Tiger Woods wins Masters in memorable fashion
By Joe Juliano
Knight-Ridder Newspapers
(KRT)
AUGUSTA, Ga. - The enormity of what Tiger Woods accomplished
at the Masters - his nerveless, ingenious, awe-inspiring performance
at one of golf's most historic arenas - didn't hit him until after
he finished rewriting the record book.
A week of colossal expectations proved to be no problem for
Woods. He played Sunday's final 18 holes at Augusta National Golf
Club, before a gallery giddy with great anticipation, as if he
were alone with his thoughts. He played with brilliant virtuosity.
After he'd made a four-foot par putt to officially bring down
the curtain on a previously unthinkable 12-stroke margin of victory
and a record 72-hole score, after he'd pumped his right fist several
times and let out a few "yeahs" of exultation, he walked
up the gentle slope to the scorer's tent behind the 18th green
and saw his parents.
He hugged his father, Earl, who last month underwent heart
bypass surgery. He buried his head in his father's shoulder, and
he cried.
"More than anything, I was relieved it was over,"
Woods said later, wearing the green jacket. "Every time I
hug my mom and pop, I know (a tournament is) over and I've accomplished
my goal. To share this with them is something special."
Though he had dreamed of winning the Masters since childhood,
Woods' dreams never looked like this.
"Actually, no," he said. "I never thought I'd
have the lead like I did. It's not what I envisioned. You envision
dueling it out with Faldo, Nicklaus or Watson, somebody tough
to beat.
"Or I thought I'd birdie 16, 17 and 18 to get into a playoff.
I never thought I'd do it in the fashion I did. But now it's reality."
It is special at a number of levels, covering golf and more.
Woods became the youngest Masters champion at 21 years, 3 months,
14 days. But the greatest component of his victory was that he
became the first African American to win a major championship.
It is noteworthy that he did it at the Masters, an event that
didn't have a black contestant until 1975 and is played at a club
that didn't have a black member until earlier in this decade.
Lee Elder, the first person of color to compete at Augusta
National, was in the gallery Sunday. Charlie Sifford, the pioneer
for black golfers on the PGA tour, a man who spent much of his
early career at Cobbs Creek Golf Course in West Philadelphia,
watched the telecast at his Texas home.
"I think that's why my victory is even more special,"
Woods said. "Lee came here, and that meant a lot to me. He's
one I looked up to, as with Charlie and Teddy Rhodes. Because
of all of them, I was able to play here.
"Having Lee here just inspired me and reinforced what
I had to do to go out there and try to accomplish what I did."
Woods' numbers were mind-boggling. With his 69 Sunday, he finished
at 18-under-par 270, establishing a Masters record for 72 holes,
beating a mark set by Jack Nicklaus in 1965 and tied by Ray Floyd
in 1976. He easily eclipsed Floyd's record for margin of victory
- 9 shots in '76.
The margin was the largest in a major championship in the 20th
century. The only one to exceed it came in the 1862 British Open,
which Old Tom Morris won by 13 strokes.
Woods surpassed the 17-under-par figure at the par-4 14th hole,
where he drained an eight-foot putt for birdie. At that point,
breaking 270 for 72 holes - a feat performed only 11 times in
the history of the major championships - appeared to be a distinct
possibility.
But Woods, the pressure still present despite his huge lead,
had to grind.
He hit his tee shot on the par-5 15th well to the right, nearly
into the 17th fairway, and had to make an eight-foot putt for
par. He pushed his tee ball at the par-3 16th about as far from
the hole as possible while still hitting the green, then 2-putted
for par.
Later, on the 18th tee, he became distracted by a photographer
on his downswing and hooked his tee ball way left. He reached
the green with his second shot, then putted down the slope to
four feet before sinking the putt that enabled him to break the
tournament scoring record.
"When I first walked on the green, I saw everybody clapping,
but I looked at my putt and I thought, 'Jeez, I have a tough putt,'
" Woods said.
"My focus never left me. Even with the ovation I got,
it was a special moment, but I knew I had to take care of business
first. I knew I had the scoring record, and I had to 2-putt from
a precarious position."
For his anticipated coronation, Woods wore his customary final-round
red shirt - because "my mom believes red is my power color,
and I always do what Momma says" - and then a red sweater
when the late-afternoon chill negated the warmth of the lowering
sun.
The power was evident. Then again, this was the prospect for
Woods two years ago, when he first made the trip up Magnolia Lane
as a 19-year-old amateur, arriving at Augusta National after final
exams at Stanford.
Woods entered this year's Masters as a professional, tuned
from competing regularly on challenging courses against the best
players in the world, learning what it took to be successful.
After shooting a 40 on the front nine on Thursday, Woods played
the remaining 63 holes in 22 under par. He went 37 holes without
a bogey before posting one at the fifth hole Sunday. For the week,
he played the par 5s in 13 under and the back nine in 16 under.
Actually, it was a keenly competitive tournament if you omit
Woods' score. Tom Kite took second at 282, and 14 players were
5 strokes or fewer behind him.
But this week, Tiger Woods played golf like few before him,
in a performance that people will remember for a long, long time.
(c) 1997, The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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