is that Tiger Woods had not gone into the Masters with a realistic chance to win since 2013, the year of his infamous drop on the 15th hole that led to a two-stroke penalty and eventually a tie for fourth, four strokes behind Adam Scott.
The downside is that in those five tournaments, Woods never finished closer than eight shots to the winner in the four stroke-play events, and was never a back-nine contender in the final round. “It was huge,” LaCava says. “He hits it way back to that top shelf. Back left, the third tier. The pin is front left. And the funny thing is when we finished up on Wednesday with J.T. and Fred, Tiger dropped a ball and they had a little closest-to contest. He dropped the ball a foot from where he hit it on Sunday. And the pin was a foot from where it was on Sunday.
That denied him a chance at just his second opening round in the 60s at Augusta. The only time he’d been under 70 in the first round to that point was in 2010, when he shot 68. And yet, three of his four Masters victories—1997, 2001 and 2002—came after opening the tournament with a 70. And for the first time in seven years—since the 2012 PGA Championship—he opened a major with consecutive rounds under par, with a familiar nemesis in his path.
After a Saturday 67, Woods would need to do that on a final day that was expected to be impacted by the weather. He noted that the early start would be unusual, and while Woods is a notoriously poor sleeper, he needed extra time each day due to his back issues to prepare for a round of golf.“The day I don’t feel pressure is the day I quit,” he said. “I always thought that if you care about something, obviously you’re going to feel pressure. And I’ve always felt it, from the first time I remember ever playing a golf tournament to now. That hasn’t changed.
The turning point turned out to be the 12th hole, where Tiger’s competitors could not keep their golf balls out of Rae’s Creek. Four players, including Molinari, found the water there, dooming their chances.“ Molinari’s miscues meant more gasps, but Woods had only separated by a shot. There were still three holes to play, and the par-3 16th, the site of so much drama over the years, delivered again. Woods’s iron tee shot flew toward the right side of the green, landed on a slope, kicked left, and gained momentum as it tracked toward the hole.Kohjiro Kinno/Sports Illustrated
Masters Augusta National Bob Harig
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