Gentle Ben bids Masters adieu

AUGUSTA — Ben Crenshaw said a touching farewell to Masters competition Friday in front of an appreciative gallery and his longtime caddie, Carl Jackson. Jackson wasn’t feeling well enough to carry the bag for two days but he came out to 18 dressed in his white coveralls to a standing ovation. Crenshaw saw him from where he had pull-hooked his drive.

They shared a long hug off the green after the two-time Masters champ tapped in his final putt for bogey.

“I just said, ‘I love you,’ and he said ‘I love you’ back. Can’t be anymore succinct than that,” Crenshaw said. “We feel each other that way; we’ve always been that way. We know how much each other has meant to the other one, and it’s very powerful.” Jackson was sitting in on the press conference. “There wouldn’t have been any other way to end it without you being there, and you were very perfect,” Crenshaw told him. “That was a great hug there, buddy.”

The two-time champion shot 85 in his final round but got some of the biggest ovations of the day. “I feel like I just won the tournament,” he said. There was a great moment on 12 where a redtailed hawk was on the ground as Crenshaw and playing partners Jason Dufner and Bill Haas crossed the Hogan Bridge. Crenshaw had a birdie putt coming up.

Dufner said, “Ben Hogan’s watching. You’d better make that putt,” Crenshaw related. “And of course I choked and missed it.”

RORY ROARS BACK

Rory McIlroy almost replicated Tiger Woods’ feat from 1997 when he went 40-30 in the first round. McIlroy went out in 40 but battled back to make the cut with a 31 on the back. He’s at 2-under for the tournament.

“Here, it’s such a fine line,” said McIlroy, who still hasn’t figured out this place. “The margin for error is so small. Missing it in the wrong places sometimes and I missed a couple of really short putts and that affected my confidence a little bit. But the good golf is in there. It’s just a matter of trying to get rid of the bad stuff, which was all on the front nine today.”

TRIPLE EAGLES FOR DJ

Jordan Spieth wasn’t the only one setting records. Dustin Johnson’s three eagles, all on the par-5s, were the most in one day in Masters history and they came after he opened the round with a double bogey.

“I was just thinking to myself, ‘it’s better doubling the first hole than the last hole,’ ” he said. “There was still a lot of golf to go. Wasn’t like I did anything terrible. Came right back and made up for it on No. 2.”

RUNS OUT OF GAS

Tom Watson ballooned to a 9-over-par 81 and failed to make the cut after opening with a 71.

“I just didn’t perform today,” said the 65-yearold. “I didn’t drive the ball like I did yesterday. I didn’t putt like I did yesterday. Who knows? It’s like a Thermos. Some days it’s hot, some days it’s cold.”

GREENS TOUGH ON BUBBA

Defending champ Bubba Watson posted a second straight 1-under-par 71.

“The last two days have been great ball-striking wise but I just haven’t made the putts,” he said. “I had three three-putts, which would put me at 5-under, which is not too far off the other guys.”

TIGER’S MOTIVATION

Mark O’Meara, who won his green jacket in 1998, a year after his young friend Woods, turned back the clock with a 68 to go along with his 73. He’s one ahead of Woods in a tie for ninth. . . . Sergio Garcia looked more miserable Friday than anyone who had ever shot 4-underpar-68. But El Nino somehow dug down deep down the stretch with four birdies in the last five holes Friday to make the cut.