USC golf won The Masters in 1982 when Trojan Craig Stadler ultimately prevailed. It was an arduous journey, however. Stadler blew a five-shot lead on the back nine, bogeying four of the last seven holes. His putter collapsed and his approach shots did not put him in great position, wasting several quality tee shots down the stretch. We recalled how Stadler — after that meltdown — regrouped to win the green jacket:
“Stadler’s four-bogey collapse did not destroy him. It merely put him in a sudden-death playoff with only one opponent (Dan Pohl)… Craig Stadler faced a challenge which could be filed under ‘easy to say, hard to do’: Forget about the late collapse and focus on the 10th hole at Augusta (the first hole of the playoff). Stadler might have played terrible golf over the previous two hours, but if he could solve one hole, he could still win the green jacket.
“That’s exactly what Stadler did. Stadler short-armed a long putt at 18, leading to a bogey and creating this playoff in the first place. At 10, with 40 feet for birdie, Stadler hit a strong putt with conviction, getting it two feet from the hole. Stadler was able to tap in his par putt and force Pohl — who hit the fringe of the green with his second shot — to make a pressure-packed seven-foot par putt to stay in the tournament.
“Pohl’s putt slid to the left. The seven-hole nightmare — from 12 through 18 — instantly left Craig Stadler’s mind. He had recovered to win The Masters. A USC Trojan would don a green jacket at Augusta, with Tom Watson, as the year’s previous champion, placing the precious piece of clothing on Stadler’s shoulders.”
Craig Stadler almost lost The Masters in 1982, but much as no one cares if a player almost wins, it’s just as true that no one cares if a player almost loses. Stadler wore the green jacket, the mountaintop moment in a long and very successful golfing career. It’s a moment he — and USC — will own forever.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: How USC’s Craig Stadler won The Masters in 1982
Reporting by Matt Zemek, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
