Tiger Woods makes Masters history
Tiger Woods makes Masters history, In 1997, Tiger Woods became the youngest person (how old?) to win the Masters Tournament. Watch videos of his triumph.
Since then, the golf phenom married Elin Nordegren and became a father (see family photos), but a sex scandal caused him to fall from grace and get divorced For the first time in 923 days, we received a performance that was indeed Tiger-like, not Tiger-lite.
Once it was expected Tiger Woods would win at least one out of every two times he tipped it up. Then his personal life disintegrated, his body failed him and his swing deserted the former best golfer in the world. Every so often he’d show signs of life – at his own tournament at the end of 2010 when Graeme McDowell bested him on the green of the final hole, or at the 2011 Masters when he made a run that ended abruptly in the final holes. As his struggles continued the talk mounted that no one was afraid of Tiger. No one was intimidated by him in the way they were before. Rory McIlroy, Jason Day, and a host of other youngsters emerged who were looking to build their own legends, not to defer to Woods.
That all seems like noise - for now at least. Woods went into the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational leading, a position he hadn’t experienced in some time. Prior to his public fall from grace, the old Tiger would have slammed the door on the tournament, leaving his competitors faltering in his wake.
It turns out this latest version of Tiger, with balky knee and swing rebuilt by Canadian swing coach Sean Foley, is a lot like the one who disappeared after the SUV accident. He dominated McDowell, his playing partner for the final round who started one shot behind, but could never get any momentum in his favor and finished the day 2-over par, five shots back of Woods . And what about multiple-major winner Ernie Els who has admitted in the past that he was psyched out by Woods? He shot 3-over par and tumbled down the leaderboard.
A week ago there were questions about when Woods would win again. Now there are questions about whether his latest Masters’ green jacket is already at the tailor, a win that would put him within striking distance of Jack Nicklaus for victories at Augusta. The quest for Nicklaus’ spot at the top of the heap of major winners is on again.
“I'm looking forward to more of the green jacket part of it than tying Jack, in that regard,” Woods said after his round. “Jack's had an amazing career and he's won a bunch of tournaments. But also, he's won more majors than anybody else, either.”
Walking up the 18th fairway after hitting his ball safely onto the green, you could be forgiven for thinking all of the tawdry spectacle of porn stars, Perkins waitresses and tabloid drama was a bad dream. The fans screamed for Woods. Sports fans love dominating athletes and at Bay Hill on Sunday – at least for this final round – Tiger looked like the cat that roared once again.
For his part, he played it cool – just part of the progress he talked about time again, though as the time eclipsed, more disbelievers appeared.
“I just felt that I've been making steps in the right direction,” he explained. “It just had not shown up for all four days yet. And I've been so close to putting it together…”
But Woods knows close isn’t close enough. When he hit it well this year, his putter failed to show up. And instead of putting a full tournament together, Woods would flash signs of brilliance for a round or two before falling back. At Bay Hill, a place he has dominated like no other, Woods managed to put all the pieces of the puzzle together.
The sports world loves hyperbole as much as it does stars. There will be lots of stories talking about how Woods is back, and that great days of glory are now ahead of him. There will be columns written pegging Woods to win the Masters – and next year’s Masters.
Pragmatically speaking, Woods is still an athlete of 36, with a degenerating knee and is likely to struggle with injuries throughout the remainder of his career. He’ll likely never be as good as he was while in his mid-20s, and he’ll certainly never win nine times in one year, as he did in 2000.
But he heads into Augusta – another course he loves – surely more confident than any time in the past two years. Questions about when he’d win again are gone – now it is about whether he can beat Nicklaus’ number.
“I'm looking forward to my opportunities this year,” said a suddenly ambitious Woods. “There's four of them this year and hopefully I can peak at the right times for all four of them.”
Four months after a car crash outside his Florida home set off a wave of revelations about his private life, and three weeks after hinting his absence could be prolonged, Woods said Augusta on 8 April, the opening day of the 2010 Masters, was "where I need to be".
The world No1 has not played competitively since 15 November, when he won the Australian Masters in Melbourne. "The major championships have always been a special focus in my career and, as a professional, I think Augusta is where I need to be, even though it's been a while since I last played," he said in a statement.
"I have undergone almost two months of in-patient therapy and I am continuing my treatment. Although I'm returning to competition, I still have a lot of work to do in my personal life."
Since his car crash and the ensuing scandal, Woods has seen his much-vaunted "brand" severely damaged, with several companies, including Accenture and Gillette, ending their sponsorship deals with him. Estimates suggest he may have lost as much as US$30m a year as a result.
Such is the public's fascination for Woods, and such is the interest in his return, it is safe to assume the 2010 Masters will be one of the most watched sporting events in history. Sean McManus, head of news for CBS, network in the US, said at the weekend: "My only prediction is when he [Woods] comes back it will be, other than the Obama inauguration, one of if not the biggest media spectacle in recent memory."
Billy Payne, the chairman of Augusta National, offered the club's backing for Woods's decision to make his return there, adding: "We support and encourage his stated commitment to continue the significant work required to rebuild his personal and professional life."
Yet if Woods, a four-time Masters champion, will receive a warm welcome from the club members, sceptics will point out that his choice of Augusta owes much to his desire to keep his interaction with the press and public to a minimum. Traditionally, the Masters limits media access more than any other tournament, and the galleries are more polite than elsewhere.
Some of his fellow competitors may not appreciate having the run‑up to the first major championship of the year dominated by questions about Woods. Publicly, most have been supportive over the last four months but in recent weeks there has been growing irritation at the uncertainty over his plans, with Ernie Els being among those describing Woods's behaviour as "selfish".
Woods’ five-stroke victory at Bay Hill revived memories of his dominance and prompted bookies to make him the Masters favorite.
If he is indeed back, the sport’s most dominant figure could resume his march toward Jack Nicklaus’ major victory record on a course where he has won four times.
McIlroy has positioned himself as Woods’ successor with his graceful swing and healthy body of work at age 22. Just as Woods chases Nicklaus, McIlroy has his sights on Woods. Will he take the next big step by slipping on his first green jacket?
Woods, 36, was 21 when he claimed his first major title with a 12-shot victory at the Masters. McIlroy won his first major, last year’s U.S. Open, by eight strokes.
After being well ahead of Nicklaus’ pace, Woods basically came to a standstill the past two years.
Marital infidelities led to a very public divorce. He lost swing coach Hank Haney and caddie Steve Williams. And he continued to fight injuries while overhauling his swing.
But he began showing signs that his work with instructor Sean Foley was paying off near the end of last season. He continued that form this season, working his way into contention several times before the victory.
“It was just a matter of staying the course and staying patient, and here we are,” Woods told reporters after Bay Hill.
McIlroy and Woods contended at last year’s Masters, and both suffered frustrating finishes.
McIlroy was poised for his coronation with a four-shot lead in the final round. Instead, he suffered one of the worst collapses by a 54-hole leader in Masters history. He shot 80.
“It was definitely a defining moment,” McIlroy said. “It could have been the crossroads of my career. I could have did what I did on Sunday at Augusta and let it affect me, maybe go into a slump or feel down or feel sorry for myself.”
Instead, he won the next major, setting the U.S. Open scoring record at Congressional.
Woods seemed ready for his first comeback win in a major, making up seven shots on Augusta’s front nine. But the back-nine fireworks never materialized.
His 67 left him tied for fourth. He then suffered a leg injury and went four months before completing another tournament.
McIlroy has finished third or better in nine of his last 12 starts, including two wins. After winning the Honda, he became the second youngest player, behind Woods, to be ranked No. 1 in the world. Inactive since then, he surrendered the top spot to Donald.
For Woods, a victory would give him 15 major titles and 73 career wins, tied for second with Nicklaus.
“I’ve gone into Augusta with wins and without wins,” Woods said. “You’re looking for one week, that’s all. Hopefully, everything comes together for that one week. I understand how to play Augusta National. And it’s just a matter of executing the game plan.”
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