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The Masters that turned everything upside down

Everyone associated with the game – players, media, fans – has his or her own memory of what went down that week in 1997 and what it meant to them. It remains one of those rare events where you can still remember where you were and what you were doing when it happened. Tiger Woods winning the Masters at age 21, and in record fashion. “In that win that week, he checked all the boxes,â€� Charles Howell III said. “He’s young, he hit it far, he hit it straight, he had a phenomenal short game. He did it all, and he did it on the biggest, hardest stage in the world. I think in time we’ll look back on that week as sort of a turning point for the professional game.â€� Ernie Els, who in later years would become a frequent major championship bridesmaid to Woods, said he remembered seeing Woods on the range after that roller-coaster opening-round 70 that began with the 40 on the front nine and ended with a 30 on the back, “and I could see the excitement and the joyâ€� in Woods’ face. “He knew he’d won the first hurdle,â€� Els said. “I think he knew then that it was over.â€� Nick Faldo, the defending champion who was paired with Woods in that opening round, knew it was over, too. “The way I analyzed it, he went out in 40, came back in 30 and we didn’t see him for dust for another 14 years,â€� Faldo said. “That was the start of Tiger and the start of his dominance. It was a special day. You go out in 40 and then you win by 12. That’s something pretty unique.â€� Faldo shot 75 that day and followed it with an 81 and missed the cut. Paul Azinger, an 11-time PGA TOUR winner with one major championship and now a TV analyst for NBC and FOX, was paired with Woods in the second round. He began the day one shot ahead of Woods and ended it six shots behind after Woods’ 66 to his 73. “I’d never seen Tiger actually make a full swing and hit a shot — driving range, golf course, nothing —maybe on TV,â€� Azinger recalled. “I said to my caddie on the second hole — there was a little bit of a wait — and I said, ‘You know, I’ve never seen this kid hit a shot. I’m going to watch this.’ I’d heard about how far he hits it. That ball left four feet underneath the top of the trees, which is miles high, never curved an inch, about five feet right of the trees. “It was the most beautiful, picturesque drive I had ever seen in my entire life. I just looked at my caddie and whispered to him, ‘Holy s—.’ That was all I could say. He hit 6- or 7-iron in there to the right of the green, was all ticked off, chunked his chip, took the club and slammed it in the bag, and it went straight to the bottom. It sounded like a drum. I can remember this buzz of the crowd. It was the most unique buzz. He then chipped in for birdie. He shot the easiest 66 that I’d ever seen. “I hit 3-wood, 8-iron to 13 and he hit 3-wood, pitching wedge. I hit driver, 8-iron into 15, he hit driver, pitching wedge. We were two clubs apart, which blew my mind that I was two clubs shorter than anybody on TOUR. I was like, ‘Really? Two clubs? Are you kidding me?’ One club is one thing, two clubs? You can’t defend against being two clubs shorter than somebody. You’re not going to beat that guy. “It intimidated me a little bit. That’s why I tried not to hit balls near Tiger on the practice range, because I wanted to feed my confidence.â€� Azinger said after that second round he’d played with Woods, he thought, “I don’t know how anybody’s going to beat that.â€� “I didn’t jump the gun and predict he would win,â€� Azinger said. “But in my head, I was thinking, ‘Jack [Nicklaus] was right saying that he’s going to win the Masters 10 times.’ I believe him. The bigger the event, the higher he’ll raise the bar. He’s Michael Jordan in long pants.â€� On Friday night, Colin Montgomerie, who was three shots behind Woods at the time, waxed poetic about the fact that the young Woods had never been in the position of taking a major championship lead into the weekend, and how everything changes on the weekend of a major. “The pressure is mounting,â€� Montgomerie said in what clearly was a public warning to Woods. “And I have a lot more experience in major championships.â€� Woods, in his book “The 1997 Masters: My Story,â€� revealed that Montgomerie’s words “definitely motivated me.â€� He shot 65 that Saturday to Montgomerie’s 74, and after the round, Montgomerie spoke as if he’d seen a ghost. “All I have to say is one brief comment today,â€� he told reporters. “There is no chance … we’re all human beings here … (and) there is no chance humanly possible that Tiger is going to lose this tournament. No way.â€� Montgomerie, surely rattled by the thumping he took from Woods on Saturday, shot 81 on Sunday. For Woods it was merely a coronation; playing with Italy’s Costantino Rocca, he shot 69 to win by a record 12 shots. Like millions around the world, Gary Woodland, then a teenager in Kansas, watched it all play out on TV and decided then and there he wanted to become a professional golfer. “That week changed everything for me,â€� Woodland said. It did for a lot of others, too.

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Final Round 2-Balls - M. Wallace / M. NeSmith
Type: Final Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN
Matt Wallace-150
Matt NeSmith+165
Tie+750
Final Round 2-Balls - C. Davis / M. Hughes
Type: Final Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN
Mackenzie Hughes-135
Cam Davis+115
Final Round Match-Ups - A. Novak vs M. Hughes
Type: Final Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Andrew Novak-115
Mackenzie Hughes-105
Final Round 2-Balls - B. Martin / K. Mitchell
Type: Final Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN
Keith Mitchell-150
Ben Martin+165
Tie+750
Final Round 2-Balls - P. Cantlay / K. Bradley
Type: Final Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN
Patrick Cantlay-155
Keegan Bradley+130
Tie
Final Round Six-Shooter - Group A - S. Scheffler / R. Henley / P. Cantlay / T. Fleetwood / J. Thomas / M. McNealy
Type: Final Round Six-Shooter - Status: OPEN
Scottie Scheffler+225
Patrick Cantlay+425
Justin Thomas+450
Russell Henley+475
Tommy Fleetwood+550
Maverick McNealy+600
Final Round Score - Keegan Bradley
Type: Final Round Score - Status: OPEN
Over 69.5+130
Under 69.5-170
Final Round Score - Patrick Cantlay
Type: Final Round Score - Status: OPEN
Over 68.5-115
Under 68.5-115
Final Round Match-Ups - S. Scheffler vs P. Cantlay
Type: Final Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Scottie Scheffler-165
Patrick Cantlay+140
Final Round 2-Balls - V. Whaley / J. Paul
Type: Final Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN
Vince Whaley+100
Jeremy Paul+110
Tie+750
Final Round 2-Balls - S. Scheffler / R. Henley
Type: Final Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN
Scottie Scheffler-185
Russell Henley+150
Tie
Final Round Score - Russell Henley
Type: Final Round Score - Status: OPEN
Over 68.5-145
Under 68.5+110
Final Round Score - Scottie Scheffler
Type: Final Round Score - Status: OPEN
Over 67.5-105
Under 67.5-125
Final Round Match-Ups - R. Henley vs B. Harman
Type: Final Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Russell Henley-155
Brian Harman+130
Final Round 2-Balls - M. Thorbjornsen / G. Higgo
Type: Final Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN
Michael Thorbjornsen+100
Garrick Higgo+110
Tie+750
Final Round 2-Balls - B. Harman / T. Fleetwood
Type: Final Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN
Tommy Fleetwood-135
Brian Harman+115
Tie
Final Round Score - Brian Harman
Type: Final Round Score - Status: OPEN
Over 69.5+130
Under 69.5-170
Final Round Score - Tommy Fleetwood
Type: Final Round Score - Status: OPEN
Over 68.5-120
Under 68.5-110
Final Round Match-Ups - J. Thomas vs T. Fleetwood
Type: Final Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Justin Thomas-115
Tommy Fleetwood-105
Final Round 2-Balls - J. Dahmen / C. Kim
Type: Final Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN
Chan Kim+100
Joel Dahmen+110
Tie+750
Final Round 2-Balls - J. Thomas / M. McNealy
Type: Final Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN
Justin Thomas-145
Maverick McNealy+120
Tie
Final Round Score - Justin Thomas
Type: Final Round Score - Status: OPEN
Over 68.5-110
Under 68.5-120
Final Round Score - Maverick McNealy
Type: Final Round Score - Status: OPEN
Over 68.5-130
Under 68.5+100
Final Round Match-Ups - S.W. Kim vs M. McNealy
Type: Final Round Match-Ups - Status: OPEN
Maverick McNealy-125
Si Woo Kim+105
Final Round 2-Balls - S.W. Kim / A. Novak
Type: Final Round 2-Balls - Status: OPEN
Si Woo Kim-115
Andrew Novak-105
Tie
Final Round Score - Si Woo Kim
Type: Final Round Score - Status: OPEN
Over 69.5+115
Under 69.5-150
Final Round Score - Andrew Novak
Type: Final Round Score - Status: OPEN
Over 69.5-115
Under 69.5-115
JM Eagle LA Championship
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN
Akie Iwai+275
Lauren Coughlin+275
Ingrid Lindblad+375
Nelly Korda+900
Ina Yoon+1000
Jeeno Thitikul+1600
Minjee Lee+1600
Rio Takeda+1800
Miyu Yamashita+4000
Chisato Iwai+17500
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Final Round 2 Balls - E. Pedersen v M. Yamashita
Type: Final Round 2 Balls - Status: OPEN
Miyu Yamashita-170
Emily Pedersen+185
Tie+750
Final Round 2 Balls - J. Thitikul v M. Lee
Type: Final Round 2 Balls - Status: OPEN
Jeeno Thitikul-145
Minjee Lee+160
Tie+750
Final Round 2 Balls - N. Korda v R. Takeda
Type: Final Round 2 Balls - Status: OPEN
Nelly Korda-145
Rio Takeda+160
Tie+750
Final Round 2 Balls - I. Yoon v I. Lindblad
Type: Final Round 2 Balls - Status: OPEN
Ina Yoon-115
Ingrid Lindblad+125
Tie+750
Final Round 2 Balls - A. Iwai v L. Coughlin
Type: Final Round 2 Balls - Status: OPEN
Lauren Coughlin+100
Akie Iwai+110
Tie+750
Major Specials 2025
Type: To Win A Major 2025 - Status: OPEN
Scottie Scheffler+160
Bryson DeChambeau+350
Xander Schauffele+350
Ludvig Aberg+400
Collin Morikawa+450
Jon Rahm+450
Brooks Koepka+700
Justin Thomas+700
Viktor Hovland+700
Hideki Matsuyama+800
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PGA Championship 2025
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN
Rory McIlroy+500
Scottie Scheffler+500
Bryson DeChambeau+1400
Ludvig Aberg+1400
Xander Schauffele+1400
Jon Rahm+1800
Collin Morikawa+2000
Brooks Koepka+2500
Justin Thomas+2500
Viktor Hovland+2500
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US Open 2025
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN
Rory McIlroy+500
Scottie Scheffler+500
Bryson DeChambeau+1200
Xander Schauffele+1200
Jon Rahm+1400
Ludvig Aberg+1400
Collin Morikawa+1600
Brooks Koepka+1800
Viktor Hovland+2000
Justin Thomas+2500
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The Open 2025
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN
Rory McIlroy+500
Scottie Scheffler+550
Xander Schauffele+1100
Ludvig Aberg+1400
Collin Morikawa+1600
Jon Rahm+1600
Bryson DeChambeau+2000
Shane Lowry+2500
Tommy Fleetwood+2500
Tyrrell Hatton+2500
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Ryder Cup 2025
Type: Winner - Status: OPEN
USA-150
Europe+140
Tie+1200

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