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AUGUSTA, Ga. – An impromptu celebration broke out Sunday afternoon on Augusta National's putting green. Tiger Woods won the victory lap after receiving the green jacket of 2018 champion Patrick Reed.
As the masses cheered on Woods, then migrated with him as he left the green, Reed found himself caught in the frenzy, trying to make his way to the clubhouse as tens of hundreds of spectators ran in the other direction.
Dressed in his green jacket and a yellow tie, Reed was engulfed in hysteria, almost crushed – a feeling shared by others in the aftermath of Woods' historic victory.
It was his 81st title on the PGA Tour, his 15th and 5th Masters. So of course, it is fair to ask what is the next step.
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Are there more majors in the near future for Tiger? Our experts determine what awaits the champion masters.
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Only two years ago, Tiger was sitting at Augusta National and thought that he was "finished". On Sunday, he was wearing the green jacket improbably for the fifth time.
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For his children and his peers, Tiger was a memory at the majors. Sunday at Augusta, he reminded the world who he was by winning a fifth green jacket.
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"I felt that the hardest part for him was going to be the next, to get to this 15 [major] brand, & # 39; & # 39; Reed said. "Because [his last major victory] was a long time ago. First, it was: "Can he enter the winner's circle?" Well, he checked that in East Lake [where he won the 2018 Tour Championship.]
"So it's OK, he just needs that one [major] to find this taste. For him to get another one as he did, with everyone in the rankings, I would be shocked if he did not knock on that door for 19 years. & # 39; & # 39;
It's maybe a little ahead of ourselves, but it's worth noting that such a notion is even in conversation, that Jack Nicklaus's record of 18 major titles is even in play .
Because for so long it was not. Not after multiple injuries, swing problems, problems of trust and a period of eleven years without a major championship.
"The way he played this week especially the way he played [Sunday] . . . it was brutal there, "said Reed. "The wind was blowing, you had to be able to control your golf ball, not just in terms of distance, you had to be able to fly, you had to hit every shot, whether it was a draw with the wind or a draw. " Hold the wind. Up down. Playing as he did and being able to bogey the last hole to win simply shows how much he is still an awesome golfer. & # 39;
Who would have dreamed possible? Not Woods two years ago, while he was about to undergo a spinal fusion operation that would change his life and career. Certainly not a growing horde of naysayers, who thought his victorious days were behind him even before the back problems arose, as Woods struggled despite his world No. 1 status for most of 2013.
Woods had finally failed to convert a 54-hole lead into a major victory at the 2009 PGA Championship. He finished six of the top six among the 14 major tournaments he competed in, his best draw for third place in the world. Open 2012. Just two strokes back a year later in Muirfield, Woods tied for the sixth time. For the sixth time in his career, he was two strokes back to enter the final round of a major without winning.
The first backstroke in 2014 eliminated Woods from the Masters and US Open, but he played no role in the six major tournaments he played, missing four cups.
The other players certainly had doubts, watching Woods endure a hacking case in 2015, missing three cuts in the majors that year, then a failed comeback at the end of 2016 and 2017.
And then there was the wait after the surgery, the unknown, Woods saying, "I do not know what my future holds for me."
But Rob McNamara has never doubted. Vice President of Woods & TGR Ventures, McNamara has been working for Woods since 2000 and has become a trusted confidant to the extent that the golfer plays without a coach.
"I've always been an eternal optimist," McNamara told the Augusta clubhouse on Sunday. "Even before the operation, I thought he was standing on two legs, he would always be Tiger Woods.He was the best guy with a different swing and a different body to [age] 5, to 10, to 15, to 20. So why not 43 with bad back? In my head, I was always optimistic. I know that the reality of doing it is pretty surreal. & # 39; & # 39;
McNamara played with Woods at Augusta National on April 3rd, the Wednesday prior to tournament week, and a few days after his quarter-final loss to Match Play WGC-Dell Technologies. Woods shot a 65 that day – with a three-shot bogey on the first hole.
Then they returned to Augusta on April 7, late in the afternoon, after most of them had left the course. Woods, McNamara and Joe LaCava, Woods's youngest, made their way to the first tee, where Woods took a corner and a putter with him.
"As for bullets, he was way ahead of his fate last year," McNamara said. "All year long, he drove the ball and really hit it well – it was just scoring – short play and putting – I started to see a change once that." He started to present it very tightly, it was a part of that work on Sunday night, just to take a corner around, he knew it was a question of throws and chips and to control your distance, your speed and your effects.He started to get called and had a good feeling.I think it won out.â €
Woods was ranked just 47th in driving precision for the weekend, but he dominated the greens peloton in terms of regulation – he was first or second in each of his five wins – striking 58 of the 72 greens. Woods made nine bogeys, two times three and seven times, failing equally.
But hitting all those greens was the key, as Woods made 22 birdies, including six in the final.
"I felt so prepared to come for this event," said Woods, "this year my finishes do not really reflect it. [nothing better than a tie for 10th in four stroke play events]but I was starting to model the balloon as I knew it, which I needed for this week.
"The preparations for the Masters started six months ago, so just try to make sure I'm ready to reach the top for this week and that's what I've done, and everything is set up, which is great. "
Can it reach its peak this year at other majors? The process for Woods to be ready to play every day and every tournament is discouraging. There are morning wake-up calls, with a stretching routine and cardio training that sometimes involves a therapy to get ready. During the weeks off, Woods can not hammer hundreds of balls a day. He needs the right combination of training and tournament preparation to succeed.
Now sixth in the world and 13th in the FedEx Cup standings, Woods is less worried about qualifying for the FedEx Cup playoffs. He reiterated that he would play less than last year – a total of 20 times in the world, including 18 on the PGA Tour.
A well-informed assumption makes him play at the Wells Fargo Championship later this month, followed by weekly events at the PGA Championship, Memorial Tournament and US Open. It is possible that Woods will no longer play after this until the Royal Portrush Open, followed by a restless race until the end of the season including the WGC-FedEx St. Jude. after the Open, then three playoffs in August.
For the moment, the next attempt will be to win the 82nd PGA Tour victory and match Sam Snead's record. The PGA Tour is planning a marketing campaign around this pursuit.
But in the back of the mind, Nicklaus' case will be pursued at all costs, even if it remains a difficult task.
"You can not get to 18 unless you're 15," LaCava said. "We are now thinking of turning 16. That's the good news – it's the next."
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