After an incredible final round full of drama at The Masters, Tiger Woods secured his first major golf title in 11 years. Woods, who wasn't leading at the start of the day, played superbly and got a slice of luck.
Image: Getty Images/A. Redington
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Tiger Woods sealed one of the most remarkable comebacks in sport, let alone golf, to win his fifth Masters and seal an epic return from scandal and injuries that once threatened his career. It's Woods' 15th major, and the 14 years between his fourth and fifth Masters triumph is the longest gap between majors.
A remarkable 22 years after Woods won his first major at Augusta National, Woods sunk a short bogey putt to seal the win as the crowd erupted in chants of "Tiger! Tiger! Tiger!"
Woods, who started the day two shots behind Francesco Molinari, fired a final-round 70 for a 13-under par to claim a one-shot win over Dustin Johnson, Xander Schauffele and Brooks Koepka.
After battling to overhaul Italian Francesco Molinari, who had led for 54 holes, Woods birdied the par-5 13th to join a lead pack of five at 12-under. Woods then birdied the par-five 15th hole to take a one-shot lead and stretched it to two strokes with a birdie at the par-three 16th as Molinari's challenge faded with double bogeys at the 12th and 15th.
And yet, on April 14, 2019, Woods won the Masters - his first major in 11 years. Not since the 2008 US Open had Woods hoisted a major trophy, and Woods' fifth Green Jacket leaves him one short of Jack Nicklaus' record of six. His victory also makes him the second player, after Jack Nicklaus, to win the Masters in three different decades.
Tiger Woods: Heaven, hell and back
He was a child prodigy who has since enjoyed enormous sporting success, but it's not all been plain sailing for Tiger Woods. After winning his first major title in 11 years, DW takes a look at Woods' eventful career.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/R. Sullivan
Child prodigy
At just six months old, the young Tiger Woods was reportedly able to copy his dad's golf swings. Eighteen months later, he'd made his first appearance on TV. By the age of 13, he'd become close to a household name, featuring on all the major networks in the US. He was also picking up just about every trophy in the junior ranks.
Image: picture alliance/AP/B. Galbraith
Turning pro
The American turned pro at 20 after picking up a trio US Amatuer titles and, true to form, wasted no time making his mark. Just two months after becoming a professional in 1996, he was picking up his first PGA Tour win at the Las Vegas Invitational.
Image: picture alliance/AP/L. McLendon
Master of the Majors
If the win in Vegas was a milestone, this was the moment Woods really arrived on the global stage. At 21, he became the youngest man ever to win at Augusta and picked up the famous green jacket. He'd go on to win the Masters three more times, with his current major championship tally standing at 14.
Image: Imago/UPI Photo
The Grand Slam
April 8, 2001 was arguably the most remarkable day of an astounding career. Again it came at Augusta as Woods picked up a second Masters win. Impressive as that is, that win also mean he held all four major titles at once, something no other golfer has managed.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/R. Sullivan
Pairing up
In October 2004, Woods married Swedish model Elin Nordegren after he met her through fellow golfer Jesper Parnevik, for whom Nordegren worked as a nanny. The pair tied the knot in Barbados and had a son named Charlie Axel and a daugher named Sam together.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/K. Ludbrook
Accident causes all sorts of damage
Throughout his career up to this point in 2009, Woods had always maintained a squeaky clean image. But in the wake of allegations of multiple affairs, he crashed his car in to a fire hydrant, a tree and some hedges outside his Florida mansion. The subsequent days, weeks and months saw him pull out of tournaments, lose several lucrative sponsorship deals and his marriage ended in 2010.
The Bridgestone Invitational at the Firestone Country Clum in Akron, Ohio is far from the most prestigious of tournaments. But, until this week, it looked like it would have a certain sort of significance. This 2013 win was Woods' 79th PGA Tour win and, for a long time, looked like being his last.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo/P. Long
Not ready for the comeback
After missing the Masters for the first time in his career in 2014, Woods returned to Augusta a year later. But it wasn't the comeback he'd hoped for. Woods looked out of sorts and was clearly struggling with the back injuries that would eventually require several operations and a lot of recovery time.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Andrew Gombert
The low point
In the early hours of the morning, again not far from his Florida home, Woods was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs after falling asleep at the wheel in a traffic lance with the engine running. Woods initially blamed it on prescription drugs and later pleaded guilty to reckless driving, was fined and banned from drinking alcohol for the year that he's under probation.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/AP/Palm Beach County Sheriff's office
First win for five years
After making his way back from nearly two years out injured and position 1199 on the world ranking list, Woods finally got his hands on some silverware again after five long years at the weekend. "I just can't believe I pulled this off," the 42-year-old said. "I was having a hard time not crying coming up to the last hole." He'll now play for the USA in the Ryder Cup.
Image: Reuters/J. D. Mercer
Back at the top
Woods' remarkable comeback was complete when he sealed an unexpected win at the 2019 Masters. Having kept himself in contention, Woods stayed calmed on the final day when others didn't and sealed his first major in 11 years, and his first Masters in 14 years. He finished 13-under par, winning by one shot over a trio of chasers. It was Woods' 15th major title and perhaps the greatest of them all.
