KEY POINTS:
AUGUSTA - Masters folklore has it that the champion must perform on the back nine on Sunday.
Thirty-one-year-old American Zach Johnson fulfilled that requirement en route to his first major championship, making three birdies in four holes, on the 13th, 14th and 16th, and holding on to beat Tiger Woods and two South Africans, Retief Goosen and Rory Sabbatini, by two shots.
The deeply religious Johnson's winning score was 289, one over par. That equalled the highest winning score in 71 Masters tournaments posted previously by Sam Snead in 1954 and Jack Burke in 1956.
"Today is Easter and another power was walking with me. I feel very blessed," he said afterwards.
Third round leader Stuart Appleby, hoping to become the first Australian to win at Augusta, saw his overnight advantage evaporate on the first hole when he sliced his drive into a bush.
He had to chip out, made a double bogey, lost his outright lead and never regained it. He eventually finished in a tie for 7th at five over par.
The final day quest for the green jacket saw the lead change as often as a Nascar race. At one stage there was a six-way tie for first, while at various times Appleby, Woods, Johnson, Goosen and Sabbatini were outright leaders. Then came Johnson's ultimately decisive move deep in the back nine.
It started on the par five 13th. The sloping green is guarded by Rae's Creek in front. Johnson laid up with his second shot and pitched a wedge over the creek two metres from the hole. He made the putt to record his 11th birdie in 16 par five holes during the tournament, all of them made using a wedge for this third shot.
At the 14th, Johnson tucked his second shot three metres from the hole and holed a curling putt. After he parred the 15th, he caressed a high 7 iron on to the sloping green at the par three 16th and saw it roll down to just a metre away. When that putt was holed, the Iowa native was four under for the day, even par for the tournament and sitting on a three-shot cushion for the final holes.
He could afford a three putt on the treacherous 17th and despite missing the green at the 18th, a deadly chip from the right hand side secured an easy par, a round of 69 and a tournament total that others would not be able to match.
Four players still had to finish but Woods was the only one with a realistic chance of matching his score. The four-time champion appeared out of contention following a bogey at the tenth, but he played one of the best shots of the tournament on the 13th.
His second shot carried the creek and rolled down a metre from the hole. He made the putt for an eagle and was two behind with five to play. But the world No 1, who wasn't at his sharpest, couldn't make another birdie and joined the South Africans in second.
Johnson becomes the first winner of the Masters since Nick Faldo in 1990 who didn't play in the final group on the last day. Despite being right in the mix after early birdies at the 2nd, 3rd and 8th, he said he wasn't looking at the leaderboards.
"I didn't know where I stood after 14. My caddy finally said something to me on the 15th about having a two-shot lead. I was putting well and staying in the present. Ignorance is bliss sometimes."
He's a textbook case of playing within his limitations. Augusta National is now one of longest courses on the PGA Tour but Johnson placed a lowly 57th in driving distance. Yet the par fives were the key to his win.
"I had good lay-up numbers, a good game plan and I took advantage of some good wedge shots."
The tournament statistics placed him in the top 10 for fairways hit, greens in regulation and putts per hole.
Although far from a household name before this win, Johnson has been a steady improver since turning professional in 1998. He reckons he wasn't the best player on either his high school or college golf team but he successfully played the third level Hooters Tour for two years before moving up to the Nationwide Tour in 2001 and the main PGA Tour in 2004.
Although he had just one previous Tour victory, the Ryder Cup player's Masters victory means he's now amassed over US$9 million in less than four years in the big leagues.
His win came as no surprise to those who finished in his wake.
"Zach has been a good player for a long time now" said Goosen, while Sabbatini noted "Zach's a very level headed golfer. He's very consistent, He's also tenacious, and that's what you need to win."
Zach Johnson
* Born February 24, 1976, Iowa City, Iowa
* Height 1.80m
* Weight 73kg
* Home Lake Mary, Florida
* Turned professional 1998
* Joined PGA Tour 2004
* PGA Tour wins 2 (2004 BellSouth Classic, 2007 Masters)
* Ryder Cup 1 appearance (2006)
* Wins in majors 1 (2007 Masters)
