Tiger Relives 2019 Masters Sunday With Jim Nance

If there had been a Masters this week, there wouldn’t have been a Masters Sunday.

A severe weather front moved through Augusta for most of the day and it is highly likely that there would have been no play and a Monday finish would have happened for the first time in nearly 40 years.

But while strong winds and thunderstorms rocked Augusta, CBS replayed the final round from Tiger Woods’ magnificent 2019 triumph that saw him complete one of the greatest comebacks in all of sports to win his 15th major championship.

Jim Nance made an on-screen appearance from his Pebble Beach mansion while Tiger, sporting a full beard, joined him from inside his Jupiter Island Fortress Of Solitude.  Tiger took at look back with Nance on what was happening and how he pulled it all off.

“I was just trying to plod my way around the golf course,” Tiger said, wearing his Green Jacket, still in his possession as the reigning Masters champion.

Tiger remembered where the tournament turned in his favor.  “It all flipped at 12,” Woods pointed out.

The famous par three at Amen Corner unraveled Francesco Molinari, Brooks Koepka and Tony Finau.  All three hit their tee shots in the water and all three walked off with double-bogeys.

Up until that point, Molinari had control of the tournament.

Things turned faster for Woods at 15 where Molinari chunked his third shot into the par five and saw his ball splash in the middle of the pond.  In front of Woods, Xander Schauffele failed to make birdie and Koepka’s eagle putt at 15 barely missed.

Tiger’s four-iron into the green was perfect and his two-putt birdie gave him the solo lead at 13-under.  But his shot of the day came at the 16th.

“It was an eight-iron, between that and a seven, I went with an eight, drew it in.  I couldn’t see it going down the hill but from the noise I knew it was close, I didn’t know how close until I got close to the green.”

Woods had a perfect putt for birdie, just inside three feet.  “I called Joey (LaCava) in just to make sure, and he says ‘what are you doing?  It’s left-center,'” Woods recalled.  Woods holed it, went to 14-under, parred 17 and stood on 18 tee knowing he’d need a five for the win after Koepka misread his birdie putt and saw it slide left.

Tiger’s three-wood found the far right of the fairway and his eight-iron approach caught a small piece of a tall pine branch and fell 30 yards short of the green.  He pitched to 12 feet and saw the par putt just slide by.

The six-inch tap-in was no sweat.  He threw his arms in the air and screamed.  “I didn’t remember doing that,” Woods admitted.  “It’s one of those black-out moments.”

Woods said it was most special to have his children there.  “They’ll remember it for the rest of their lives and I’m glad I could pull it off.  To have them see it and to have mom there, it’s beyond special.”

Woods also paid special tribute to LaCava.  “He was so cool all day.  He knew where I stood on every hole, had perfect yardages, the right clubs and with all the pressure around us, he was the picture of cool.  Joey’s been a rock.  I kept telling him to go get another bag, a younger bag, when I didn’t know if I’d play again.  He said, “No, I’m with you.”

Looking back, Tiger still described it as “overwhelming” and “surreal.”

Looking back, it was that and more.

No, there would have been no action yesterday at Augusta National.  Even if there wasn’t a virus among us, Mother Nature would have had the final say.

And as Jim Nance told Tiger:

“See you in November.”