A Sports Filled Weekend It Was

Sergio Garcia was considered to be the best golfer in the world who had never won a major.

No more. He won the 81st Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on Sunday in a one-hole playoff with Justin Rose.

Garcia, 37, had previously started 73 majors without a victory. And this one nearly got away as he trailed by two shots with six holes to play, but his birdie putt on the extra hole gained him a title worthy of his status among his peers.

“To be totally honest, I’m very happy but I don’t feel any different,” the Spaniard said. “I’m obviously thrilled. But I’m still the same goofy guy.”

NASCAR: Jimmie Johnson, who won the NASCAR championship last year, got his first win of the season Sunday in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. Johnson passed Joey Logano for the lead on Lap 318 of 334 and pulled away for his 81st career victory and seventh at this track.

NBA: The Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook set an NBA single-season mark with his 42nd triple-double Sunday. Westbrook scored 50 points, had 16 rebounds and 10 assists and, unbelievably, it gets better. He tossed in a 36-foot shot at the buzzer to give the Thunder a 106-105 victory over Denver that knocked the Nuggets out of playoff contention…It’s also worth noting that since a certain blog (!!!) knocked the Atlanta Hawks as the picture of mediocrity, the Hawks have won three straight games, including Sunday’s 126-125 triumph over the Cleveland Cavaliers that featured a comeback in the fourth quarter from a 26-point deficit. Some teams just can’t take a joke…

NHL: The regular season ended Sunday and the playoffs begin Wednesday. The Anaheim Ducks clinched their fifth straight Pacific Division title. The Detroit Red Wings, absent from the postseason for the first time since 1990, closed up Joe Louis Arena with a 4-1 win over the New Jersey Deals. They’re moving to a new building in the fall.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman