Tiger Woods Wins His First Masters Since 2005 In A Tight Finish
Tiger Woods has done it again after 14 years. The 43-year-old star golfer won his first Masters title since 2005 on Sunday, April 14 beating his opponents in a nailbiting finish that many thought was impossible, Yahoo Sports notes. It was also his first major tournament win in 11 years.
“I’m a little hoarse from yelling,” Woods said after he won his green jacket. “When I tapped the putt in, I don’t know what I did; I know I screamed. To have my kids there, it’s come full circle. My dad was there in ’97 and now I’m the dad.”
Woods won his first Masters title in 1997 and several other high profile wins followed. But his career has lately been stymied by personal scandals and back pain which left many doubts as to whether he would ever get back to the fighting form that he displayed during his prime. According to Yahoo, his poor health meant that he missed three of the last five Masters tournaments and he didn’t make much of an impact on the other two.
In 2017, his fall from grace seemed almost certain when he was arrested in May of that year for a DUI.
As ESPN reported at the time, the toxicology report showed that he had multiple drugs in his system including Xanax, Ambien, Dilaudid and THC, an ingredient active in marijuana.
After pleading guilty to reckless driving, Woods enrolled into a diversion program in exchange for the crime being expunged from his record.
Like father, like son. ?
1997 to 2019. ?What a moment it was for Tiger Woods at #TheMasters.
Here ? https://t.co/0vp7vBXJ7R #bbcgolf pic.twitter.com/a76xYdSo0d
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) April 14, 2019
As Golf Week reports, Woods was recently asked if he was “surprised” about his lack of major tournament wins for more than a decade.
“I would say that I wouldn’t have foreseen that, for sure. After I won my 14th, I felt like I still had plenty more major championships that I could win, but unfortunately I just didn’t do it,” he said. “You know, hopefully, this year, I put myself there again, and hopefully I’ll get it done.”
Woods likely didn’t realize that he’d predicted his future with that last statement. As Yahoo Sports notes, he won his fifth Masters title by one stroke in the final round, even though his competitors had the upper hand against him for most of the game.
Although he’s known for his cool, levelheaded demeanor, Woods screamed after he won and embraced his son, Charlie, who had watched him play and win. The crowd also showed their support by chanting the name of the man who has become synonymous with the sport of golf.
