There was a new roar that echoed throughout Augusta National.
It was unlike one ever heard before.
Countless times before, Tiger Woods has made fans at the Masters shake the sacred grounds with their cheers after shots, rounds and wins. On Sunday, Woods had the throng gathered around the 18th green chanting his name.
“Tiger. Tiger. Tiger.”
They had just witnessed more history. Woods won this 15th major and fifth Masters championship, closing with a final score of 13-under par. The major win came 11 years after his last.
Woods served noticed, even after two near misses in majors last year and a win at the Tour Championship, that he is back.
Woods entered the final round in the final pairing, two strokes behind leader Francesco Molinari and tied with Tony Finau.
» Round review: Look back at Sunday's final round
As the round progressed, each faded with mistakes. Woods fought off other would-be challengers with birdies at Nos. 14 and 15. By the time he got to No. 18, Woods held a two-shot lead. He bogeyed the final hole to win by one stroke.
Woods screamed.
The crowd chanted.
There were hugs from his children and mother, which came 22 years after Woods embraced his ailing father after winning the 1997 Masters, his first off all the major championship.
Woods high-fived those lined the walkway to the scorer’s building.
Fellow players, including some wearing their green jackets as Masters winners, offered congratulations before he entered.
"I mean, I've heard it," said Brooks Koepka, who held off Woods at last year's PGA Championship and finished a stroke behind at the Masters. "I heard it at the PGA. You hear it here. You know any time he does something good, the fans are going to get excited and they are going to be loud, and that's the following that he's created.
» Photos: Masters' final round
“It’s cool to see, if you take a step back while you're playing. It’s fun. I mean, you watch him walk down after he won on 18 there, I mean, it’s just a monsoon of people. It’s incredible.”
Woods dispatched Molinari, who faltered with double bogeys on Nos. 12 and 15 when hit found the water. Molinari said a Woods breakthrough was a matter of time. Woods had prime chances at the British Open and the PGA last year. For him to finally win again on this course was dramatic.
“It’s great to see obviously Tiger doing well but the way he was playing last year I think we all knew it was coming sooner or later,” Molinari said. “So maybe next time it will be better for me, but it was nice to be out with him. He played well. He hit the right shots at the right time and deserved to win.”
Woods brought back the short-sleeved mock turtlenecks. In his last Masters win, in 2005, in sported the fashion that has since went out of style. At least one competitor thinks the look might make a comeback.
“I actually told Tiger at Torrey (Pines) that I think they are hideous,” said Xander Schauffele, who briefly shared the lead. “He laughed and told me a few other words after that. But I did give him credit. I said he’s had a little bit of success in that turtleneck, but I can promise you that probably half a million are going to sell tomorrow.”
The Tiger Effect as they call it — off and off the course — is back. Can you hear it?
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