Tiger Woods holds the Masters Trophy after claiming his fifth Green Jacket at Augusta National. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

TIGER Woods completed one of the most incredible comebacks in sporting history to win an emotional 15th Major Championship by one shot at the Masters Tournament.

The American’s last Major title came at the U.S. Open 11 years ago and since then he has undergone numerous back surgeries, falling to 1,199th in the Official World Golf Ranking just 17 months ago.

Tiger, who finished on 13-under with a bogey five at the last, said: “It’s just unreal. The whole tournament has meant so much to me over the years.

“Coming here in ’95 for the first time and being able to play as an amateur, winning in ’97, and then coming full circle, 22 years later, to be able to do it again, and just the way it all transpired today.

“There were so many different scenarios that could have transpired on that back nine.  There were so many guys that had a chance to win.

“The leaderboard was absolutely packed and everyone was playing well.  You couldn’t have had more drama than we all had out there, and now I know why I’m balding.  This stuff is hard.

“Just to come back here and play as well as I did.  This has meant so much to me and my family, this tournament, and to have everyone here, it’s something I’ll never, ever forget.”

A return to fitness and form in 2018 hinted at what was to come, and a closing 70 at Augusta National Golf Club secured a fifth Green Jacket at the scene where he burst onto the world stage in 1997.

Woods’ record 12-shot victory 22 years ago set in motion a remarkable run of dominance at the top of the game, and the 43-year-old will now once again have his sights set on Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 Major Championships,

He has followed Nicklaus to become just the second player to win the Masters in three different decades, and to win Major Championships 20 or more years apart.

Woods had been two shots clear standing on the 18^th tee, but despite a bogey on the last, wild celebrations followed his final putt, which took him to 13-under and one ahead of countrymen Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Xander Schauffele, who was making just his second appearance at The Masters.

Schauffle, who won the 2017 Tour Championship at East Lake, in Georgia, as a rookie and then claimed the HSBC World Championship in Shanghai last  year, said: “It was an awesome experience, first off.

“What I witnessed – I know it’s what everyone is going to talk about. It’s hard to really feel bad about how I played, because I just witnessed history.

“It was really cool coming down the stretch, all the historic holes, Amen Corner, 15, 16, Tiger making the roars.

“I was trying to push myself, but I feel like I got a very full Masters experience here in my second year. I’m not one bit sad. I told my caddie on the last hole that we just proved to ourselves that we can win on this property.”

Overnight leader Francesco Molinari had been right in the mix before finding water twice on the back nine, and the Race to Dubai Champion finished at 11-under alongside Australian Jason Day and Americans Tony Finau and Webb Simpson.

Italy’s European No. 1 put the disappointment around Amen Corner down to the challenging swirling wind which the par three 12th is renowned for, and where he put the ball in the water, before finding the aqua again on the par five 15th.

Molinari said: “It was just a bad execution. We picked the right shot and just didn’t hit it hard enough, simple as that. It was tough today with the wind gusting.

“I managed to scramble well on the front nine. Just had a couple of mental lapses on the back nine, which were costly.

“It’s great to see Tiger doing well. The way he was playing last year, I think we all knew it was coming sooner or later.

“Maybe next time would have been better for me, but it was nice to be out with him, he played well, hit the right shots at the right time and he deserved to win.

“It doesn’t change what I do, I don’t change the way I prepare for Majors. I believe the way I prepare for tournaments is the best way. I’ll just keep doing the same and hopefully I get a bit more luck next time.”

Spain’s Jon Rahm was a shot further back in a tie for ninth place alongside Americans Patrick Cantlay, Rickie Fowler and Bubba Watson.

The next Majors are both at venue’s where Woods has already claimed a Major – May sees the USPGA switch from its August date and will head to New York’s Bethpage Park’s Black course, the scene of his 2002 US Open victory.

And in June, Tiger will head back to Pebble Beach, where he famously was the only player under par when winning the US Open by a record 15 shots in 2000 the first leg of his famous Tiger Slam where he won four Majors in a row, culminating at the 2001 Augusta Masters.

Earlier this year Tiger was a 25/1 shot to win two Majors in 2019.

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Bryson DeChambeau matched the fireworks of last year’s US Open and PGA Champion Brooks Koepka by firing a superb 66 to lead the Masters at Augusta after the first round . Picture by GETTY IMAGES.

BRYSON DeChambeau produced an incredible finish, posting four closing birdies to share the lead with Brooks Koepka at six-under par the end of day one at the Masters.

A remarkable run of scoring in the late groups stretched the field at Augusta National Golf Club, with DeChambeau amongst a host of European Tour players in the mix going into Friday at the first Major Championship of the year.

South African debutant Justin Harding was one of the players who had set the target at three-under early in the day.

And for a long time it looked like there would be a highly congested leaderboard as a nine-way tie for the lead developed.

But four birdies in a row from the 12th hole from Koepka moved the three-time Major champion to six-under and into a two-shot lead.

DeChambeau’s incredible finish saw him catch his fellow American, thanks in part to a wonderful second shot on the 18^th where he was only denied an eagle by the pin flag.

The player, known as “The Mad Scientist” for his quirky mathematical approach to golf, signed for a 66  – his best round at Augusta National.

Meanwhile Koepka, playing behind his rival who has won five times since last June, parred his way home to record the only bogey-free round of the day and share top spot.

The winner of the Dubai Desert Classic – the same route to the Green Jacket taken by Sergio Garcia in 2017 and Danny Willett in 2016 – said “It’s my best round out here, a 66.

“I was just looking to shoot something in the 60s this week because I haven’t done that yet in my couple times playing here.

“What a magical back nine.  Wind started to pick up, right around Amen Corner, and it was tough.  It was not easy one bit.” Bryson added.

“But we just stuck to what we knew we should have done, and we did, and was able to execute a beautiful nine-iron on 12 that kind of jump started my back nine, hitting it to five feet, making that putt got me rolling.

“I should have pulled the flagstick out (on the 18^th). But no, it was a great shot, and I was excited just to tap‑in to finish off a great round.”

Three-time Masters winner Phil Mickelson birdied five of his last seven holes to sit one shot off the lead at five-under, a shot clear of fellow American Dustin Johnson and Woburn’s Ian Poulter.

The honorary member at Leighton Buzzard Golf Club where he started life in the pro shop, said: “I’m very happy with today’s work. It’s a great start to a long week.

“The weather is going to be interesting over the next three days with the thunderstorms coming in,” said Poulter.

“The course dried out nicely today.  A couple of greens may have been a touch slower than what we’ve previously had in the past on a Thursday.

“But I’m happy with that and feel pretty good about it. My whole game was together, from the first hole to the 18th hole.

“I mean I only missed two greens in regulation, I think.  One of them was nine.  I made bogey there.

“And the other green I missed I was kind of 12 feet from the pin and just on the fringe.  So really my putting all around today was extremely solid. I need to do that over the next few days.”

Harding – who has won five times worldwide in the last year, including his maiden European Tour title at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters – is joined at three-under par by Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Kevin Kisner of the United States, Australian Adam Scott and Spain’s Jon Rahm.

South African Harding, who played a practice round with 2011 Green Jacket winner Charl Schwartzel earlier in the week, said: “I was happy with it, I handled my emotions pretty well, a bit annoying on the last making bogey.  But at the end of the day I’ll take it.

“Golf is purely momentum based.  If you take enough confidence into the rounds then you’re bound to play well.

“You just pretty much need to get out of your own way. I’ll take it and run if I can – we’re not allowed to run here at Augusta – but I’m pleased.

“It’s one of those where I gave myself a couple chances, I didn’t feel like I took great advantage of the par fives.

“I managed to hit a wedge close in on 16 but other than that it was one of those where you just kind of sneak in a birdie here or there where you can.

“I managed to hit a couple of fairways.  I’m still learning and this golf course is difficult.”

Rahm, who finished fourth last year and has since made his debut for Europe in the Ryder Cup thrashing handed out to the Americans in Paris last year, has made a great start to 2019 with five top 10s in eight starts.

The Spaniard said: “I think that the most important thing is I never lost patience.

“I was one over par on the par fives going to the back nine where it’s easy to get a little frustrated and I didn’t.

“I kept my cool and I was able to make a great birdie on nine and get where I’m going.

“It’s tough out there, they made a few changes to the golf course, they put some tough pins early in the day already, the greens started getting progressively firmer, so just being able to make a couple good putts and shoot under par is a good round.”

Denmark’s Lucas Bjerregaard, who is also making his debut at Augusta – having reached the last four of the WGC World Match Play in Texas two weeks ago – and The Open champion Francesco Molinari are among a group of 10 players at two-under.

The post The ‘Mad Scientist’ Bryson DeChambeau leads Masters appeared first on Golf North.

Matt Wallace playing in the Hampshire Hog at North Hants GC, in 2012

MATT Wallace claimed the glory and risked the curse of claiming the Par Three competition at Augusta – beating Sandy Lyle in a play-off on Wednesday.

The Scot was, of course, the first Brit to win the Masters back in 1988 – but in 57 years since it was introduced and won by legendary Sam Snead, none of the Par Three winners have gone on to wear the Green Jacket four days later.

Wallace’s dream start to his Masters debut began with Sky Sports driving him down the famous Magnolia Lane on Sunday, amid grey skies and showers that reminded the 28-year-old from Hertfordshire of home.

And the little boy who started out playing at Batchworth Park, who grew into one of Europe’s most ferocious closers with three wins on the European Tour in a year in 2018, has been tapping into those Hertfordshire connections as he prepares for today’s tee time with 1985 winner Bernhard Langer and Latin American Amateur Champion Alvaro Ortiz, at 5.10pm UK time.

You cannot get a better boost in your preparations to help cope with the lightning fast, sloping greens than three-time Masters winner Sir Nick Faldo, who was raised at Welywn Garden City, having only taken the game up himself as a teenager.

Faldo has always said it was watching the Masters on TV in 1971 that inspired him to taking up golf after his parents bought a new colour TV.

Wallace, who was a member at Moor Park playing for Hertfordshire a decade ago before heading off to Alabama where he spent four years at Jacksonsville State University, shortly after a certain Danny Willett had been a member of the Gamecocks team.

And it was Willett, as well as Faldo that Wallace turned to for an inside track on Augusta’s hallowed holes.

Matt said: “I’ve spent the past few days tapping into the knowledge of those who have won at Augusta, from practice rounds with Sir Nick Faldo, to playing the Par Three event with Danny Willett.

“When Danny won the Masters in 2016, not many people fancied him to do it but he was in the top 10 of strokes gained in approach play, so statistically he should have been among the favourites.

“I chatted to Danny about it and we talked again yesterday as I tried to get as much information as I can.

“It clearly worked as I won the Par Three thanks to that hole-in-one on the eighth. The event is such a cool tradition but it’s done now and my mind’s on round one.

“Being at Augusta is what you dream about. I remember trying to get tickets in the ballot with my dad, we missed out and I always thought that was my chance gone of being here in any capacity.

“But driving up Magnolia Lane for the first time in the rain on Sunday, I was just speechless.

“It was so much better than I could ever have imagined and, by Amen Corner, I was playing in pure sunshine, and this place is beautiful.

“It’s crazy for me. I’m just Matt Wallace from Pinner and here I am, and the mad thing is that I deserve to be here.”

Wallace, who was playing in the Selborne Salver and Hampshire Hog as an amateur just seven years ago this month, admitted that even playing with a hero like Sir Nick Faldo, he found it hard not to play very intensely.

But the kind of bubble the top players need to be immersed in shone through from some wise words from “The Master.”

Matt revealed his hero explained what happened when the defending champion – after his famous head-to-head with Greg Norman, who lost a six-shot lead to Faldo in 1996 – played with Tiger Woods in 1997.

The future World No. 1 eventually won the tournament by 12 shots and started his domination of the game of golf for the next decade.

Faldo said he never watched the young Tiger who opened with 40 on the front nine, on the Thursday, hit a shot until the 12^th hole when he played a chip shot on his way to shooting 30 on the back nine before finally ending up on 18-under before having Sir Nick hang that famous jacket around his shoulders.

Matt, who won six times on the Alps Tour in 2016, realises he needs to be equally solely focused on his own game for his Masters debut.

The winner of last year’s Made in Denmark when he was trying to force Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn to consider giving Wallace a wildcard, said: “You have to think that whoever you play with, however big the name, they don’t care about me so I can’t care about them. As bad as it might sound, that’s the reality.”

The other major lesson learned from Faldo is approach play will be key around Augusta National Golf Club.

Matt added: “The first port of call is to get the ball in the middle of the fairway, and that suits my game.

“Drive the ball well and you have chances to hit the positions you want to.”

Wallace also has one of Faldo’s old caddies on the bag – Belfast’s Dave McNeily, who also caddied for Nick Price, Retief Goosen and Padraig Harrington.

Matt, who has been relaxing in the evenings with his favourite foods at a big house in the company of his manager Chubby Chandler, said: “The key is to feel relaxed and I’ve got my team with me and my girlfriend, Chelsie, who caddied for me in the Par Three event.

“I’m 36th in the world, I’m here by right, and I believe I have as good a chance as anyone.

“This is the one I want to win, growing up it was always the Green Jacket and The Open.”

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