Jordan Spieth's Masters meltdown rivals Rory McIlroy, Greg Norman

AUGUSTA -- Jordan Spieth stood on the edge of the No. 18 green, peering back to the giant scoreboard overlooking the final hole.

He stared for seconds that seemed like minutes. In that brief moment, it sure seemed Spieth was wondering to himself what the rest of the world was saying out loud.

What happened?

Spieth seemed destined to ceremoniously again put on the green jacket he won last year. Since last year's Masters, he had led for seven consecutive rounds and 11 holes. This Masters was Spieth's to lose, and very few at Augusta National Golf Club thought Spieth's stranglehold over the field, one he had created thanks to a string of four consecutive birdies on the front nine, would be relinquished.

And then came No. 12, the hole that would yank Spieth's green jacket away.

"It was a dream come true front nine," Spieth said, before saying he lacked aggression on Nos. 10 and 11. "Just a lapse of concentration on (No.) 12, and it cost me."

Instead, Spieth might well be fitted for a proverbial black jacket, one to attend his Masters funeral with. The remembrance ceremony of how he played to that point, from last year through the first 65 holes during the week, should take place at the drop area of the Golden Bell.

A par-3 hole, this should have been where Spieth regrouped following two consecutive bogeys. Instead it's where the meltdown reached its peak. His tee shot landed in the water. He hit the water again on the ensuing drop. His next shot landed in the bunker.

Spieth finished the hole with a quadruple-bogey 7. Although he did put forth a late rally to finish tied for second with a 2-under-par 286, a bogey on No. 17 sealed Spieth's fate.

In the end, No. 12, the hole Spieth likely will have etched into memory for years to come, proved too much to overcome.

"I was really cheering for Jordan as a buddy, and it's unfortunate what happened," said Smylie Kaufman, who was paired with Spieth for the final round. "But it just kind of stunk to watch it."

Shades of Rory McIlroy in 2011 were evident, considering the multitude of what transpired on one hole. But the three-hole slide, with bogeys on Nos. 10 and 11 included, echoed Greg Norman's collapse at the Masters in 1996, when a poor fourth-round performance allowed Nick Faldo to rally from a six-shot deficit to win. Eerily, Norman also scored a quadruple-bogey on No. 12 during the downward spiral he endured on the course that day.

While Spieth entered Sunday with a one-shot lead, he hit birdies on Nos. 6, 7, 8 and 9 to stretch his lead to five strokes. That's when it seemed nothing would stop Spieth. He walked stone-faced to No. 10, ready to put away the field.

It turned into the beginning of the end.

"I knew the lead was five with nine holes to play," Spieth said. "And I knew that those two bogeys weren't going to hurt me. But I didn't take that extra deep breath and really focus on my line on 12. Instead I went up, and I just put a quick swing on it."

Danny Willett, the 2016 Masters champion, seized the sudden opportunity. Willett entered the day even, played bogey-free golf and had a Sunday-best 5-under 67 to claim his first Masters title in just his second appearance.

Yet all anyone will talk about in the coming days is how Spieth gave away what should have been his second Masters title and the fact he had to place a green jacket on someone else's shoulders.

It could have been worse. Following such a disastrous three-hole stretch, Spieth was able to regroup and finish 1 over for the day. After McIlroy endured No. 10 five years ago, he finished with an 8-over 80.

"If it had been any other golfer than Jordan Spieth, he would have died right there," a Masters patron was overheard saying on No. 18.

There's really no excuse for how Spieth gave away this year's Masters. The wind wasn't nearly as severe Sunday as it was the other three days. Scores improved across the board. Even Bubba Watson, who entered the day at 10 over, notched a 1 under.

Spieth went for par on No. 18 and shook Kaufman's hand. Spieth's caddie, Michael Greller, then put his arm around the sport's second-ranked player in the world to console him. Spieth walked off the hole with a security guard next to him as fans applauded his effort. As a cameraman followed him to the clubhouse, Spieth stopped and stuck his hand in front of his face, as if to signal he wanted some time alone. Greller then stepped into his path and made the same gesture.

In the short term, nothing will help Spieth from thinking back about how he had his second Masters in the bag before letting it go to someone else.

"Big picture, this one will hurt," Spieth said. "It will take awhile."

Contact Jason Butt at jbutt@macon.com

This story was originally published April 10, 2016 at 9:12 PM with the headline "Jordan Spieth's Masters meltdown rivals Rory McIlroy, Greg Norman ."