Jordan Spieth wins the 79th Masters

The ultimate goal, realized young.

Jordan Spieth has a green jacket to call his own after a wire-to-wire victory at the 79th Masters.

He tied the tournament scoring record at 18 under after shooting a final-round 70 on Sunday, winning the season's first major championship by four strokes over Justin Rose and Phil Mickelson.

"It's the most incredible week of my life," Spieth said. "This is as great as it gets in our sport. This is a dream come true for me."

Spieth, 21, is the youngest champion since Tiger Woods, the fifth to lead after all four rounds and the only man to reach 19 strokes below par at any point during the tournament.

But in this moment, nothing else really mattered.

It was the most anticipated round of golf in recent memory. 

Woods, Mickelson, Rory McIlroy and a slew of talented players were bunched together late in the afternoon. It was Sunday. It was Augusta National. 

The optics, though, were always greater than reality. 

Because before most of the field had even teed off on their second rounds, Spieth had built a lead that was never going to be challenged. He was 14-under par, heading to play cards with his grandfather, when he left the course just a little past noon on Friday with the 36-hole scoring record.

That's where Rose and Mickelson finished after 72 holes. 

That's the score that would have won 73 previous green jackets.

Spieth wasn't at his best over the weekend. He lost sleep, some focus and a little polish on a game that's unrivaled at the moment - even if McIlroy did go out and fire a 66 on Sunday.

But the Masters was won with the pressure off. The Masters was won like it probably has in his mind countless times before - during a Friday morning tee time. 9:57 a.m. ET to be exact.

Now, when he finally wakes up from this dream, the pressure will be off for his career. Spieth has reached the pinnacle.

He accomplished what he set out to do as a 14-year-old, tirelessly working and endlessly dreaming on the range.

Which, amazingly, was just seven short years ago. 

Leaderboard

Notables

Phil Mickelson: This, his record 10th runner-up finish at a major, won't feel the same as his past heartbreaks. He kept the crowd roaring as he fought back into the tournament with three sub-70 rounds. He was fantastic, and the Masters wouldn't be the same without him.

Justin Rose: After a birdie-birdie start, his seventh over eight holes, Rose looked threatening. But only momentarily could he close the gap to three strokes, and that's as close as he got.

Rory McIlroy: Like Spieth, McIlroy was best with the pressure off. He claimed a share of the low round, and a whole whack of cash, with a bogey-free final round 66.

Hideki Matsuyama: Like McIlroy, Matsuyama fired a 66 on Sunday, and will be a trendy Masters pick next April. He was one of just five golfers to break par in all four rounds.

Shot of the Round

This hole-out from the greenside bunker gave Mickelson a share of second, and he held on from there.

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