Masters day 4: Woods rewrites history books
Tiger Woods celebrates its fifth Masters victory. Image: Getty
Tiger Woods has completed the biggest comeback in golf history – and perhaps in all sports – by winning the Masters for the fifth time at Augusta National.
Eleven years after his previous big win, and 22 years after his first Masters win, Woods outpaced his competitors on an epic final day to win with a shot.
At 43, he now has 15 major championships, within three of Jack Nicklaus' record of 18.
Ben Hogan & # 39; s return of a near-fatal car accident to win the US Open in 1950 is the only wave comeback story that comes close to Woods & # 39; return.
But in this case, the injuries that threatened to end Woods' career – multiple knee and back surgery including a spinal fusion – are amplified by public humiliation about his murders and the loss of his marriage, and an arrest for driving under the influence of multiple pain killers.
He was in places where no golfer has been before, so he celebrated with a throat sound and double fist pumps as he tapped the last pit, and then lifted his son Charlie off the ground in an embrace while walking green. His family – mother Tida, children Charlie, 10, and Sam, 11, and partner Erica Herman – were there to see what will happen as the most remarkable scene that golf has produced.
He had convinced the children to come up from Florida today to watch the final round after Sam lost a state soccer tournament on Saturday; Woods has often said that he regretted that his children were too young to have seen him win more tournaments and big prizes. Now, they know that feeling too.
Ironically for a player with more x factor than ever seen, Woods won it by what he called "splattering his way" Augusta National on a final day that started early in the morning due to the threat of a storm.
He shot 70 – less than spectacular, but stable enough – and he bogeyed the last hole.
But by that time he had struck away his immediate opposition with steadfastness under the pressure of a backward nine Augusta Sunday. A few of them fell away under the torch, in particular & # 39; night leader Francesco Molinari, who made two deadly double crooks on the par-three 12th and the par-five 15th, both times finding the water.
Molinari shot a 74 and finished in a shared fifth. His only consolation was to have witnessed a performance from close by that went down in the nullity of the game.
At 13-under overall, Woods won with a shot from Americans Dustin Johnson, Xander Schauffele and Brooks Koepka. The Molinari group, the Australian Jason Day (67 today), Webb Simpson and Tony Finau were shot again at 11-under. It is the first time in his log of 15 majors that he came from behind at the mark with 54 holes.
In reality, there were a maximum of eight or nine players who could have won. Molinari looked steadfast on the front nine and held onto his lead, but his limp short iron flew off the bank on the 12th to Rae's Creek and that opened the door for everyone else. At one point in the back nine there were four leaders; then at another time, Patrick Cantlay snatched the 15th to take the lead. It was an amazing finish encapsulated by the fact that four of the last five players who went through that famous number 12 hole hit their balls in Rae & # 39; s Creek.
Woods was quiet early, still ready for the day through 12 holes. But on the 13th, he struck the par-five with a birdie after he cut the green in two and the par-five 15th struck a beautiful mid-iron shot on the green for another eagle, eventually rolling into the birdie to lead the lead.
His moment of enjoyment came on the 16th tee, with a one-shot lead, where his short iron shot hit the right foot of the green and almost ran into the hole almost in slow motion. The roar that came from that part of the course must have been heard around Georgia at those times. He ticked the bird in the quadruped, led by two, and held out from there.
On the 18th tee he had two shots ahead and he knocked a conservative three off the tee, after which a bad second shot short of the green, persuaded to take it along the trees and let himself do some work, 30 meters removed from the flag. Pitching up to four feet, his birdie putt for the exclamation mark ended up lipped out, and in the end it was a tap-in of blank range for bogey that completed this remarkable story.
Outside the scoring area, a large number of other professionals were waiting to congratulate Woods. Of all people they know how difficult his journey back to the top has been
"I'm a little hoarse from screaming!", He said to the presentation of the green jacket. "I was just trying to plow around the track all day, just paving my way. Suddenly I was in charge. You know, when you're 18, you just try to make a five. When I tapped the putt, I didn't know what I did. I know I screamed. I was just looking for Joey (caddy Joe LaCava) somewhere. We had a hug.
"To have my children there, the circle is complete. My father was here in & # 39; 97, and now I am the father with my two children there. & # 39; & # 39;
Of the Australians, Day was the closest to fifth place after his best day of the week. When he signed for his 67, he was just a shot from the leader, but it was always probably a lost hope, and he was soon pushed down the rankings.
MASTERS LEADERBOARD
-13 Woods
-12 Koepka, D Johnson, Schauffele
-11 DAY, Simpson, Finau
-10 Rahm, Cantlay, Fowler
Other Australians
-6 Scott
1 Leishman
2 Smith
