TIGER ROARS BACK

Ten years on from his spectacular downfall, Woods wins Masters for a fifth time as...

TIGER Woods completed one of the most astonishing comebacks in sporting history last night.

Leaving ten years of sex scandals and career-threatening injuries behind him, the 43year-old golf superstar held his nerve to win the Masters.

His fifth victory at the tournament in Augusta, Georgia, was his 15th major title – but his first for 11 years. Amid raucous celebration, Woods embraced his son Charlie, nine, daughter Sam, 11, mother Kultida, 75, and girlfriend Erica Herman, 33.

It was an echo of 22 years ago when Woods hugged his father Earl after win his first Masters green jacket aged 21.

Woods had been at the top of his sport for more than a decade before his image was tarnished by revelations of affairs. His wife Elin Nordegren filed for divorce after an incident in which Woods crashed his car outside their home and she hit the vehicle with a golf club.

A string of women came forward to claim they had slept with him. Woods, who had won the 2008 US Open despite a serious knee injury, then suffered severe back problems which left him struggling even to walk. The former No.1 plunged to 1,199th in the world rankings.

But following major surgery in April 2017 – and despite a conviction for reckless driving the following month when he was found slumped in his car, something he blamed on drugs he took during recuperation – he slowly returned to form

Woods said his victory was ‘overwhelming. President Donald Trump was among those to tweet congratulations to ‘a truly Great Champion!’