Tiger’s Masters record 4 T32

Appearances ( 1997, 2001, ‘ 02, ‘ 05) top 20s

The defence and ‘that’ chip

Woods’ incredible Major run came to an end at the 2001 US Open. However, in 2002, he was at it again. A third-round 66 set up a final-day duel with reigning US Open champion, Retief Goosen.

By now, Woods was making the most of his aura. A flash of his red shirt on a Sunday was often all it took for the would-be challengers to retreat. Not all, of course, but by the 8th, Woods had opened up a three-shot gap over his nearest rival, Vijay Singh, as his South African playing partner struggled. He took the victory walk up 18 with a three-shot lead before becoming just the third player to successfully defend the Masters, alongside Nicklaus and Faldo.

The years 2003 and 2004 were unspectacular for Woods, as he finished tied 15th and tied 22nd respectively. He arrived at Augusta in 2005 on a run of ten Majors without a win – a drought by his standards – facing questions about his work with swing coach Hank Haney. Over the course of four days, he answered the critics emphatically.

Woods trailed Dimarco by six shots through two rounds in a rain-affected affair, but on Sunday, when he returned to finish his third round, he completed a run of seven straight birdies. Dimarco was up for the fight and was one behind after 15 holes of the final round. What happened next is surely one of golf’s most replayed shots – the famous chip from the back of the 16th. “In your life have you ever seen anything like that?” said commentator Verne Lundquist. No, we hadn’t.

It should have been enough for victory in regulation play, but Woods bogeyed the final two holes and it went to a play-off. It didn’t last long. He birdied the 18th and, once again, he ruled Augusta.

Elusive number five

That was 14 years ago. From 2006 to 2011 he didn’t finish outside the top six. In 2013, he avoided disqualification after being handed a two-stroke penalty for an illegal drop and he went on to finish in a tie for fourth. However, it was the beginning of a miserable few years for Woods, who’d already suffered a humiliating fall from grace in ’09 following revelations about his private life. On the horizon, injury was lurking, too, and Woods missed the 2014 tournament. Back injury and rehabilitation saw him miss ’16 and ’17, but he returned last year to finish in a tie for 32nd.

We didn’t believe it at the time, but Woods was on the road to recovery. His Tour Championship victory in September completed a miraculous comeback year. A film will be made about the great man one day. The only problem with the script will be stripping back the highlights. His extraordinary achievements and relationship with Augusta will occupy a significant slot – but how will it end? Tiger, it seems, is not done quite yet.

“A film will be made one day. The only problem will be stripping back the highlights”