Tiger Woods wins fourth Masters - Apr 10, 2005 - HISTORY.com

Tiger Woods wins his fourth Masters Golf Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club after a 15-foot birdie on the first hole of the sudden-death playoff against Chris DiMarco on April 10, 2005. The victory was Woods’ ninth major championship on the PGA tour.

Eldrick “Tiger” Woods was born December 30, 1975, in Cypress, California. A golf prodigy, Woods began swinging a club at age two and went on to win three U.S. Junior Amateurs followed by three straight U.S. Amateur championships. After playing for Stanford University, he turned pro in August 1996 and that season was named the PGA Rookie of the Year. On April 13, 1997, Woods, then 21, won his first Masters at Augusta National in Georgia. Woods’ 72-hole score of 18-under-par 270 was the lowest in the tournament history and shattered a record of 271 shared by Jack Nicklaus and Raymond Floyd. Additionally, Woods, who defeated Tom Kite by a record-setting margin of 12 stokes, became the youngest person to don the green sport coat given to each year’s Masters’ victor, as well as the first winner of African or Asian descent.

Woods went on to win the Masters in 2001 and 2002. On April 10, 2005, he defeated Chris DiMarco in a sudden-death playoff and earned his fourth green sport coat at Augusta National. Woods also regained his No. 1 spot in the world rankings, replacing Vijay Singh. The victory ended a so-called “drought” in which Woods had failed to win any of his previous 10 major tournaments. Woods, then 29, also became the first person to win four Masters before age 30. Arnold Palmer won four Masters in his career, while Jack Nicklaus holds the record with six wins.

Augusta National opened in 1933 and hosted the first Masters tournament, one of pro golf’s four major championships, in 1934.

Woods dedicated his win to his father Earl, who was unable to attend the tournament due to illness. His son’s earliest coach, Earl Woods died of prostate cancer on May 3, 2006.