Crenshaw won for the second time. (Allsport)

An emotional Ben Crenshaw won his second US Masters at Augusta - a perfect end to a traumatic week in which he lost his mentor Harvey Penick.

The 43-year-old Texan, who flew to Austin to attend Penick's funeral on the eve of the tournament, birdied the 16th and 17th holes to beat fellow American Davis Love.

Love, who only got into the event by winning last week's event in New Orleans and had never finished in the top 10 at any major championship, had set the target of 275, 13 under par, with a best-of-the-day 66.

But Crenshaw still had three holes to play at that point and his tee shot at the short 16th curled round the slope to finish three feet from the flag.

After slotting that in, Crenshaw's silky smooth putting stroke, admired by all the great players in the game, worked again at the 17th. He left himself a 12-foot chance this time, but in it went again.

That enabled him the luxury of a bogey at the last and even with that - his only one on the back nine all week - he was round in 68 for a 14-under-par aggregate of 274 and said: "I had a 15th club in my bag this week and that was Harvey.''

Love had birdied the 14th, 15th and 17th himself in a gripping climax, but also three-putted the 16th. And, with his failure to birdie the last, that was to prove crucial.

Joint third were Greg Norman and another American, Jay Haas. They were knocking on the door entering the final stretch, but Norman could not produce the magic after missing a seven-foot eagle chance on the 15th, where Haas went in the water.

Love and Norman, paired together, were three behind overnight leaders Crenshaw and Brian Henninger at the start, but moved into real contention by going to the turn in 32 and 33 respectively.

Both then birdied the 10th as well - Norman chipped in - but Crenshaw stayed in front by hitting his second shot to the ninth to tap-in distance. He was out in 34 and not to be denied on the famous inward half.

So Norman was denied again. He has now finished in the top six seven times, but has still to win.

Defending champion Jose Maria Olazabal was again the leading European, but was only joint 14th and not one of them featured in the title shoot-out on the final day.

A closing 72 kept the limping Olazabal - he is still affected by the toe operation he had in January - at four under par.

Colin Montgomerie shot 69, but that followed a third-day 76 and he was only three under with Ian Woosnam (73), one in front of Nick Faldo (75) and David Gilford (71).

Faldo had set out believing he still had a chance at five off the lead, but double-bogeyed the first, going into sand off the tee and then hitting his third through the green.

"It's been a long week - nothing happened to get me going,'' said the pre-tournament favourite.

Woosnam told a similar story. "Nothing went right - I couldn't hole a sausage,'' he said.

And Montgomerie was even more disappointed. "I've never felt more frustrated. I am shattered. I've never driven the ball better - I can't drive any better - and I couldn't have hit my irons any better.

But I can certainly putt better and when I come back I am just going to go on the greens in practice. That's where it's won and lost.

"It's a shame I've not performed to my ability. The 14th was the culmination - the end of the straw.'' He four-putted there, twice missing from a yard, but then birdied three of the last four holes to earn himself a return visit next April. "Now I know I can perform here,'' he added. "I'm not frightened of winning.''

Bernhard Langer dropped to level par with a 75, while Seve Ballesteros, out first with a marker on his 38th birthday after collapsing to a 78 on Saturday, improved only three strokes on that, going into the lake at the short 12th for the second day running.

On the eight over par total of 296 he was next to last of the 47 players who made the halfway cut. "I was playing well coming in, but nothing went right,'' he said afterwards. "Everything went wrong.''

His American coach Mac O'Grady, when asked if the 1980 and 1983 champion had been trying too hard, answered: "No question. His decision-making let him down and only if he can get that to match his genius will the full resurrection happen.''

Both Montgomerie and Gilford did enough to finish in the top 24 and so make sure of their places in the event next year. Monty and Woosnam were joint 17th and Gilford and Faldo tied for 24th.

Runner-up Love, close to Penick as well, said: "I am as happy as anyone for Ben. There couldn't have been a better winner in the week that Harvey passed away.

"There must have been a lot going on in Ben's head, but there was a lot going on in mine too. I was trying to win my first major, but although I didn't quite do it nobody will ask me ever again about my not having finished in the top 10 at a major.''

Crenshaw, who dissolved into tears the moment he holed the tiny putt to win, added: "It was as though somebody put a hand on my shoulder and guided me through.

"I believe in fate and fate had dictated another championship here, as it does so many times.''

Final collated totals (US unless stated):

(x) denotes amateur

274 B Crenshaw 70 67 69 68 (£245,657)

275 D Love 69 69 71 66 (£147,394)

277 G Norman (Aus) 73 68 68 68, J Haas 71 64 72 70 (£79,155 each)

279 D Frost (SA) 66 71 71 71, S Elkington (Aus) 73 67 67 72

280 P Mickelson 66 71 70 73, S Hoch 69 67 71 73

281 C Strange 72 71 65 73

282 F Couples 71 69 67 75, B Henninger 70 68 68 76

283 K Perry 73 70 71 69, L Janzen 69 69 74 71

284 J M Olazabal (Spain) 66 74 72 72, T Watson 73 70 69 72, H Irwin 69 72 71 72

285 C Montgomerie (GB) 71 69 76 69, P Azinger 70 72 73 70, B Faxon 76 69 69 71, I Woosnam (GB) 69 72 71 73, R Floyd 71 70 70 74, C Pavin 67 71 72 75, J Huston 70 66 72 77

286 D Gilford (GB) 67 73 75 71, D Edwards 69 73 73 71, L Roberts 72 69 72 73, N Faldo (GB) 70 70 71 75, D Waldorf 74 69 67 76

287 B Estes 73 70 76 68, M Ozaki (Jap) 70 74 70 73

288 B Lietzke 72 71 71 74, P Jacobsen 72 73 69 74, B Langer (Ger) 71 69 73 75, M O'Meara 68 72 71 77

290 D Forsman 71 74 74 71, W Grady (Aus) 69 73 74 74, J Nicklaus 67 78 70 75, C Beck 68 76 69 77, M McCumber 73 69 69 79

292 T Lehman 71 72 74 75

293 M Calcavecchia 70 72 78 73, (x) T Woods 72 72 77 72, J Sluman 73 72 71 77, P Stewart 71 72 72 78

296 S Ballesteros (Spain) 75 68 78 75, J Daly 75 69 71 81

297 R Fehr 76 69 69 83