Was Tiger Woods' first round at the Masters his greatest feat?
Tiger Woods is responsible for many of the most unforgettable moments in golf history.
There was his first Masters in 1997, when a 21-year-old Woods set the course record. Or the 2000 U.S. Open, when Woods won by a 15-stroke margin that remains the greatest for any major. Or the 2001 Masters, when he completed the "Tiger Slam" and became the first golfer to simultaneously hold all four major titles.
Three years ago, Woods captivated the world while at the Masters by winning an elusive 15th major, this after more than 10 years of battling injuries and personal issues. Of course, those are only some of the greatest hits for arguably the best golfer ever. The full list is long enough to fill up a book.
Skip Bayless said Woods' latest heroics – shooting 1-under par to finish the first round of last week's Masters in 10th place, less than 14 months after surviving a near-fatal car accident and suffering compound fractures in his right leg – eclipses all of them.
"Tiger Woods simply pulled off the greatest feat of his career and very possibly the most amazing sports achievement I have ever witnessed," Bayless asserted. "Not much more than a year after, as you well know, he nearly lost his life, he nearly lost his leg in a car wreck that was completely his fault, Tiger Woods showed up at Augusta National at age 46 and with absolutely zero competitive preparation, zero tournaments played before, to compete against the best field in the world, the best players in the world, who had been for the last three months competing at other tournaments, to prepare for the tournament in golf, the Masters."
Woods' astonishing opening round provided enough cushion for him to make the cut, unlike younger stars Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau and Jordan Spieth. The winningest golfer of all time then limped to the finish line – literally – while producing a Masters career-low 78 in each of the final two rounds to finish 13-over for the tournament and 23 strokes behind winner Scottie Scheffler.
A humbling finish only further endeared Woods to everyone watching.
"Tiger Woods stole the Masters," Bayless said. "Tiger Woods turned the Masters completely upside down. Tiger Woods turned Sunday’s leaderboard into the biggest anticlimax in Masters history. Tiger Woods won the Masters by finishing 47th out of 52 that made the cut, 47th out of 52, but he won it going away."
It’s often said that the Masters doesn’t start until the back nine on Sunday evening. For Bayless, it ended early that afternoon.
"The moment of Masters Sunday came four hours before the leaders even teed off, as Tiger Woods limped his way to the 18th fairway to the most loving ovation that he’s ever received," Bayless said. "We were as thankful as he was thankful. He was back and that’s all that mattered on that Masters Sunday. …
"It’s just impossibly great."
