Tiger Woods: The 12th Was Pivotal to 2019 Masters Win

The 2020 Masters is almost here, and Tiger Woods was available for another interview in anticipation of the start of the event.

In his pre-tournament interview, Tiger Woods showed an uncharacteristically full range of emotion, particularly when discussing his 2019 victory at the Masters. All quotes come from the said interview.

"“It was just a fight and a grind trying to hang in there and make a dent in the lead,” Woods recalled in the Augusta National media center, looking uncharacteristically emotional. “Frankie basically had control of it and then No. 12 happened. Everything flipped.”"

Woods was referring, of course, to Francesco Molinari, who had won the 2018 British Open, and along with Tommy Fleetwood, was a star at the 2018 Ryder Cup, a pairing some called Mollywood.

Tiger Woods was behind. Four other

players

with a chance to win– Molinari, Brooks Koepka, Tony Finau, and Ian Poulter– hit balls into the water at the dastardly par 3, and that made all the difference for Woods. He made par.

Then he followed that with birdies at both the remaining par fives, the 13th and the 15th, and added another at the final par 3, the 16th. It was the cherry on top of the Masters Sundae.

"“I still get chills just thinking about it,” he admitted."

Then, he just needed to hang on for the rest of the round, no easy task at one of the most challenging golf courses on the planet.

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As he walked up the storied 18th hole, Woods said was aware that he just needed to two-putt from about 15 feet for the victory. His family waited behind the green, knowing better than anyone else what Woods had gone through with his back surgeries. Seeing his children, he was reminded of his first Masters victory where his father waited for him behind the same green in 1997.

The 2019 victory was emotional, just like the 1997 one was, but in a different way. In 1997, Woods father was still recovering from heart surgery, but he would not be kept away from seeing his son win the Masters.

"“Last year was more emotional in a different way, just because of the struggles I’ve had, and I had never won a major coming from behind,” Woods added. “To come full circle, from me being with my dad there to seeing my son there and same embrace, 22 years apart. Pretty good bookends.”"

His words were halting as he explained how he felt, and it was clear that his emotions were sincere.

However, 2020 is different than 2019. Tiger Woods has not had a successful year. He’s played just eight tournaments since January, missed the cut at the recent U.S. Open, and finished three spots from the bottom at ZOZO. He has not been “trending”, as people like to say.

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"“I haven’t put all the pieces together at the same time,” he said about his game."

Most golfers can identify with his analysis. If his drives are good, he said, his irons aren’t. If he’s hitting the ball well, his putting is wayward. Other times, he said his putting has been on, but nothing else was. It’s been patch, patch, patch. In addition, Woods had concerns about playing with COVID19 circulating.

Despite that, he definitely expects to contend this week and into the future.

“It’s gotten a little more difficult as I’ve gotten older and don’t quite hit it as far,” he noted. “When I first came here, it was a lot of drivers and a lot of wedges. Now it’s a little bit different.”

He hits longer clubs into the greens these days, but course knowledge helps him stay competitive, just as it does other players. He cited Fred Couples and Bernhard Langer as two past champions who had contended well beyond the age of 50.

For those looking for another Woods victory, here’s some exciting news: His body, he says, is feeling better than it did in 2019.

"“Last year I hit a lot of really good iron shots and putted great,” he said. He spent some extra time on the putting green Tuesday, fine-tuning what has been a multi-million-dollar stroke."

Next. The Masters 2020: Justin Thomas can receive green jacket from friend and hero on Sunday. dark

The question remains: Will Tiger Woods have all the parts together at the same time for August National?

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