Tiger Woods Wins the Masters, Securing His First Major Title in 11 Years
After four days of play at the Augusta National Golf Club, Tiger Woods has secured the coveted green jacket.
On Sunday, Woods scored 13 under par at The Masters Tournament, besting storied competitors including Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson.
After sinking his final putt, Woods couldn’t contain his happiness as he threw up his hands and began celebrating. As he left the course, Woods took a moment to share hugs with his children, according to USA Today.
This is Woods’ first major win in 11 years, where he placed first in the 2008 U.S. Open.
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Play was moved up on Sunday due to inclement weather, with the final 65 players competing in threesomes off of two tees early Sunday morning.
Going into the final round in Augusta, Georgia, Francesco Molinari, Woods and Tony Finau were the leading threesome, teeing off at 9:20 a.m. EST, according to the PGA Tour.
The win marked 43-year-old Woods’ fifth green jacket. Only retired player Jack Nicklaus, who has won the Masters six times, has more.
A moment between a father and a son.#themasters pic.twitter.com/Ft0ta2mD5o
— Masters Tournament (@TheMasters) April 14, 2019
Woods previously won the Masters in 1997, 2000, 2001 and 2005.
Celebrating the news, Nicklaus went on to congratulate Woods in a sweet Twitter post, writing, “A big “well done” from me to @TigerWoods! I am so happy for him and for the game of golf. This is just fantastic!!!”
Roaring back.#themasters pic.twitter.com/nlTwxWJW8X
— Masters Tournament (@TheMasters) April 14, 2019
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Woods had his best score at the Masters on Saturday since 2011, making three straight birdies on the front and three birdies on the last six holes. According to ESPN, Woods’ score put him in the final leaders’ group for the first time since 2009.
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Wood’s win follows last year’s green jacket recipient, Patrick Reed, who finished 15 under par in 2018. The year prior, Sergio Garcia finished with a final score of 9 under par.
The purse for this year’s Masters was a record $11.5 million, with the winner taking home $2.01 million.
