As chants of "Sergio, Sergio, Sergio" rang out, and a ten-foot put went in following a gripping, final round at Augusta, the wait was finally over. Sergio Garcia, the future of golf, the child prodigy, the man who is set to win title after title, when he burst onto the scene nearly two decades ago, had finally won his first major.
Garcia won the Green Jacket after stopping Justin Rose in the first hole of the sudden death playoff, with the two great friends, unable to be separated over the previous 18 holes of a final round that swayed one way and then the other, before culminating in that one final hole.
The last hole of normal play in round four was typical Sergio – so near, yet so far, the title right there waiting for him, but just far enough that he can't grab it.
After a fantastic shot which left Garcia needing to sink a five-foot putt to win his first major, the 37-year-old failed to keep his nerves under control, the putt went awry and we headed for a playoff, as both players ended up on nine-under, after shooting identical 69s in the final round.
Surely, this was not going to be a case of another missed chance for Garcia, surely not.
Nope, the line was drawn right there, at Augusta on Sunday, April 9, 2017.
After Rose could only manage a bogey in the first playoff hole, Garcia had two shots for glory; he only needed one, with the emotions then all coming home, as the Spaniard realised his dream, of being called a major winner.
"From the drive this morning to the course I was very calm," Garcia said. "I felt the calmness I've never felt on a major Sunday. Even after making a couple of bogeys, I was still very positive. I still believed there were a lot of holes I could go after.
"I'm so happy. ... It's been such a long time coming."
At the end, when the drama was reaching its climax, and the entire crowd was cheering on Garcia, you felt, even Rose was rooting for his good friend and Ryder Cup teammate. Nobody deserved to clinch his first major more than Garcia.
"It was a wonderful battle with Sergio," said the Englishman. "If there's anyone to lose to, it's Sergio. He deserves it. He's had his share of heartbreak."
Charl Schwartzel put in an impressive final round to finish in third on six-under, with Matt Kuchar, who hit a hole in one on Sunday, and Thomas Pieters ending up tied for fourth.
Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth could not really challenge Garcia and Rose in round four. McIlroy shot a 69 to finish three-under for a tie for seventh, while Spieth shot a disappointing 75, which pushed him out of the top ten, in tied eleventh.
"Bizarre," Spieth said of his final round performance. "So bizarre. Really bizarre."
