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Tiger Woods had one goal heading into the 2006 Masters.
Win one for Pops.
His father, Earl – his best friend, mentor, first swing coach – was gravely ill, unable to travel to Augusta, Georgia, and limited to watching from his home in California. Despite that heavy mental load, Woods was confident to make good on his objective, having won three events worldwide in 2006 going into the Masters.
He’d also won four green jackets in nine starts as a pro and was a clear favorite once again. In addition to giving his father the greatest of departing gifts, he was in place to rewrite the record books by becoming the first player to win back-to-back green jackets on two occasions. Woods had pulled the green double in 2001 and 2002, Jack Nicklaus in 1965 and 1966 and Nick Faldo in 1989 and 1990.
“He’s fighting,” Woods said of his father ahead of the tournament. “If anyone can fight and grind it out, it would be him. He’s as tough as they come.”
Augusta National would play pretty tough, as well. The course had been lengthened 155 yards from the previous year, with more trees planted to narrow the fairways. Tipped out, Augusta National was now 7,445 yards. Woods was ready to confront his challenges.
His start wasn’t the best, however, but despite three three-putts for bogeys and a double-bogey 7 on the 15th, Woods finished with a first-round 72 to stand five shots behind leader Vijay Singh.
2006 Masters: Final leaderboard
Subsequent rounds of 71-71 kept him well within his objective to please his father as he was two shots behind pace-setter Phil Mickelson heading into the final 18.
As the Sunday Masters broke, the leaderboard was stacked with the top-five players in the world all within four shots – Mickelson, Singh, Retief Goosen, Ernie Els and, of course, Woods, the world No. 1. Fred Couples was in the mix, too, as was No. 15 Darren Clarke, No. 20 Chad Campbell and reigning Players champion Stephen Ames.
Woods pulled within one with a birdie on the second but remained basically in neutral the rest of the way. A bogey on the sixth hurt and then he started taking chances. He made bogey on 11, another on the 17th that offset birdies on 15 and 16. A birdie on the 72nd offered little consolation. He took 33 putts, nine of them coming on three greens.
A final-round 70 left him at 4-under 284 and in a tie for third, three shots behind Mickelson, who closed with a 69 and won his second Masters by two shots over Tim Clark. Mickelson, who won the last major of 2005 at the PGA Championship, had won three majors in the most recent nine played.
“The way I controlled my ball flight, I thought today was the day if I’d putted normal,” Woods said after the round. “It’s the most three putts I’ve ever had here. I’m sure (my dad’s) watching and probably a little mad at me for the way I putted. I’m sure he knows what I did wrong.”
Years later, Woods revealed it was his toughest defeat.
“That one hurt the most of any tournament that I have failed to win,” Woods said in 2013. “I’ve lost tournaments before, and I’ve been through some tough defeats over the years, but nothing like that because I knew my dad would never live to see another major championship.
“At the time, going into that final round and on the back nine, I pressed and I tried to make putts that instead of just allowing it to happen, I’ve tried to force it. I know he was at home watching, and just really wanted to have him be a part of one last major championship victory. And I didn’t get it done.”
Earl Woods passed away three weeks later. After Woods missed the cut in the U.S. Open in his next start, he tied for second in the Western Open and then at Royal Liverpool won his third Claret Jug in the British Open where, he said, he “bawled like a little baby,” because it was his first major triumph without his father alive.
His victory at Royal Liverpool was his 11th major title and began a string of five victories in as many starts. He won his 12th major a month later in the PGA Championship at Medinah Country Club. In all, Woods finished the year with nine wins, three seconds and a third in 19 starts.
This is the 12th story in a series looking at each of Tiger Woods’ appearances at the Masters. Catch up on the series here.
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