
Ranking Tiger Woods' 7 Greatest Moments at the Masters
Tiger Woods will remain the defending Masters champion for a little longer.
While the 2020 tournament is delayed to November, the middle of April brings the one-year anniversary of Tiger's return to glory. In 2019, Woods slipped on his fifth career green jacket—and set a Masters record with a 14-year gap between wins.
Since his Masters debut in 1995, Tiger has both celebrated the highs of victories and endured a near-decade of fallout from personal issues, injuries and shaky performance.
While the negatives are an important part of his story, Woods' best moments at Augusta National deserve a replay.
7. The 7-Birdie Streak (2005)
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Through two rain-soaked rounds in 2005, Woods trailed Chris DiMarco by six shots. On Saturday, they finished nine holes apiece and ended the darkness-shortened day with DiMarco on top at 13 under and Tiger four shots back.
But that's when Woods began an epic charge.
Tiger dropped in three straight birdies to close Saturday and opened Sunday's action with four in a row. He tied a Masters record with seven consecutive birdies, and it propelled him to a three-shot lead entering the final round as DiMarco struggled Sunday morning.
"Not bad, huh?" Woods said. "It's been a while, hasn't it? Most majors, you're not going to be making a whole bunch of birdies. You're going to be making a bunch of pars."
6. Back-to-Back Green Jackets (2002)
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Every major victory is exciting. Compared to his other five Masters triumphs, though, Tiger had an anticlimactic win in 2002.
Woods soared up the leaderboard with a six-under 66 Saturday, pulling into a tie with Retief Goosen. Top players Vijay Singh, Ernie Els, Sergio Garcia and Phil Mickelson all adorned the top four, suggesting a thrilling finish Sunday.
However, that wasn't the case at all.
Two early birdies put Tiger in a comfortable position as Goosen shot a three-over 39 on the front nine. Els went out in 34, but a triple bogey on 13 ended any chance of a comeback.
Woods joined Jack Nicklaus and Nick Faldo as the only back-to-back winners in Masters history.
5. Winning the Playoff (2005)
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Woods didn't waste his seven-birdie streak in 2005. He later navigated a sudden-death playoff to edge DiMarco and win a fourth green jacket.
Following the legendary chip-in on the 16th hole, Woods made bogey on both the 17th and 18th holes. DiMarco, meanwhile, parred 17 and lipped out a chip on 18. Woods wasted his two-shot advantage but survived a potential collapse.
On the first playoff hole—the 18th again—DiMarco tapped in a par before Tiger sank a 15-foot birdie for the win.
4. Finishing Off the Tiger Slam (2001)
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After winning the U.S. Open, Open Championship and PGA Championship in 2000, Tiger headed to Augusta with history at stake. Never before had a player held all four majors simultaneously.
Two decades later, we remember this as the Tiger Slam.
DiMarco dazzled with an opening-round 65, but Woods shot a 66 on Friday and 68 on Saturday to grab the 54-hold lead. Tiger outplayed Phil Mickelson and withstood a charge from David Duval and his eight Sunday birdies to secure a second green jacket.
Tiger ended the tournament in emphatic fashion, sinking a birdie on the 18th hole to finish 16 under.
3. Chip-In on the 16th (2005)
5 of 7Early in the final round in 2005, it was clear only Woods and DiMarco had a chance to win. Nobody else sat within three shots of DiMarco, who trailed Tiger by three shots through nine holes. Given that gap, it seemed Woods would cruise to a victory.
But then, a bogey on 10 and four straight pars opened the door. DiMarco inched within one, and Woods missed the green on the par-three 16th. Instead of giving back another shot, however, he played the slope with millimeter-perfect precision.
This chip is unquestionably one of the most famous shots in golf history.
"Oh, wow!" CBS broadcaster Verne Lundquist exclaimed. "In your life have you seen anything like that?!"
As highlighted earlier, Woods dropped a shot on the next two holes but recovered to overpower DiMarco in the playoff.
2. Comeback: Complete (2019)
6 of 7Injury in 2008, scandal in 2009 and persistent setbacks in the 2010s led to questions about Woods' ability to win another major. He silenced the doubters in 2019.
Heading into the final round, Woods sat two strokes behind Francesco Molinari and his 13-under score. Because of impending weather, they played in a Sunday trio alongside Tony Finau.
Through 11 holes, Molinari maintained his two-shot lead. But the 12th hole separated Tiger from the pack.
After both Brooks Koepka and Ian Poulter found Rae's Creek, Molinari and Finau did the same. All four carded a double bogey, and Woods—who targeted the middle of the green—rolled in a par. From there, birdies on the 13th, 15th and 16th holes pushed Tiger to a two-shot advantage on the 18th hole.
Woods played the final hole cautiously, and a two-putt bogey finish wrapped up his first Masters victory in 14 years.
1. Tiger's 1st Masters Win (1997)
7 of 7Tiger didn't just win the 1997 Masters. He obliterated the field.
The 21-year-old phenom sat an inconspicuous two under through 18 holes, three shots behind John Huston. And then, Woods went to work. He carded a six-under 66 on Friday and seven-under 65 on Saturday, opening up a commanding nine-shot lead.
Woods continued his dominance Sunday, shooting a three-under round to finish 18 under. His 12-shot advantage over second place set a record for largest margin of victory at a major.
The video of Woods hugging his father, Earl, on the way to the clubhouse is one of the most iconic moments in Masters history.






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