Masters Winners and Losers

The 67th Masters is over and Mike Weir was wearing the green jacket Sunday night after beating Len Mattiace in a one-hole playoff.

But there were plenty of winners and losers in this year's first major championship:

Winner: Mike Weir.
Men with lesser discipline would have been toast after blowing a six-shot lead in the third round. But Weir is as tough as a $3 steak. He never backs off. That's why Canada has its first major champion, and Bob Charles gets to share the title as "Only Left-Hander To Win A Major".

Loser: CBS.
It wasn't bad enough the network failed to even mention the Martha Burk controversy, obviously concerned about jeopardizing the one-year contract it has with Augusta National. But CBS also overlooked a lot of the action on the golf course. They didn't show enough of -- get this -- Tiger Woods when he finished up his third-round 66 on the front nine. They also showed way too many shots that had been taped at least five minutes earlier without telling the viewers. And they called winner Weir "Mike Reid." Twice.

Winner: Len Mattiace.
For the second time in his career, Mattiace suffered a heartbreaking loss after playing so well. He was tied for the lead with Justin Leonard at the 1998 Players Championship until he hit two balls into the water at the 17th hole in front of his dying mother. Sunday, Mattiace had a chance to shoot a 64, but finished with a bogey at the 72nd hole, then a double bogey on the only playoff hole. But the way he conducted himself afterward, especially when he broke down in tears, was very classy.

Loser: Augusta National's pristine image.
For the second consecutive year, heavy rains turned Augusta National into an expensive mosh pit. The foot traffic for the fans, oops the patrons, was mucky throughout the week. Then came the pine straw, and the resulting smell left you wondering if you were at the Augusta Livestock Club.

Winner: Tiger Woods.
Woods could have dogged it after opening with a 76 or when he needed to get up-and-down from a greenside bunker at No. 9 to make his 102nd consecutive cut. But he is as tenacious as a terrier. His 66 in Saturday's third round was sensational, leaving everybody thinking he'd do the same on Sunday.

Loser: Tiger Woods.
Not because he shot a 75 -- his worst score in the final round of a major -- to fade to 15th place. Because he tried to make caddie Steve Williams his scapegoat for the silly decision to try and drive the 350-yard third hole. Doesn't matter if the tees were up as a temptation. Even Phil Mickelson knew to pass on this gamble. For Woods to say Williams talked him into is was very un-Tiger like. A player should never blame his equipment or his caddie.

Winner: Phil Mickelson.
Even a rusty Mickelson -- he had played just four competitive rounds in the six weeks leading up to the Masters -- can produce some entertaining golf. He admitted his up-and-down from 265 yards out of the pine straw for birdie at the par-5 second was the best of his career. Mickelson seemed to enjoy the moment even though he had to settle for his third consecutive third-place finish despite a final-round 68.

Loser: Darren Clarke.
Clarke opened with a six-under 66 in the first round and looked like he might distance himself from the field. But his lack of fitness showed when the field had to play 54 holes in two days. Were it not for a late eagle in a third-round 68, the cigar-smoking Irishman could have started with rounds in the 60s, 70s and 80s.

Winner: Hootie Johnson.
Say this for Hootie: His tone or message hasn't changed since the start. He's not backing down, and he made it clear that even "If I die this second, our position won't change." In other words, don't expect a female to be invited as a member for at least a year. Probably more.

Loser: Martha Burk.
The protest Burk had been planning for months was much ado about nothing. There were more reporters and policemen on hand than protestors. Message to Martha: Go on to more important subjects in the world. People just don't care about who's going to win the first club championship from the red tees at Augusta National.

Winner: Ricky Barnes.
Barnes, a senior at Arizona who got in as the reigning U.S. Amateur champion, outplayed Tiger in the first two rounds and almost did the same to Mickelson in the third. Barnes won low amateur honors, but he finished one stroke out of being in the top 16 and earning a return trip. With his length and attitude, he'll be back soon.

Loser: Jack Nicklaus.
For someone who said he didn't want to become a ceremonial golfer ... Nicklaus' 85 in the first round was the worst score of his 43-year professional career. Nicklaus admitted he made a mistake by playing in his 43rd Masters. When the course became soggy from constant rains, he should have realized the course was too long for him. Even Doug Ford came to that conclusion.

Winner: Rich Beem.
Beemer has had some tough times this year, but the reigning PGA champion proved last year's win at Hazeltine wasn't a fluke. After holing out for eagle at the par-4 fifth hole, Beem moved into contention Sunday until he made a double bogey at the par-5 13th.

Loser: Fans who had tickets to Monday's practice round and Thursday's first round, which were both wiped out because of rain.
The club said it will refund the $21 price to the approximately 60,000 fans who never got to set foot on the course Monday, but that money goes to the original buyer. Many of the practice-round tickets are scalped, some for as much as $400. And they didn't even get to buy a souvenir.