Tiger Woods’ fifth Masters title a win for the ageless
Tiger Woods completes his career comeback with his fifth Masters title on Sunday at Augusta National.
Fourteen years ago, when he was the best player in the world and on track to shatter Jack Nicklaus’ major championship record, Tiger Woods unleashed a massive fist pump after holing a putt to beat Chris DiMarco in a playoff at the Masters.
Since then, Woods has gone through a great deal in his career, but his patented fist pump was not seen again on the 18th hole of Augusta National. That is, until Sunday, when the 43-year-old Woods defied time, four back surgeries and a new generation of players to win his fifth green jacket.
Woods shot a two-under round of 70 on Sunday to finish at 13-under and win his 15th career Major championship. To do it he needed to contend with two players he’s become quite familiar with in the past year. Last July he was playing with Francesco Molinari in the final round at Carnoustie when the Italian won his first Major. The next month he watched as Brooks Koepka, a player capable of overpowering a golf course like he used to, held him off to win the PGA Championship.
On Sunday, there were Molinari and Koepka again challenging Woods, this time for the green jacket. Molinari held a two-shot lead going into the final round, a margin that grew to three when Woods played his first five holes in two-over. Woods got his round back on track, though, at the seventh when, for the second day in a row, he hit his approach to two feet at the par-four. Over the green in two at the par-five eighth hole, Woods chipped to seven feet and made the birdie. Suddenly Woods was back to 12-under and just a shot out of the lead.
He had a setback at the difficult 10th, hitting his drive into the trees and having to pitch back out in the fairway. But Woods showed the experience that comes with 22 career Masters appearances at the par-three 12th. As his playing partners Molinari and Tony Finau, and Kopeka in the group ahead, hit into the water, Woods played safely over the bunker toward the center of the green and two-putted for par. He took full advantage of both par-fives on the back-nine, two-putting for birdie at 13 and 15 to get to 13-under and break a logjam atop the leaderboard. He saved his best for the par-three 16th with a Masters-clinching tee shot to four feet. Now with a two-shot lead and two holes to play, Woods made par on the 17th and, despite a bogey at the closing hole, won by a shot over Koepka, Dustin Johnson and Xander Schauffele.
His final putt was reminiscent of the same moment more than two decades ago when a 21-year-old Woods announced his arrival with a 12-shot win at Augusta. “A win for the ages,” CBS’s Jim Nantz announced back then. Woods is 22 years older now, with a surgically repaired back and two children. But he’s still capable of capturing the magic he had when he was a much younger man.
Coming into this week, Woods hadn’t won at Augusta National since 2005. He hadn’t won a Major since 2008. Just two years ago, when Woods missed yet another Masters because of back surgery, he wondered whether he would ever play again. But he did make it back last year and proved to himself he could win. That self-belief came through on Sunday.
“I don’t really need to win again,” Woods said earlier this week. “I really want to, though,” Even without this title, Woods’ place in golf history was well established. Second only to Nicklaus in Major titles, trailing only Sam Snead in PGA Tour victories, Woods was already regarded as one of the best players ever. That he could win this title, after all he’s been through, puts him in another pantheon.
Suddenly the mission to catch Nicklaus is back on. The next two Majors are at courses Woods is well familiar with. The PGA Championship in May is at Bethpage, the place Woods won the 2002 U.S. Open. The U.S. Open is being held at Pebble Beach, where Woods had the most dominating performance in history with a 15-shot win in 2000.
dark. Next. When was the last time Tiger Woods won a major?
Woods will go into both tournaments as one of the favorites. He started believing in himself again. After today, no one else should ever doubt him.