Tiger Woods outlasted a stacked field to win the 2019 Masters on a cloudy Sunday afternoon at Augusta National. The 43-year-old ended his 11-year drought at major championships with a stellar final round to finish at 13-under overall and emerge atop a crowded leaderboard.
Woods pumped his fist while the crowd roared after sinking his bogey putt on the 18th hole to clinch the win. There were chants of “Tiger! Tiger! Tiger!” as he hugged his family afterwards.
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The winning stroke came after Woods narrowly missed his par putt, which left the ball just a couple feet away from the hole with the tournament on the line.
Dustin Johnson, Xander Schauffele and Brooks Koepka finished tied second at 12-under. Koepka missed a key birdie opportunity on the 18th green that would’ve pulled him within a shot of the lead.
Woods charged in the final few holes after five players emerged in a tie at the top of the leaderboard in the early afternoon. He earned back-to-back birdies at the 15th and 16th holes, the latter thanks to a stellar drive that left him just a few feet from the pin.
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Francesco Molinari, who entered the day with a two-stroke lead, led for most of the final round until a pair of disastrous holes enabled a host of challengers to emerge on the back nine. He hit the water on the 12th and 15th holes, and each time it led to a double bogey. The second one effectively pushed him out of the race for good when Woods birdied the same hole.
Molinari finished the day with a 2-over 74, easily his worst round of the week, to complete the tournament at 11-under overall.
Woods, Koepka, Johnson and Schauffele were among players in the mix going down the stretch. Patrick Cantlay and Schauffele temporarily stood atop the leaderboard in the early afternoon following Molinari’s breakdown, but the jockeying between the different leaders continued until Woods took the lead for good.
In addition to receiving the legendary green jacket, Woods will receive $2.07 million in prize money for winning the tournament. Only the Players’ Championship and U.S. Open will pay out more to their respective winners during the 2019 PGA Tour season.