Stanford Cardinal legend Tiger Woods may not be competing in the Masters this year, but that shouldn’t stop us from looking back at his greatest performances at Augusta National. Woods has donned the green jacket five times, winning the Masters in 1997, 2001, 2002, 2005, and 2019. With five different championships, there’s obviously a lot of memories and moments to reflect on. Too many to do them all justice in one article. That said, I will do my best to take a look back on some of Woods’ greatest moments from this historic tournament.
To start things off, I have to roll with Woods’ first Masters title in 1997 in which he won by 12 strokes over runner up Tom Kite. Woods shot a ridiculous -18, which set a tournament record that would hold until Dustin Johnson shot -20 to win it in 2020. In addition to being his first Masters title, this was also Woods’ first major title.
To back things up a bit, Woods came into the 1997 season with a lot of hype after his amazing career at Stanford. In 1996, Woods was the individual NCAA champion while also being named national player of the year. He was the top player in the collegiate game during his time on The Farm and truly hit the ground running when he turned pro in August of 1996. He also had played in the 1995 Masters as an amateur, so he had already gotten a taste of Augusta National.
As for a breakdown of how he scored, Woods shot a 70 in the first round, putting him at -2 and three shots back of the lead. In the second round, he ripped off a 66, putting him at -8 for the tournament and in first place. He followed that up with a 65 in the third round to put him at -15 with a nine-stroke lead. In the final round on Sunday, Woods shot a 69, giving him -18 for the tournament.
What made Woods’ 1997 performance so incredible was the way he dominated. When he began the back nine of the final round, Woods pretty much knew he had the tournament won. The work was really done in the second and third rounds in which he shot a combined -13. When a lot of guys win their first major title in tennis or golf, it’s often a nailbiter that goes down to the wire.
In this case, Woods pretty much cruised to victory. There really wasn’t much drama. For him to do that at just 21 years of age is simply mind blowing. He sent the entire golf world a message that he was going to be a force on the PGA Tour for a long time.
On top of the phenomenal golf that he played, Woods also became the first non-white player to win the Masters. Augusta National Golf Club didn’t admit their first black member until 1990, so there has been a real history of racism and discrimination on those grounds. The racial barriers that Woods broke is arguably the most significant aspect of his 1997 Masters title.
Switching gears from Woods’ first Masters title, the next moment that stands out to me is Woods’ fourth Masters title in 2005, which was also his ninth major title overall. Woods defeated Chris DiMarco by one stroke in a playoff, shooting a -1 on the 18th hole in sudden death while DiMarco shot an E. They had both tied at -12 to force the playoff.
The most iconic moment from that year and perhaps from any year was Woods’ sublime chip shot on the 16th hole on Sunday. That was just one of those moments where you were reminded that Woods was simply on another planet.
VIDEO: Tigers Woods’ Chip on 16 | Iconic Masters Moments
Regarding the breakdown of how Woods shot by round, he didn’t get off to a good start, shooting 74 (+2) in the first round. Woods bounced back strongly in the second round, shooting a 66 to put him at -4 for the tournament and in third place, six strokes back of DiMarco. In the third round, play was suspended due to darkness, finishing on Sunday. Woods shot a 65 (-7), putting him at -11 for the tournament and three strokes ahead of DiMarco, who was at -8 after shooting a 74 (+2) in the third round. In the final round, Woods shot a 71 (-1) while DiMarco shot a 68 (-4), forcing the tie. And then as I mentioned, Woods shot the birdie in sudden death to win his fourth green jacket.
What makes the 2005 Masters title for Woods stand out to me is how opposite it was from 1997 while being equally amazing. That chip shot on the 16th hole was other worldly and in my opinion is Woods’ signature moment from the Masters. Like, when people think of Tiger Woods at the Masters, the first thing that comes to their mind, at least to my mind, is that chip shot. And then on top of that iconic moment, Woods’ ability to win in a sudden death playoff just showed that he could win in a variety of ways. He didn’t have to blow you out to win a major. He could win close ones, too.
Finally, I would like to reflect on Woods’ 2019 Masters title. It was his 5th Masters and 15th major title (the most recent one he’s won). It was also Woods’ first major title since the 2008 US Open. It had been a while since Woods had won a major and many were wondering if he had one more in him as he was now 43 years of age. Woods proved that he had some magic left as he won by one stroke with a score of -13 while three players tied for second place at -12. It was Woods’ first major title coming from behind going into the final round, making it doubly historic.
Woods shot a 70 (-2) in the first round then a 68 (-4) in the second round to get to -6 and tied for 6th place. Woods then shot a 67 (-5) in the third round to get to -11 and tied for second place along with Tony Finau. Francesco Molinari (-13) was the leader by two strokes. In the final round on Sunday, Woods shot a 70 (-2) to win by one stroke as Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, and Xander Schauffele finished at -12. Sadly for Molinari, he shot a 74 (+2) in the final round, finishing at -11, tied for 5th place.
Woods battled hard all week long and came up clutch when he needed to. As I said, he had never won a major coming from behind before, so this was him finding a way to win in a way that he hadn’t done before. Though I should add, he was in the final pairing, so that certainly helped him out mentally.
On top of coming from behind to win, what made this title so special for Woods was the fact that it had been 11 years since his previous major title. He had gone through multiple surgeries, a divorce, and other challenges in his personal life. To find it in him to win one more major and do it with his kids and mother in attendance was simply priceless. After winning in 1997, he hugged his father. After winning in 2019, he hugged his son. That’s fairytale stuff.
Of course, these aren’t all the amazing moments that Woods has had at the Masters. The 2002 title for Woods was the third successful defense of a title in the history of the Masters (Jack Nicklaus in 1966 & Nick Faldo in 1990). This was right in the sweet spot of Woods’ dominance as he was quickly becoming the new Michael Jordan. And then the 2001 title was special as it capped off the “Tiger Slam” in which Woods won four straight majors over the span of two seasons: 2000 US Open, 2000 British Open, 2000 PGA Championship, & 2001 Masters.
While Woods has had amazing moments at all the majors, the Masters in particular seems to be a special tournament for him. It’s where he won his first major and also where he won his 15th. All the great ones have their spot and for Woods, it’s certainly Augusta National.
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