No one will mispronounce his name anymore.
Nashvillian Brandt Snedeker, a graduate of Montgomery Bell Academy and a former first-team All-American at Vanderbilt, finished third alongside Stewart Cink at the 2008 Masters on Sunday.
While most at Augusta, Ga., focused on Tiger Woods’ struggles and eventual champion Trevor Immelman’s outstanding club work, Snedeker, at 27 years old, was consistently shooting at or below par in his first three rounds, despite declining conditions throughout the weekend.
Although the green jacket eluded him this time, the former Commodore certainly made a name for himself in his second-ever trip to Augusta.
In his first appearance in 2004, Snedeker was still an amateur and could not make it past the cut, finishing in a tie for 41st. His career thus far has been one of isolated but impressive performances, but no tournament victories. In his first year as a pro, he was voted PGA Tour Rookie of the Year in 2007. He set the record for lowest round (11-under 61) at the Torrey Pines North course and tied the PGA Tour record for most strokes under par for nine holes (nine).
After entering Sunday two strokes behind Trevor Immelman for the lead, Snedeker endured a very up and down back nine that spoiled his scoresheet with bogies.
Difficult hole positions and bothersome wind gusts were to blame for the poor play. None of the top five finishers could string together enough solid strokes to break even on the day.
Some ragged shots also contributed to the back nine that saw Snedeker drop to four under going into the 16th hole. There was a gleam of hope for a moment as Immelman plunged an approach shot into a bunker after a double bogey on the 15th, but Snedeker could not capitalize on the transient poor play by the leader and arrived at the 18th tees down by four strokes.
But Snedeker looked far from defeated as he walked up the fairway on the famed 18th hole of Augusta. His brother, a golf coach at Columbus State, and other family members greeted him with cheers and applause as he finished up his round. His new legion of fans joined in, giving Snedeker a standing ovation once he knocked in his final putt of the tournament.
The par on the 18th left Snedeker at third on the leaderboard, tied with Steward Cink with an overall score of 284. Tiger Woods managed to sneak past Cink and Snedeker at five-under to get to second place. It was his fifth runner-up finish at a Major and his second straight at the Masters, somewhat of a disappointment after tearing through the early 2008 PGA schedule.
There was little doubt on Sunday that Immelman, a native of South Africa who grew up idolizing three-time Masters champion Gary Player, would run away with the tournament on the 72nd anniversary of the major at Augusta. Immelman finished with a score of eight under for the weekend.
The weekend was a learning experience for Snedeker, who got his first taste of the pressures of a major tournament. For a young man who told his parents at the age of eight that he wanted to quit T-ball to focus on golf and "be the best," this year's Masters was another step toward reaching his ultimate goal.
