Monday, April 11, 2005 | 9:22 a.m.
AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Out of contention and out of gas, Ryan Moore looked to be fading his way home Sunday afternoon at the Masters.
It's just what amateurs do at Augusta National, if they are so lucky to see the weekend at all. It's what Moore did in 2003, imploding on the back nine to shoot a final-round of 7-over 79.
In his own words, though, Moore is just a golfer, not an amateur.
He carded three bogeys in his first six holes Sunday to go to 4-over. Then he birdied at No. 7. And No. 8. And No. 9.
And when his hot streak finished only because there were no holes left to play, Moore earned every clap of the rich applause he soaked up as he walked off the final green of his second Masters.
In all, Moore birdied seven of his final 12 holes, capped on a 15-foot birdie putt at No. 18 to move him to a red number for the tournament at 1-under (71-71-75-70). That earned Moore a share of 13th place, uneventful most weeks but good enough for a return trip to the 2006 Masters.
"I didn't care where that (putt) was," Moore said. "I was going to make it go in."
He also earned low amateur honors and shared the putting green stage with champion Tiger Woods as they both received awards for their accomplishments. Given the microphone by Augusta National chairman Hootie Johnson, Moore knew his place in the day's path.
"I don't want to say too much," Moore said before motioning toward Woods. "I didn't win. This guy did over here."
Moore, a UNLV senior, talked all week of his desire to compete for Woods' title, but it is hard to see the week as anything but a success for him. He began the third round on the leaderboard at 2-under and shined alongside partner Phil Mickelson before a rare four-putt at No. 10 late Saturday dropped him from serious competition.
Smartly revising his goal Sunday from winning to making the top 16 -- the cut line for an invitation to next year's tournament -- Moore started slowly but kept his motivation at a point where he appeared finished.
"I could've (faded) and it would have been out of frustration," Moore said. "That was my goal coming into this: to not hit a shot out of impatience."
The concept of Moore doing something without patience is ludicrous.
He navigated four rounds -- three in competition -- with Phil Mickelson and his vocal galleries. He practiced with Jack Nicklaus in the Golden Bear's apparent final playing appearance at the Masters. He handled a relentless media crush for seven days, never snapping under repetitive and tiresome questioning.
No, this isn't his first Masters. Yes, he believes he can win. Got it?
Moore certainly did.
"I really felt like I played better than I necessarily scored this week," Moore said.
A pair of bogeys on the back nine Sunday frustrated Moore, keeping his score from shooting into the top 10. But even after shooting his first putt 20 feet past the hole at No. 17, leading to a three-putt bogey, Moore recovered for a birdie at No. 18.
"There's just no quit, no quit in him and there never has been," said Mike Moore, Ryan's father and de facto manager. "He just keeps grinding."
The most surprising part of Moore's struggles Friday and Saturday was his inability to convert short putts. Automatic in the past year from 10 feet and in, Moore missed a few birdie and par putts from close range.
By Sunday afternoon, those problems disappeared. Even his misses horseshoed around the cup. Moore played a smart game of driving accuracy and well-placed irons to tight greens all week, hitting 80 percent of his fairways. When his putting resurfaced, Moore took off.
"I finally started getting the putter rolling a little better," Moore said. "The putter was the thing that held me back the first few days."
He returns to UNLV this week to prepare for the remainder of his college career. The Rebels play in the Mountain West Conference championship from April 28-30 in Sunriver, Ore., coming off a win this weekend in Phoenix without Moore and UNLV coach Dwaine Knight, who attended the Masters.
"They won without me and coach," Moore said. "Maybe they'll fire us both."
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