Paul Casey was not in contention when the final day of The Masters began Sunday morning. That didn't stop him from putting up arguably the best performance of the week.
The British golfer started off his Sunday round relatively well. Then, he stepped his game up for Amen Corner, the most famous stretch in all of professional golf. If a golfer plays to par, it takes 12 strokes to get through the section. Casey managed to do it in less, to notable acclaim.
Casey at the Corner
Casey looked good on the front nine during the final day of The Masters. He managed to sink three birds, putting him three under par halfway through the round.
He gradually improved over that stretch each day, shooting over par on Thursday and Friday and one stroke under par on Saturday. Still, it wasn't enough to get him back in contention for the crown.
Then, Casey arrived at Amen Corner.
Paul Casey walking around the course right now like#TheMasters pic.twitter.com/7YZPKRj1ig
— BenchWarmers (@BeWarmers) April 8, 2018
Casey owned holes 11 through 13. On the Par 4 11th, the Brit sank a birdie. On the following hole, a Par 3, he sank another one. He saved his best for last, though, nailing an eagle on the Par 5 13th hole. Just like that, he blazed through Amen Corner in an impressive eight strokes.
He faltered a bit after blazing through Amen Corner. Well, not immediately -- he birdied the next two holes to put himself at 6-under over the course of just five holes.
He couldn't hang on to a potential course record in the last two holes, though, bogeying each of the final holes of his tournament. Casey wound up going 7-under for the day, one stroke behind Jordan Spieth for the best final round of the year.
On the rise?
Casey is revealing himself to an international audience these days. His hot performance at the end of The Masters capped off an impressive three-tournament stretch.
Last month, he finished tied for 12th at the WGC-Mexico Championship. Thanks to an impressive final found, he won the Valspar Championship -- Tiger Woods and eventual Masters champion Patrick Reed finished as runner-ups.
After his T15 this week, Casey is now ranked 13th on the PGA Tour. That's better than Jason Day, Henrik Stenson, Bubba Watson, Tiger Woods, and Phil Mickelson, among other titans of the sport.
The 40-year old has been on the tour for 13 years. He's only won two tournaments over that time, though, including no majors.
His play at Amen Corner suggests that more greatness lurks beneath the surface. Watch out for some stellar performances in the coming weeks from Paul Casey.
