There was no closing spherical of the Masters on Sunday, however there was a replay on CBS of Tiger Woods‘ comeback victory a yr in the past at Augusta Nationwide.
And because it performed out, CBS’ Jim Nantz interviewed Woods at varied factors earlier than, throughout and after the spherical, with the five-time Masters winner getting choked up as he described in nice deal the celebratory scene behind the 18th inexperienced that he had together with his children, Charlie and Samantha, his mom, Tida, and girlfriend, Erica.
There was additionally a somber tone to Woods at occasions as he was interviewed from his South Florida residence. He acknowledged that the coronavirus pandemic that has the world on maintain “has been a shock to all of us. We all know it is nonetheless going to proceed to worsen … it is a very troublesome state of affairs, a really troublesome time, a singular time in historical past.”
Woods, 44, mentioned he hated the concept that he’s holding onto the inexperienced jacket longer due to the intense subject that confronts the world and prevented all sports activities, together with golf, from persevering with. He additionally mentioned he’d have been able to go if the event had been performed as scheduled.
“Sure, I’d have been good to go,” Woods mentioned. “Thoughts and physique had been coming collectively … I used to be not my regular self [earlier in the week], and all of my regular pre-major championship self. I am used to having this 4 occasions a yr. I type of get in that mode. And it began occurring once more.
“However yr, I used to be out training and subconsciously preparing; I did not understand I used to be preparing. I simply needed to go on the market, have some enjoyable, hit some balls and get out of the home. Nevertheless it’s wonderful. I have been doing it for thus lengthy that issues had been beginning to come collectively; I used to be beginning to peak. We attempt to peak 4 occasions a yr; and I do know that the event’s been postponed, not till November — however for some purpose, I used to be nonetheless peaking anyway.”
Listed here are some highlights from the Nantz interview:
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Woods performed it protected on the par-3 12th after Francesco Molinari discovered Rae’s Creek together with his tee shot, giving him the large opening. However Woods mentioned he had a whole lot of work to do together with his putts and anticipated Molinari to rise up and down for bogey.
“I knew I hit it simply excellent, and we had an extended solution to go,” Woods mentioned. “Simply because I hit it there, I may nonetheless 3-putt, Fran may rise up and down, and it is a moot level. Now, I am nonetheless 2 again. Now I’ve the power to a minimum of knock off one shot right here. Simply be certain that I get it finished, and Fran nonetheless made bogey there, and I may nonetheless be 1 again.
“Effectively, I am nonetheless 2 again. Now, I am anticipating him to attempt to get this up-and-down; I’ve to two-putt, after which I’ve momentum going to the 13th gap and the 13th tee, nonetheless being 1 again. So that is the state of affairs that I am enjoying out in my head; and me being ready to be 1 down nonetheless, even when I execute my putts appropriately; and anticipating Fran to make that ‘trigger he is made the whole lot for the previous three days, and it should not be a shocker if he makes one other one.”
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When Woods hit his tee shot on the par-3 16th inside Three ft, organising a birdie putt that may give him a 2-shot lead, he didn’t understand how shut the ball was to the outlet.
“From the tee you may’t see this half, so I had no thought how shut it’s,” he mentioned. “However from the roar and from how everybody’s yelling and screaming, I figured it is shut, however I do not know the way shut ‘trigger the lip of that bunker obscures the view from the tee. So I do not know precisely how shut it’s till I stroll across the lake there, and — have the ability to see the golf ball subsequent to the outlet.”
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As shut because the ball got here to moving into on the 16th, Nantz requested Woods about what number of hole-in-ones he is had. And Woods instructed the story of how he had gone the prime of his profession with out making any. He has three profession aces on the PGA Tour, the final in 1998.
“I now have 20,” Woods mentioned of his total whole. “I had 19 holes-in-one, all pre-2000; I hadn’t made one since 2000. And so one of the best a part of my profession, one of the best golf I’ve ever performed, I by no means made a hole-in-one — till a pair winters in the past, I used to be out enjoying with Freddie [Couples] and my son [Charlie] and [friend] Rob [McNamara] his pal out in Palm Springs, proper earlier than Thanksgiving [of 2018]. And I ended up making a hole-in-one on the market.”
That ace on the Madison Membership got here a number of days earlier than Woods performed Phil Mickelson of their Las Vegas match.
“I used to be a bit nervous about this putt,” he mentioned. “I knew it was left-center all day, however I simply needed to get a little bit affirmation. So I known as [caddie] Joey [LaCava] in there, and he checked out me like, ‘What the hell are you doing? It is a left-center putt.’ And I checked out him with a stern eye like, ‘Simply learn the putt.’ And I simply acquired dedicated to, once more, left-center; ensure that I put a whole lot of proper hand on this putt, ensure that toe releases, I launch the hell out of it. And I did, and it is such an excellent feeling after I put a whole lot of proper hand right into a putt and launch it.”
“Effectively, the humorous half about the entire thing is — I do not keep in mind screaming. I do not keep in mind placing my arms up, and I do not keep in mind yelling. That is a kind of type of black-out moments. There’s sure celebrations all through my profession that I’ve made putts or celebrated; I simply do not recollect it. I suppose I am so locked into the second.
“What I do keep in mind is my eyes coming again down and seeing folks in entrance of me. I do keep in mind that; I keep in mind all of the arms up. However so far as me celebrating, I do not keep in mind that half. I keep in mind — ‘OK, let’s get to Fran and his caddie and Tony [Finau] and his caddy,’ after which shook their fingers and — ‘The place the hell’s Joey? I want Joey.’ And I lastly discovered Joey and mentioned, ‘We did it.’ ‘Trigger we did, we did it collectively. Joey was there serving to me go to soccer video games after I could not drive a automotive. He got here down right here as a pal and helped attempt to nurse me again to well being. He was there in these low occasions.”
“Surreal,” he mentioned. “To see my son Charlie there, open arms, come speeding at me and bounce in my arms. … And that is when the feelings simply got here flooding out. And I began crying. And Charlie was squeezing me, and stored getting tighter and tighter and tighter. After which I checked out him, squeezed him once more. Then my mother’s there and she or he’s patting me on my again; and stored saying she’s so happy with me, my dad can be so proud if he had been right here. She mentioned, ‘I really like you,’ and I mentioned, ‘I really like you too, Mother.’ After which there’s Sam — Sam is — she would not just like the highlight; she will’t stand it. So once we hugged, I turned her away from all people and made certain that she was sheltered. And we simply had a little bit second collectively. … And he or she simply squeezed tougher, and did not need to say something. And — yeah, now you are beginning to get me choked up.”
And Woods once more acknowledged how odd the state of affairs is at the moment.
“This isn’t the way in which I needed to have the jacket for an extended time period,” he mentioned. “Come Masters Tuesday, after our Champions Dinner, we put our jackets again up in our lockers, and the subsequent one who will get to take it off the grounds is the champion that exact week. So hopefully we’ll have it in November, and we’ll have the ability to compete for it.”
The Masters has been rescheduled for Nov. 12-15.