Campbell missed his birdie putt on 18, leaving Perry still with a one shot lead making his way to the 72nd hole.
A drive into the left bunker put Perry at a disadvantage, but found himself on the upslope, away from the lip, making his shot a tad easier. But Perry hooked it just a little too much and left the ball down, off the green, and with a difficult chip to a pin that left little green to work with. He chipped it up to about 20-feet, with a par putt to win, the tournament essentially his since his birdie on the 16th.
He stepped up, this putt would define his career. It would give him his first major and it would come at the Super Bowl of golf tournaments, the Masters. A seasoned pro who had found success on the tour, but never when it mattered the most. He hit the putt and it began to slow down...and curl...towards the lower edge of the hole, no good. Inches away from immortality. There was going to be a three-way playoff between Campbell, Perry and Cabrera.
On the first playoff hole, Campbell was eliminated when he missed a short par putt and Cabrera and Perry making miraculous up and downs to save par. Cabrera made par after hitting his drive in the trees, hitting his second shot into a tree and receiving a lucky bounce back out into the fairway, instead of back further into the forest. So off to No. 10 they went, Cabrera and Perry, the final group of that day was having the final say on who would be crowned champion.
Both hit drives down the middle of the fairway, but a catastrophic mistake by Perry would leave Cabrera with the Green Jacket firmly with his sights. Perry, one again, hooked his approach shot all the way down the hill, virtually impossible to recover from, while Cabrera had a 12-foot putt for birdie. A subsequent missed par putt by Perry allowed Cabrera to tap in for par and claim his second major victory (U.S. Open in 2007).
One can't feel bad for Perry, who had the tournament slip from his hands in the final two holes. You can't help but root for the guy, who could be any one of us. He is a man who enjoys his muscle cars and is slightly overweight. He is laid back and gracious, a real "blue-collar" type of golfer who appeals to every demographic. Fans of golf have watched him win more times than anyone last season and lead the U.S. to a Ryder Cup victory in 2008 in his home state.
This was one of the greatest rounds in Masters history, whether it be two golfing giants making a Sunday charge and electrifying the crowd or a golfer collapsing underneath the weight of the Masters pressure. It had me glued to the television wondering what would happen next and surprising me around every corner.
One day Kenny Perry will find his prince, just the Masters wasn't his time to find it.
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