The Masters 2017: 5 best moments in history
By John Buhler
2. The arrival of Tiger Woods (1997)
Though he is not playing in August this week because of his back, Tiger Woods is one of the greatest golfers of all-time. Without question, he is the most impactful player in the history of the PGA Tour. He has won 14 majors, all of which in a 10-year span (1997-2008).
Woods’ first major came when he was 21 years old. Fresh out of Stanford University, Woods won his first Green Jacket at the 1997 Masters. He did so triumphantly. Woods eviscerated second-place finisher Tom Kite by 12 strokes.
His -18 on the tournament was in a class on its own until 2015. In the 2015 Masters, another young golfing prodigy named Jordan Spieth would match Woods’ 18 under par performance from 1997, also at 21 years of age.
Woods would shoot a 70 in Round 1 despite struggling at times on the front nine. He would go on to shoot a 65 in Round 2, a 66 in Round 3 and a 69 in Round 4 to crush the competition to win his first Green Jacket. Woods would win three more times at Augusta (2001, 2002, 2005).
Though his 2001 Masters victory would solidify a grand slam in a year’s time, Woods’ 1997 victory certainly foreshadowed the arrival of Tiger. For a 10-year period, there wasn’t a better athlete on the planet in his field that Woods was at golf.