Golf

Tiger Woods at the Masters (1997): Laps field for first major


After saying “Hello, world,” when he turned professional in 1996, Tiger Woods said goodbye to his colleagues in the 1997 Masters.

Playing his first major championship as a pro, Woods devoured Augusta National Golf Club and destroyed his competition in a staggering, record-setting, historical victory in the 1997 Masters. The victory not only changed the landscape of the sport, it inspired a future generation of Tiger hopefuls and reshaped the game as players began incorporating weight training into their regimens.

In becoming the first African-American – he is also half Thai – to win the Masters, Woods simply left the patrons and his colleagues in awe, as well as the 44 million viewers who tuned in for the final-round broadcast, which set a television ratings record at the time.

1997 MASTERS: Final leaderboard

After an opening-nine 4-over-par 40, Woods made 21 birdies, two eagles and just three bogeys over the next 63 holes to finish with rounds of 70-66-65-69. After his final four-foot putt dropped to best Jack Nicklaus’ scoring record by one, Woods shared a huge hug with his father just off the 18th green and then slipped on his first green jacket.

“There are a few tournaments throughout my career where I felt, ‘Just don’t screw it up,’” Woods said. “That was one of them.”

His 18-under 270 total broke the scoring record since equaled by Jordan Spieth. At 21, he became the youngest Masters champion. His 12-shot victory remains a tournament record for margin of victory. And his power – he hit wedges for his second shot on par-5s, sand wedges into some of the longer par-4s – triggered the club’s decision to lengthen the course and add a significant number of trees in what later became known as Tiger Proofing.

“I’ve never played an entire tournament with my A-game,” Woods said shortly after singing his scorecard. “This was pretty close.”

This is the third story in a series looking at each of Tiger Woods’ appearances at the Masters.



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