After putting three balls in the water at Augusta, Tiger Woods showed why he is one of the all-time greats

We’ve all been there. Standing on the tee, 155 yards between you and the flag. Could be a pitching wedge, or maybe a nine iron? You make your selection, and a couple of practise swings later, you send a lovely, slight fade to the green, leaving a short putt for birdie.

Only that’s what you imagined, of course, and in the real world you’ve put your ball in the water and are teeing up another after a penalty drop. At this point, as Tiger Woods found out on Sunday afternoon to his horror, damage limitation becomes particularly hard to accomplish.  

Woods found the water on three different occasions on the 12th hole during his final round as he relinquished his grip on the green jacket in the most brutal fashion. The 15-time major champion recorded a seven-over-par 10. It was his worst single-hole score at Augusta National since he first played the course in 1995.

The golfing great is not the first to find the water three times on the 12th, and he sure won’t be the last, but it did prove that even the seemingly immortal are human, prone to the same mistakes that anyone can make on their local golf course.

But the real difference between the good and the great emerged in the 90 minutes following that 12th-hole meltdown. Knowing he was well out of contention and in danger of finishing last of the field, following the cut, Woods went about showing what he was capable of.  

During his title-winning final round of 2019, Woods went through the final six holes at two under par, carding birdies at the par fives on 13 and 15, as well as the short par-three 16th, where it became apparent that he was heading for his first major in 11 years. This time around, with no hope of winning but determined to make up for the mess on 12, Woods registered five birdies in his final six holes, one of his best ever finishes to a major.

It displayed such mental strength and sporting prowess to forget what had just happened. Once again, he showed why he remains one of the very best. Even when Dustin Johnson was steaming towards a record-breaking Masters victory, people were still talking about Tiger Woods. You wouldn’t expect anything less.  

Yours,

Jack de Menezes

Sports news correspondent