On a wild day at Augusta National Golf Club that saw seven different players with a legitimate shot to win with just a few holes to play, Woods delivered some of his finest moments on Sunday at The Masters to win his 15th career major championship. Woods victory at the 2019 Masters comes 14 years after his last win in 2005, the longest gap in history between wins at Augusta.
Woods put himself in contention on Thursday with a solid opening round of 70, but it took a slew of heroic putts from long range, unbelievable escapes after wayward tee shots, and a few instant-classic Tiger moments over the final nine holes to capture the green jacket. Here are Tiger’s TK most-important shots of the weekend.
Friday: 20-foot birdie putt at No. 6
Woods bogeyed the par-4 5th hole – which was altered and made even more difficult for the 2019 Masters – in each of his four rounds this week, but on Friday he bounced back from two bogeys on the front nine with immediate birdies on the next hole.
Friday: 37-foot birdie putt at No. 9
This gift of a birdie kicked off what looked to be a vintage Tiger charge that was unfortunately interrupted by a weather delay.
Friday: Absurdity at No. 14
In the span of a few seconds, Woods avoided two potential disasters in his second round. A poor drive off the tee left Woods in the trees, but he imagined and executed a masterful recovery shot that stopped 28 feet from the hole.
As the crowd rushed to admire the shot, a security guard slipped in the mud and crashed into Woods, tweaking his ankle. Tiger was fortunately able to continue, and he went on to drill the birdie putt.
Friday: 30-foot birdie bomb at No 15
BIG fist pump.
@TigerWoods is one off the lead.#LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/0SoLtPTUwn
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 12, 2019
On the very next hole, Woods drained another unlikely birdie putt just as it seemed like he may not take advantage of the par-5. Woods missed several short-range putts over his first two rounds, but his ridiculous string of long makes on Friday kept him in contention.
Saturday: 18-foot birdie putt at No. 6
Another day, another bounce-back birdie. Crucial.
Saturday: A brilliant tee shot at No. 16
Woods was brilliant on the back nine on Saturday to earn himself a spot in the final group, and he followed up birdies on both of the par-5s with a gem of a shot at the par-3 16th.
Sunday: A seven-foot birdie at No. 8
Francesco Molinari would go on to card two ugly double bogeys in his final six holes to fall down the leaderboard, but he carried a streak of 49 consecutive bogey-free holes through six holes on Sunday, while Woods carded back-to-back bogeys on No. 4 and No. 5. He kept pace with Molinari with a clutch birdie putt at a distance he struggled with earlier in the tournament.
Sunday: Woods avoids disaster at No. 11
Woods lost control off the tee midway through his final round, and the situation looked dire off the tee at 11. Woods sprayed his shot well right of the fairway – but was extremely fortunate to have a sightline to the green. He recovered with a shot to 25-feet, then two-putted to save par.
Sunday: Tiger seals the win at No. 16
One shot ahead of stellar group of golfers locked at 12-under par, Woods gave himself some breathing room and nearly one-upped his incredible chip in 2005 with a near ace. The tap-in birdie put Woods two strokes clear, and he held on for one of his greatest career wins.