So much for the Masters starting on the 10th tee on Sunday. The 2014 event will go down in history as the first ever front nine duel.

20-year-old phenom Jordan Spieth and big hitting 2012 champion Bubba Watson teed off in the final group Sunday afternoon and put on an epic show over the first nine holes of the iconic Augusta National layout.

They quickly separated themselves from the field but by the time they rounded Amen Corner the result was all but decided.

Bubba Watson walked off the 13th green with a three shot lead that was never threatened and casually cruised to his second green jacket.

Not that the final round was dull, it was just interesting at the opposite end of the day to what fans are accustomed to.

The fireworks started on the brutally difficult fourth hole, a long par-3 that gave the field fits all week.

Spieth, who had taken the outright lead at the par-5 second with a birdie, dumped his tee shot in
the front bunker leaving an extremely difficult up and down.

Watson, coming off a careless bogey at the third to fall two behind, took advantage with a majestic long iron to six feet.

But Spieth did the almost impossible, holing from the sand for the most unlikely of the 11 birdies
made to that point for the week. Watson calmly made it 12 birdies moments later.

Two holes later the pair repeated the unlikely double act at the par-3 6th where Watson holed from long range while Spieth took advantage of a fabulous iron to virtual gimme distance.

Spieth, who had earlier made bogey at the fifth to be just one ahead, then holed a terrifying downhill birdie putt at the 7th to again make the lead two as the pair headed to the par-5 8th.

And that’s when the tournament started to turn. After missing the green way right with his second and producing an indifferent pitch, Spieth inexplicably three putted for a bogey.

Watson calmly made the expected birdie and in the blink of an eye the younger man’s lead was erased.

At the 9th Bubba was again brilliant making birdie while Spieth made the rookie mistake, coming up short of the green and posting a second straight bogey.

In the space of 10 minutes Spieth had gone from two in front to two behind. After pars at 10 and 11 (his sand save at the 10th was one of the best of the week) he made the final, fatal error at the 12th when he came up short in the water.

The bogey put him two behind again and after Bubba birdied the 13th to go three in front, the tournament was done and dusted.

Playing well within himself Watson parred the last five holes and claimed his second green jacket.
Among the Australians it was a disappointing weekend for three of the five who made the cut.

Amateur Oliver Goss was rightly ecstatic just to play the weekend and claim low amateur honours but for defending champion Adam Scott, Augusta specialist Jason Day and the in form John Senden there was a sense of frustration over the final two rounds.

Scott acquitted himself brilliantly on the first day with a 3-under 69 to be T2 and he held on gamely in round two to shoot even par despite three early bogies and still be very much part of the tournament.

But Saturday proved his undoing, a 4-over 76 on a day where absolutely nothing seemed to go right put him so far back only a course record could have saved him.

Jason Day had the opposite problem, struggling on Thursday and Friday to make the cut on the number but producing his best golf in round three, a 2-under 70, to at least be within sight of the leaders.

Paired with Scott in the final round he, too, would need something spectacular to contend but neither Queenslander could get anything going and both shot even par 72 to finish T14 and T20 respectively.

Perhaps the surprise Australian performance of the week came from another Queenslander in John Senden.

Twice a winner on the PGA Tour not a lot was expected of the 42-year-old at his fifth Masters appearance given he had missed the cut four times before finishing 35th last year.

But he produced the goods with a second round 68 to play his way into the final pairing on Saturday and despite shooting 75-73 on the weekend finished leading Australian in a tie for 8th.

First timer Steven Bowditch was consistent in his first visit to Augusta with rounds of 74-72-74-72 to finish T26.

The big hitting Texas Open winner found much of the course to his liking with 11 birdies and an eagle for the week but, like most first timers, he also made his share of mistakes.

His 11 birdies were offset by exactly the same number of bogeys but he also added three double bogeys over the course of the week for his 4-over total.

Matt Jones and Marc Leishman were the two Australians to miss the cut, Jones understandably so after a hectic preparation having only played his way into the field the week before.

His highlights were an ace in the Wednesday par-3 competition and making an eagle at the 13th in the first round but fatigue eventually caught up with him and rounds of 74-78 saw him spend the weekend spectating with family and friends.

Most disappointing was Marc Leishman who amazingly held the outright lead through five holes of the second round but somehow managed to miss the cut.

The Victorian, who finished fourth behind Scott last year, dropped 10 shots in 12 holes to tumble to 5-over for the week and miss the cut by one.