Editor’s note: The Masters wasn’t played this week due to risks associated with the coronavirus pandemic, but we think Tiger Woods’ historic come-from-behind victory is still worth revisiting on the anniversary. Here’s a look at some of the key moments you may have forgotten in the voices of the players and caddie Joe LaCava.
In a charming corner of the Cathedral of Pines on Masters Sunday, Webb Simpson somehow took in a peaceful moment amid the roars ripping about the hallowed grounds of Augusta National Golf Club.
Standing on the tee of the final hole that is the sublime but precarious Amen Corner, Simpson, playing in the penultimate group and still very much in pursuit of the green jacket with six holes to play, glanced over to the green of the famous 12th hole.
There stood the resurrected figure of Tiger Woods.
“It’s his Sunday red on the 12th green of Augusta National, maybe the most famous picture in golf,” said Simpson, who 22 years earlier watched Woods play a practice round ahead of his historic Masters triumph in 1997. “I told myself, ‘You’re competing against Tiger Woods in the Masters. This is a childhood dream.’ That’s when as a player, you remove yourself for a second, and you take in the moment.”
On a Sunday at Augusta National unlike any other to the players who witnessed it, memorable moments were abundant throughout the sensory explosion that is home to the first major championship of the year.
As much of the country was thawing from a long winter, last year’s Masters provided a warm embrace while becoming the epicenter of the sports world as Woods pursued his fifth green jacket and 15th major championship.
Just two years removed from telling fellow green jackets that he thought his career was over, Woods spectacularly capped his latest comeback from a shattered image, addiction to prescription painkillers and a persistent troublesome back by becoming a Masters champion again.
Playing in his 75th major as a professional, Woods, who won 14 majors in his first 46 attempts as a pro, hadn’t won a major in 28 starts. But he got in contention in the previous year’s British Open at Carnoustie before tying for sixth and finished runner-up to Brooks Koepka in the 2018 PGA Championship.
A few weeks later, he won the Tour Championship, his first Tour victory since 2013. Seven months later, at 43, he became the second-oldest player to win the Masters, trailing just Jack Nicklaus, who won the 1986 Masters at 46.
In his run-up to the Masters, which he previously won in 1997, 2001, 2002 and 2005, Woods teed up hints that he was ready to win a major again as he played well in five starts. He tied for fifth in the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play in his last start ahead of the Masters.
The week before the Masters, Woods made a reconnaissance trip to Augusta National and, in his lone round, shot 65 with a three-putt bogey on the first his only blemish. When he arrived at Augusta National for the 83rd Masters, Woods knew he could win.
In the gripping final round, six players held at least a share of the lead: Woods, Francesco Molinari, Patrick Cantlay, Dustin Johnson, Xander Schauffele and Brooks Koepka. Koepka had won three of the previous seven major championships played. Woods took the outright lead with a birdie on 15 and never relinquished his advantage.
Schauffele, who joked that “someone stole the thunder there,” had his chances on the back nine to claim his first green jacket but finished in a tie for second. His lasting memory from the 2019 Masters was Woods.
“No one thought he could do it. Except for him, probably,” Schauffele said. “It was cool to witness golf history. I totally forgot about golf and just witnessed history. When I think back to that tournament, I think of Tiger winning.”
Leading into Sunday
On the Sunday before Masters week, Woods, Joe LaCava, his caddie, and Rob McNamara, vice president of TGR Ventures who has become Woods’ second wing man, spent a peaceful evening on the front nine at Augusta National. Woods only chipped and putted during his nearly three hours on the course.
After a practice round Monday, Woods didn’t play the course on a rainy Tuesday. He completed his prep with another practice round Wednesday. That evening he drove himself to the Golf Writers Association of America’s annual dinner to receive his Ben Hogan Award, which is given to someone “who has continued to be active in golf despite a physical handicap or serious illness.” In an extended acceptance speech, Woods was light-hearted with an openness rarely seen in public. He dropped jokes while also revealing details about his spinal fusion surgery and the pain he endured before scalpels gave him a second life.
LaCava: Personally I wasn’t quite sure he had enough tournament rounds. We had a pretty light schedule going in. I think he knew he needed to save up some energy, and it was more important for him to be rested and get his back worked on versus playing tournament golf. But I think we needed one or two more tournaments to be a little sharper going in. But to his credit he did chipping and putting on Sunday night on the front nine for almost three hours, which I think was good. It’s nice to be out there by yourself to do your own thing for three hours. I think that got him in the right frame of mind. Getting rained out on Tuesday was a blessing. Saved some wear and tear. On Friday I think he played better than on any of the other days. That’s when I knew he was going to be in contention come Sunday.
Woods: Going into the Masters, I felt that my swing had finally turned the corner because I was trying to make sure that I could hit a high draw and call upon it with driver, 3-wood, 5-wood, any club in the bag. I somehow found it. The short game came around, I found something in my grip there, and the pieces started coming together. And on those greens, to be able to take some of the slope out with curve, even around the greens, spin the ball either left-to-right or right-to-left and flatten those out, it was fun. I had it right where I needed to be.
Before the final round
Due to the forecast calling for thunderstorms Sunday, tee times were moved up, with the first group going off at 7:30 a.m.; the final group at 9:21 a.m.
Woods awoke at 4 a.m. to get ready to chase history.
Players were grouped in threesomes, another unusual occurrence. Woods, who opened with rounds of 70-68-67, was in the final group with Tony Finau and Molinari, the reigning Champion Golfer of the Year. Molinari was paired with Woods in the final round at Carnoustie when the Italian player won the Claret Jug in 2018. Molinari was 13 under par and held a two-shot lead over Woods and Finau.
In the group ahead was Koepka, Simpson and Ian Poulter.
Woods: I had to wake up a little bit earlier and get into my routine. I think that having the guys who have never won the Masters now get a chance to have a quicker turnaround, not have to sit on that lead and think about it far into the afternoon, I thought it was advantageous to the guys who haven’t won. But I hadn’t been in this experience, either. I hadn’t been there before, and I hadn’t won coming from behind. So there were a lot of new things, and we were all having to go through it together. I’m going to have to go earn it. And being part of a threesome on that Sunday is something that I’ve never been a part of. It was very different. Having the rounds be a little bit slower and a little bit more delayed is something we’re not used to on the weekend. We are used to sort of running around there. It was going to be a new experience for all of us.
The early holes of the final round
Woods warmed up well but ran into trouble on the second hole and had to lay up after his drive. He salvaged a par after a solid approach on his third shot and a two-putt par. But he confronted problems again starting at the fourth with a bogey and another at the fifth, which he bogeyed each round. Walking to the sixth tee, Woods trailed by three.
LaCava: On the second hole, he had a 4-iron for his third shot after a bad drive. After his second, we now have a 4-iron with a hanging lie to a back-right pin. But he hit a beautiful 4-iron. Smoked it. But had a tricky two-putt. But we got the par. You certainly didn’t want to go par-bogey.
Woods: I played (No.) 5 awful for the week and played it in, what, 20 shots? I had to reset and try and see if I can get it back to under par at the turn. I know that (Molinari) was playing extremely well. There’s a bunch of guys that have a chance, but if I’m within six of the lead – I’ve always felt this – if I’m within six of the lead starting the back nine on Sunday, I’ve got a shot at it.
LaCava: I’m always going to be the positive guy. Let’s just say he plays (the fifth) 1 over and all of a sudden he wins by four or five shots. It’s in the back of my mind to go there this year and hit a few more tee shots on that hole and get him a little more comfortable off the tee. He hits a 3-wood the last day and he still makes bogey. But that was a bad break. He hit it up on that ridge, and it was a tough two-putt.
Woods: We’ve seen so many things happen on the back nine. Guys have won shooting 30s and guys have lost it shooting well over 40; so anything is possible. I just needed to get myself into that position where I had that opportunity, and I was able to play my way back into it and a couple guys made a few mistakes there at 12, and lo and behold, I’m part of the lead.
LaCava: There was a lot of golf left (after the fifth hole). I’m not going to say I mind a bogey (on 5), it’s a tough hole. The fact that he bogeyed 4 was unusual for him because he didn’t hit his best iron shot there, and he’s usually always money with the irons. Stuck (a 4-iron) in the ground just a hair. And I think that chaps him. He just doesn’t do that. You can kind of live with the bogey on 5 and not 4. You’re three back but more frustrated that you bogeyed two holes in a row. He came back and hit a beautiful shot in there. Once we play 6, now we’re back where we need to be.
Right before the turn
After falling behind by three after his bogey on the fifth hole, Woods made par on the sixth and got a huge lift on the par-4 seventh. First by sticking his approach to nearly tap-in range for a birdie, then seeing his children for the first time as he headed to the eighth tee. He kept his momentum going with a birdie on the eighth and then faced the toughest putt of the final round – a 65-footer from the top tier on the ninth hole to a pin on the lower tier. Woods navigated the dangerous, slippery expanse to tap-in range, which led to mini-fist pumps as he walked to the cup to complete his par. Then the back nine awaited.
LaCava: The seventh hole was big on Saturday and Sunday. Especially when you have tap-ins both times, a 9-iron on Saturday and a wedge on Sunday. That birdie on Sunday was big. You’ve got to have it. You bogey 4 and 5. Seven is a hole he’s played well over the years. But bigger was making birdie on 8. We got a break. We’re right of the (fairway) bunker there. (Molinari’s) in the bunker and he’s got a layup. Molinari has a wedge in there and makes a 15-footer in front of us. Tiger has an uphill putt with a double-break and pours it right in the middle.
The ninth was huge. He hits it way back to that top shelf. Way back left, the third tier. All the way back there. The pin is front-left. And the funny thing is when we finished up on Wednesday with JT (Justin Thomas) and Fred (Couples), Tiger dropped a ball and they had a little closest to (the pin contest). He dropped the ball a foot from where he hit it on Sunday. And the pin was a foot from where it was on Sunday. Now listen, I don’t think that’s ever an easy two-putt. But it’s certainly easier on Wednesday with nothing on the line than Sunday. I think it helped a little bit. He had a good look at it Wednesday believe it or not. You drop 10 balls there, you’re going to hit two that close. You’ll leave one up top. You might hit one off the green. You’re going to three-putt three times. And for him to hit it to like a tap-in was huge.
Woods: That putt, unfortunately, I’ve had it – fortunately and unfortunately – I’ve had that putt before. I have left it on the middle shelf, and so that’s obviously not where you want to be. But also, it’s very easy to putt the ball over the green, or actually down the front edge of the green. The good thing that I had going for me was at that time, the wind was a little bit into me, so I had a little bit of a backboard with that wind being slightly into me. But it’s being committed to hitting that ball up there into that fringe, or near the fringe. Only problem is if you get it too far right, actually, it gets a little steeper and picks up a lot of speed. The conservative approach is to play it a little bit left of the hole and you know you take your 10-, 15-footer and move on with a four or five. But I decided to take a little bit more of a risk knowing that I had a little bit of a backboard with the wind.
The 12th hole
This tiny hole – at 155 yards the shortest hole at Augusta National – changed the complexion of the tournament as it so often has. In a span of 25 minutes, Poulter, Koepka, Molinari and Finau visited the watery grave that is Rae’s Creek and each made double-bogey 5. After Molinari rinsed his tee shot, Woods, trailing by two, stepped on a 9-iron shot and found the putting surface, then nailed a 6-footer for par after leaving his 40-footer for birdie well short. Just that quick, he had a share of the lead.
Woods: (Molinari) just opened Pandora’s box to who’s going to win the championship. Frankie, he hit an 8-iron at 12 and he didn’t hit it solid, ended up wet. But Tony hit a great shot. Tony hit it right on his number, hit the perfect shape, but you could see the wind just hold it up right at its peak, and you could see it get slammed, and that’s just enough for it to end up in the water. But he hit a good shot.
LaCava: I think it helped him in that he hit it about as hard as he could hit a 9-iron. You know as a player or a caddie when a player mis-hits it, you can tell. Molinari did not hit it flush. Having said that, to follow a guy that just hit one more club than you’re about to hit and hit it in the water, that might get you thinking a little bit. I think it might have helped us. He might have been thinking a stock 9-iron and instead he ripped it. It was 10 feet left of where he was looking. But at the same time, after you see a guy hitting one club farther and go in the water even though he mis-hit it, it’s hard to go farther right. It just is. So that was big. The fact that he hit the 9-iron harder and then made the 6-footer.
Molinari: Obviously, a great week in general but not the outcome I was hoping for with seven holes to go. To be fair, I had never been anywhere near in contention in the Masters, so my biggest take from the week, when I got there last year, I was in a much stronger place than I had ever been. How it ended is just golf. You win some, you lose some. Obviously, I’m not the first guy to hit a ball into the water on 12.
Koepka: I didn’t even hit a bad shot on 12. I think that’s the misconception. We’re all trying to hit it in the same spot in the center of the green. And then the wind just flares up. I actually went into the ball, backed off it because the wind was off the right. It should have been just off the left and maybe a hair into. I hit it with just a little bit too much spin, or maybe just too high. It wasn’t even a bad shot. It’s one of those things. Poulter did the same thing. And you don’t get four guys to do that in a row. You’re standing on that tee, you’re looking at 11 green and the wind is into and then you look to the right and it’s going across. It’s all timing there. It’s some luck. That’s the game. Henrik (Stenson) hit it all the way in the back and, let’s be real, no player is hitting it 25 yards off, or too far off in their yardage.
Simpson: The wind was gusting pretty good and it was in our face. Brooks hit a great shot. He either hit it too high or the wind just got it. But I thought he hit a great shot. In the air, as a player, you’re judging the shot, and it looked like it was perfect. Poults hit a similar shot. I just hit mine lower. You’re standing on that hole with an 8-iron and there is room right of the hole if you get it there. But if you tug it with that club it’s going long. It’s a genius hole. It can make us look silly.
Woods: When I got to that 12 tee, the feeling was that 11 played a little bit longer, and that shot is so inviting to hit it over (toward the pin). It was warm out. I know that I don’t quite hit the ball as far as Brooksy does, and I had 9-iron out, and I figured that his flight is more penetrating and he can get it back there, and he didn’t quite get it back there. Watching Fran (Molinari) hit an 8-iron there, and you could see it and I know if he didn’t quite hit it right, but I played it to the left. Tony (Finau) hit the best shot of all of us and he got stood up at the very end. It was a good shot. He hit it flush, but it stalled out at the top. If I had gone at the flag, my ball would have been the same thing, because mine, I played left, and it stalled out at its apex, ended up short left, and I had a putt.
LaCava: The fact he made a 6-footer on 12 for par going left to right after he left the putt 6 feet short was big. Not the easiest putt in the world. Last thing you want to do is make 4 on the hole when you’re the only guy in the last six guys to play the hole who hit the green. You’re on the green, you feel like you’re going to pick up two. All of a sudden you miss this and pick up one, it’s a little deflating. To me that was huge.
Simpson: You could feel how much everybody wanted Tiger to win. When I made birdie on 13, there was like eight claps. Everybody else was cheering for Tiger. And honestly that was the first time at Augusta where I heard anyone cheer for a water ball. They cheered for Molinari’s and Finau’s water balls because it meant Tiger had a better chance.
The 15th hole
Before Tiger hit his second shot on 15 after a 300-yard drive, five players were tied for the lead. Few people remember that Molinari, despite his water ball on 12, was one of the five as he birdied 13 after his mishap. But the 15th proved as critical as the 12th, as Molinari lost his chance to win the green jacket on the famous par 5 as his third shot hit branches and fell into the pond guarding the green, leading to a double-bogey 7. Meanwhile, Woods took the outright lead with a birdie after a two-putt from 45 feet. This hole also proved critical for Cantlay, who was playing well ahead of the leaders. Cantlay steadily moved up the leaderboard and earlier had taken the outright lead with an eagle on this hole. But then he bogeyed 16 and 17. The hole proved crucial for Schauffele and Finau, as well.
Cantlay: I was so far ahead of everyone else, so even though I had the lead, I knew the leaders were on the 10th, 11th holes and had all the easy holes to play. So I knew realistically I needed a birdie or two to have a chance. When I made birdie on 5 on Sunday, I knew I was getting there. As I was climbing up the leaderboard, I could feel it.
Schauffele: The unraveling for me started on the 15th tee box. I hit it right out into the trees. I just had like a childish moment. I was literally standing over my driver and I thought, “Holy crap, I’m leading the Masters.” Which is cool, but at the same time, fake it till you make it. Act like you’ve been there. And I didn’t. I could have easily stepped off and kind of regrouped, but I pulled the trigger and hit it into the trees and I was scrambling for par on 15.
Molinari: I should have hit a better second shot on 15. The 12th hole that day was playing particularly tough, especially with the wind, and a few guys in front of us hit the ball into the water, too. So (the shot at 12) can happen. So I was still in it, tied with Tiger, so 15 was the blow that kind of stopped my round. I was on the needles on the right (after his drive) and I had to hit a low shot because I had some tree limbs in front of me. So I tried to chip a 4-iron down the hill and I was trying to get to the left side because I thought to that flag I would be like chipping up the hill. But I just hit my second shot probably 5 yards too far. And then I had the branches of the tree in front of me.
LaCava: We had to wait three or four minutes. That’s a long time on the golf course with 228 yards to the green with a 5-iron in your hand. The wind is going back and forth just enough to get your attention. Tiger never blinked. I think that’s the only time I got a little antsy. You’re hitting a shot over water. Doesn’t take much to hit it in the water if you hit it a hair heavy. And if you catch it a little thin it’s over the green, and you’re never making four from over there. He had a nice number which helped. But you’ve still got to hit the shot, especially after waiting three or four minutes. That’s not a lot of fun. But he never flinched, never wavered. Hit it 40 feet to the right, pin high. It’s a putt he practices all the time.
Woods: The most pure shot that I hit was the second shot into 15, just through the forest, straight up in the air and turned it over. The shot I hit on 16, yes, that was a nice shot, and it ended up in a really good spot, but the best shot I hit all day was the second shot into 15.
Finau: I’d like to have that eagle putt on 15 back. I hit 7-iron from 195 and had 7 feet up the hill, right to left, and it broke a lot. I barely pulled it and missed it on the left edge. Tapped in for birdie. Even with the fiasco at 12, I would have been one back with that eagle with three to play. I birdied 16 and had good looks on 17 and 18. I would have teed off in front of Tiger at 16. No one knows what would have happened if I had been one shot back and on the tee first at 16. But my chances would have been a whole lot better.
The 16th hole
This hole has been good to Woods over the years. It was here in 2005 on Sunday he had his Nike moment, his ball hanging on the lip for 1.8 seconds before the swoosh dropped into the hole, completing an improbable chip-in birdie en route to his playoff victory against Chris DiMarco. Fast-forward 14 years and Woods is on the tee in the final round with a one-stroke lead and Olympic star Michael Phelps in the front row directly behind the man in red. Woods nearly aced it, his ball coming off his 8-iron and stopping just 3 feet from the hole.
Woods: I did not notice Michael (Phelps) was back there. I was locked into what I was doing. I had just taken the lead on 15. I already had an idea if it was going to be 7 or 8 (iron), and that’s what I kept thinking and reminding myself that, hey, I’ve got to be committed to either shot. And then when we got over and the wind started picking up, I went in with 8-iron. But, no, I did not know who was there, and to see the reaction, to see Verne (Lundquist) call it and (later on TV replay) to see Michael, basically, bending over in the same position that I was in, leaning forward, that was pretty cool.
LaCava: He knows he’s got to keep his emotions in check. He’s still gotta make the putt and then play two big holes. Of course it’s exciting back there on the tee to watch the people stand up. Now you know it has a chance to go in, which is fun. I could care less if it goes in. I want it to be where you don’t even have to look at that putt. That’s all I’m thinking. What are the chances of it going in? I’m thinking I want it below the hole where you have the easiest putt possible. You don’t even have to look at it. But he’s a professional, he’s winning his fifth green jacket, he’s got to keep his emotions in check. That’s probably as calm as I’ve ever seen him on a golf course. Not that I’ve ever seen him antsy. But there was certainly a calmness and a confidence that he was going to get this thing done.
Simpson: We’re on 17 tee, and Tiger hits and lands it on the hill and it starts trickling. We have a perfect view. Crowd is so excited. They want it to go in. It looks like it’s going in. And Paul (Tesori, Simpson’s caddie) turns around and looks at me and says, “What if this went in?” It was one of those moments you’ll never forget. The crowd is so loud they’re oblivious to everyone on the tee. That was a cool moment, too.
Schauffele: On 16, we were in between clubs. I was hitting it good enough to hit my number so we kind of took the pin on. I wanted to hit an 8-iron and (his caddie, Austin Kaiser) talked me into a 7. Everyone knows (the wind) feels into but it almost plays a little down. And there’s adrenaline on that hole and you play it out to the right to use that ridge and I ended up on the back edge of the green, which is a terrible putt to have. I had to make an 8-footer for par on that hole. And then had to two-putt from 40 feet on 17 and made a ridiculous par on 18.
Cantlay: I think what’s interesting about (16) in particular is it’s just the opposite of what you see. So you would rather be short-sided in the bunker or you would rather even pull it long left of the green than you would hit it where I hit it, even though it doesn’t look like that. I just made a bad swing. But looking back on it, if I would have played halfway decent Thursday, Friday, and had the weekend that I had, I would have won by a lot. So I played really well on the weekend, I played really well Saturday and the first 15 holes of Sunday to give myself an opportunity. Sitting at home at dinner on Friday night, no one would have thought I even had a chance at all. So the experience that I gained from it is invaluable going forward, and as long as you draw on the positives from it and don’t linger too long on the negatives but learn from them, I think you’re best off going forward.
The 17th hole
The former historic Eisenhower Tree to the left of the fairway was an imposing obstacle Woods often tangled with over the years, but since an ice storm in 2014 caused its demise, his unease was slightly lessened. Now the other trees Augusta National planted on the right side of the fairway provided trepidation. The hole has always caused Woods fits. On this day, however, he got the better of 17 and protected his two-shot lead.
Woods: I kept telling myself on 17, that tee shot, I said, “I’ve been in this position before.” I had a two-shot lead with DiMarco and went bogey, bogey. Let’s go ahead and pipe this ball right down the middle. Hit a little flat squeezer out there and I did, I just smoked it. I made par there.
LaCava: That was the best shot of the tournament. He hit a 1-foot cut and hit it past Tony Finau. He stepped up and hit a tee shot that is probably not his favorite tee shot. To pipe it and just hammer it, fantastic.
Justin Rose (who had missed the cut and was watching at home): The tee shot he hit on 17, I think was everything for me. That’s just a tee shot that you can’t hide from, it’s straightaway, it’s like you either hit it straight or you’re in the trees. With a two-shot lead, 17 was the only hole that could have really made it difficult for him. So that was cool to see that.
Woods: That tee shot was the shot that won me the tournament.
The 18th hole
Johnson, who birdied four of his final six holes, and Koepka, who eagled the 13th after his double on 12 and birdied 15, each had birdie putts that would have forced Woods to par 18 to win in regulation. Both missed. Woods was in the fairway when Koepka missed his attempt and then knew he could make bogey and still win. He was very cautious from there, laying up well short of the green with his second shot. A pitch and two putts later, he was the Masters master again.
Koepka: I thought I hit a good putt. (Poulter’s) putt fooled me. Poulter looked like he hit it and it looked like it was going to go right in and then it went right. And I read it a right-lip putt, and then I just tried to hit it straight and hit it firm, and then mine broke. I thought I hit a good one there. I thought I hit a good one on 17. Seventeen is a tricky hole. Almost seems like it wants to go up the hill there.
Johnson: I had a chance to win. I had a really good shot, just couldn’t get it in the hole. I hit some good putts. I just burned edges. It was all weekend really. The Saturday I played great, and I played great on Sunday. I just gave myself all the chances. You can always make more putts. It wasn’t like they were long ones though. They were 15 feet or in, most of them. So I had good looks. I knew I needed to birdie 18. I figured if I birdied 18, I would probably get in the playoff. I had 14 feet maybe, straight up the hill. It just burned on the right edge. I was just short, right of the hole.
Woods: I didn’t really think the tournament was truly over until I hit that little pitch shot on the green on 18. But (Koepka) had missed his putt and that gave me a two-shot lead, and I knew that bogey was the winning number and I played it extremely conservative over to the right. But once I hit that pitch up on the green, the tournament was over. When I was walking up on the green, to see my family and friends there through the chute, I started to get a little bit emotional and I had to rein it back in and say, “Hey, it’s not quite over yet. I’ve had this putt before. Let’s go ahead and make this putt.”
Aftermath
After the final putt dropped, Woods thrust both his arms into the air with authority and soaked in the moment. He would share hugs with his playing partners and then LaCava. Waiting for him after he walked off the green was his son, Charlie, and their embrace was captured by the TV cameras. Then another hug with his daughter, Sam, and his mother, Tida. More hugs with members of his camp came next. A pathway splitting thousands of patrons chanting, “Ti-Ger, Ti-Ger, Ti-Ger,” rocked his eardrums as he made the triumphant walk to the clubhouse. There he was greeted by colleagues and Masters champions including Bernhard Langer, Zach Johnson, Bubba Watson, Adam Scott and Craig Stadler, as well as Rickie Fowler, Justin Thomas, Schauffele, Poulter and Koepka. Shortly after signing his scorecard to make matters official, Woods slipped on the green jacket with help from defending champion Patrick Reed.
Woods: This game was taken away from me for a few years there. And I miss competing, I miss playing. Now I have an opportunity to do that again, and also to be able to share it with my kids. They don’t remember me enjoying the game of golf because all they remember is Daddy on the ground in pain. And so now golf brings me so much joy, they’re able to see that. And if it brings a smile to their faces, it brings a smile to my own.
Molinari: I had the best seat in the house in a way, but in another way I didn’t have the best seat in the house because I was trying to win the tournament. But looking back, it was cool that I was there playing against Tiger.
LaCava: The fact that he said, “We did it,” that meant everything to me. I try to give the player or Tiger all the credit. They deserve all the credit. But he’s the kind of guy who makes you feel like a team. I think he appreciates the work that we’ve done together and us hanging around together through bad times and good times. For that to be the first comment, that’s crazy. But the fact he said we did it meant everything in the world to me.
Rose: I’ve had a lot of conversations with Tiger about his motivation of wanting his kids to see him at his best. The moment on 18 was awesome. It was a very human moment, to see him enjoy that with his kids. It was kind of unfortunate to be on the couch. I’ve never seen a Masters Sunday on the couch before. Well, not for many years anyway, but if there was a good one to watch, it was that.
Reed: It was an interesting final round for me, because it was the first time I started on No. 10. Starting on 10 is a lot harder than starting on 1. That 10, 11, 12 stretch is a lot harder than the 1, 2 and 3 stretch. But the atmosphere and the energy that was going through that place with what Tiger was doing, you could feel it. When I was done, sitting there and waiting and watching it unfold, and then to see Tiger make the putt to win, was inspiring. To put the jacket on him was unbelievable. The only thing I could think of when I did that was to not mess it up. I reminded myself to make sure I put the jacket on him correctly. And we got that job done. But it was a special moment.
Schauffele: I wanted to congratulate him. I didn’t know him very well at the time, but I know him a little bit better since he was the playing captain in the Presidents Cup. It was a sight to see. Augusta is known for being very quiet and reserved, traditional, and it was a circus when Tiger came off that 18th hole. I think every green jacket loved it.
Koepka: That was probably the coolest back nine in a major championship I’ve ever been a part of, or just in golf in general. I think with so many guys going up and down, the lead’s kind of changing hands, depending what hole you’re on. I don’t know how it looked on TV, but it was amazing to be a part of. I watch the leaderboard all the time to see where guys are at and what they are doing, and to see Tiger, what he did down the stretch was impressive. And we already knew he was back, but I think he put the exclamation point on it.
Finau: Playing with Tiger was extremely special. I dreamed of it as a kid, being in the final group with him at the Masters or any major. And I had my crack at it. I went to the first tee knowing I was playing well and had a chance at the green jacket, and Tiger was Tiger and he ended up winning. On 18, I told him how proud I was of him. I did an interview in 2015 when he was going through everything, and they asked me if Tiger could ever win another major and I said yes. I know the type of person he is, and he never gives up. That win last year was the most impressive win he’s had there because of all the injuries and personal stuff he had to deal with.
Woods: It’s crazy that somehow it all came together for one week, one magical week, and to have so many things go right that week, and that’s what you have to do in order to win an event. But to do it there, there’s so many little things that have to go right. I’ve been fortunate enough to have done it four previous times, but last year was just an amazing week.