Tiger Woods has finished runner-up in majors seven times during his career, and none would have hurt more than the 2008 Masters Tournament at Augusta National.
Starting the final round six shots back of Trevor Immelman, Woods shot a level-par 72, which was one of the standout final-round scores. The world number one fell agonisingly short after Immelman struggled to a 75 (three over), sealing a three-shot victory.
Had Woods been able to find one or two more birdies, the outcome could have been very different. After dominating during the 2007 season, finishing runner-up at the Masters and US Open before winning the PGA Championship, the talk of a season-long grand slam emerged.
When asked whether the media noise had impacted him during the Masters, Woods delivered a bullish response.
What Tiger Woods said immediately after finishing second at the 2008 Masters
A reporter asked Woods during his post-tournament press conference: “Your strength has always been playing for the moment. I just wonder, with all the talk of the Slam, was there anything in your mind about that at all? You were the one, of course, who first presented it, and we jumped all over it.”
Woods replied: “I learned my lesson there with the press. I’m not going to say anything. It’s just one of those things when you’re out there playing; you couldn’t care less.
“You’re trying to win a golf tournament. You’re trying to put yourself in position, which I did. I just didn’t make the putts I needed to make this entire week. I had the speed right, I just didn’t quite get the line right.”
Why Tiger Woods did not win the 2008 Masters
After putting himself in numerous good positions, the then 13-time major winner struggled with his putter.
“I didn’t putt well all week,” Woods added. “I was telling Billy over there, I kept dragging the blade. I wasn’t releasing it, I wasn’t getting the overspin like I normally do. Out here if you’re not starting the ball perfectly on line, you’re not going to make any putts.
“I’ve tried to release it, tried to get it going, and tried to hook my putts, tried to do anything to get the thing rolling properly. I just didn’t quite have it this week. For some reason, on the longer putts, I was great. I was able to — the length of the stroke definitely helps, so on the shorter putts, I just kept dragging it.”
When was Tiger Woods’ next major win?
Woods would bounce back from his Masters disappointment at the US Open, beating Rocco Mediate on the first hole of sudden death following an 18-hole playoff at Torrey Pines.
The American, however, would miss The Open and PGA Championship through injury.
2009 proved to be a frustrating one for Woods. After placing sixth at The Masters and US Open, he missed the cut at The Open before Y.E Yang overturned a final-round deficit to beat Woods at the PGA Championship. Of course, Woods’ next major win came in 2019 at Augusta National.
For those wanting to catch a glimpse of Tiger, the 15-time major winner is set to return to action on Tuesday evening as Jupiter Links GC start their TGL season.
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