Masters 2012: Bubba Watson savours Augusta victory

Masters champion Bubba Watson said he had never even dreamed of winning the tournament following his dramatic play-off victory over Louis Oosthuizen.

American Watson, 33, beat his South African rival on the second extra hole to secure his first major title.

"I've never had a dream go this far, so I can't really say it's a dream come true," said the unorthodox left-hander, who has never had a lesson.

"I dreamed about it. I just never made the putt. As a golfer, this is Mecca."

Watson, who became the eighth consecutive first-time major winner, added: "This is what we strive for, to put on the Green Jacket, to win golf tournaments.

"I don't even know what happened on the back nine. I know I made bogey on 12 and then I birdied four holes in a row. Nervous on every shot, every putt. Went into a play-off.

"I got in these trees and hit a crazy shot that I saw in my head, and somehow I'm here talking to you with a Green Jacket on."

Watson, playing alongside Oosthuizen in the penultimate group, fired four birdies in a row from the 13th to join the 2010 Open champion on 10 under, but missed a birdie putt to win in regulation.

Having both parred the first extra hole, Watson, who lost a play-off for the PGA Championship in 2010, looked to be in trouble when he found trees off the 10th tee.

But while Oosthuizen was unable to find the putting surface with his second, Watson pulled out an extravagant hook to find the centre of the green.

"The first time I ever worked with my caddie, Boston, six years ago, I told him, 'if I have a swing, I've got a shot'," said Watson, who recently adopted a baby boy with wife Angie.

"So I'm used to the woods. I'm used to the rough. We were walking down and I said, 'we were here already. We hit it close here already today', because I was in those trees.

"I got there. I saw it was a perfect draw, a perfect hook."

Oosthuizen's chip ran to the back of the green and he took two more to get down for a bogey, leaving Watson with two putts for the title.

"As of less than two years ago, I didn't have a win," he said. "Now I've got four. My goal, my dream has always been to have 10 wins. This is a step in the right direction.

"This is what everybody strives to do. No matter how much you want to live your life other ways, this is an honour, a special privilege, to put the Green Jacket on.

"I watched it as a kid, watched it growing up. At the University of Georgia, we talked about this tournament."