10 things you may have forgotten from Tiger Woods' iconic 1997 Masters win!
Here are 10 things you may have forgotten about Tiger Woods historic 1997 Masters victory.
On this day in 1997, a 21-year-old golf phenom named Tiger Woods captured his first Masters in record-breaking fashion.
It is not unreasonable to suggest it was four days that changed golf forever. The victory was heard around the world.
Tiger was not supposed to win the 1997 Masters. And certainly not by 12 strokes. But he did, with style and authority and ever since the golfer has transcended the sport.
His win is probably now best remembered for the call by Jim Nantz after he sank his final putt before embracing his father Earl.
But there are some things that you may have forgotten. Afterall, it was 26 years ago!
GolfMagic decided to take a trip down memory lane...
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Here are 10 things you may have forgotten about Tiger Woods' 1997 Masters victory
1. Tiger Woods opened with a front nine 40!
Tiger got off to a simply dreadful start, carding bogeys at No. 1, 4, 8 and 9.
Only Tiger knows what happened between his ears on the 10th tee. But he fixed whatever was going wrong with his swing and began to blitz the field.
2. He returned in 30
Tiger birdied No. 10, 12, 13 and 17. Throw in an eagle at 15 and Woods played the back nine in 6-under to card an opening 2-under 70.
I think this can be referred to as flipping the switch.
3. Fuzzy Zoeller's incredibly racist comments about Tiger
Fuzzy Zoeller was a heck of a player and amassed 10 PGA Tour wins in his career, but he'll always be known as the guy who said this about Tiger when asked about the 21-year-old after his first round:
Zoeller later apologised but the backlash was swift, with Dunlop and Kmart dropping the golfer.
4. Colin Montgomerie's sound bite!
Monty said:
Tiger Woods was paired with Colin Montgomerie for the 3rd round of the 97 Masters. Monty witnessed the magic. (Also, gimme that Wilson Staff bag in the final frame)#TigerWoods #Masters #Augusta #Tiger pic.twitter.com/eRLjPMElUJ
— robmillertime (@robmillertime) March 31, 2022
5. Tiger was a skinny, skinny dude
Even now at the age of 47, Tiger still is in incredible shape. Absolutely ripped. When he was recovering from his February 2021 car crash in his mansion, he had to use his crutches to get everywhere. His triceps got huge and he returned looking more jacked than ever before.
But back in 97? He weighed 155lbs! And yet, he still blasted it by everyone.
6. Tiger went 37 holes without a bogey
Tiger dropped a shot on the third hole of his second round and wouldn't drop another one until the fifth hole during his final round.
That's clearly some going at Augusta National.
7. A record number of viewers
Approximately 43m viewers tuned in to watch Tiger's win. To this day, this is the highest rated final round from a major championship of all time!
8. Tiger's menu
One of the great traditions of The Masters is of course the Champions Dinner.
Tiger was just a kid so in 1998, the past champions were served up burgers, fries and milkshakes.
9. A record-breaking win
You know that Tiger won by 12 shots. It was a major championship record that stood for three years until Tiger once again pulverised the entire field at the 2000 U.S. Open, winning by 15!
10. Jim Nantz
Jim Nantz is synonymous with Augusta.
His 'a win for the ages' call remains one of the most memorable in Masters history.
It signalled a new era in the golf world. TV ratings soared off the back of Tiger's win. He made golf 'cool'.
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