Spieth Leads From Start To Finish To Claim Masters

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- What is it like when the dream grows up to become reality? Jordan Spieth can tell you, now that his reality, years in the making, includes a 42-regular green jacket. Spieth didn't just win the 79th Masters, he took it out behind Butler Cabin and knocked it silly. He led from Thursday start to Sunday finish. He tied a Masters scoring record -- you know, just for fun.

So final-round drama took a vacation day. Big deal. That's the trade-off for watching Spieth leave tank tracks over the rest of the field. History doesn't always require a cliffhanger ending.

Spieth won by 4 strokes and was never truly threatened. Justin Rose and Phil Mickelson made their little runs, but it was like watching two guys try to scale a 20-foot wall with a 5-foot ladder. They tried, but they needed help -- and Spieth never lowered them a rope.

"This is arguably the greatest day of my life," Spieth said.

If you're looking for the next great American player, Spieth is a nice place to start. Soon, he might be a nice place to finish -- if he isn't already.

The search has gone on for years. From Arnie to Jack to maybe Tom Watson to Tiger to ...?

Let's see. It was going to be Hank Keuhne, Ricky Barnes, Charles Howell III, Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson -- the list goes on. But none of those guys has won a major. Not even Arnie or Jack left Augusta National with a four-round total of 18-under. It was, as Mickelson put it, "just astounding."