Everyone and everything golf took a back seat on Sunday afternoon at the US Masters as Tiger Woods grabbed the driver’s seat and careered his name (if it wasn’t already there) into golfing immortality.
More than a decade after his last major victory, Tiger was more akin to a wise old wolf, cunningly plotting his way around familiar territory to achieve a remarkable return to golfing nirvana, while others (much younger) in the pack strayed and lost their way.
The world’s best including Dustin Johnson, Xander Schauffele, Brooks Koepka, Tony Finau, Webb Simpson, Francesco Molinari and our own Jason Day all had the lead at some stage, but as they made their way to the back nine they started to self-implode.
Like he did in his prime, Tiger seemed to intimidate those around him. It was a combination of a steely game face, the old Tiger swagger, a fist pump, exquisite iron play and a tsunami of hooting and hollering Americans rooting for one man only.
Aside from when he took his cap off to reveal a hair line that has many historical excuses for its wispy appearance, Tiger looked like the Tiger of old. Fit, lean and strong. Resplendent in his signature bright red final day shirt, he strode the fairways and he owned the greens. The cacophony of the crowd’s roars reverberated across the deep green valleys and peaks of Augusta’s pristine hills. The chasing pack could do nothing but retreat from their routine after Tiger hit a shot or made a putt – the sound was so profound and deafening.
After claiming victory, Tiger embraced his mum and then his kids and then his partner and friends. The beaming, Anglo Saxon Augusta officials, all suited up in their green jackets, lined the path to their Georgian abode, while the prodigal son returned to the place where he belonged. Tiger now had five green jackets, golf had its mojo back and world order had been restored.
As gushing and cringe worthy as the commentators can be on the Masters telecast, they seemed perfectly normal for this time. Comparisons of when Tiger first won here hugging his dad turning full circle to now when he hugged his own kids was heartwarming; the cry of one commentator proclaiming it as one of the greatest sporting achievements ever was appropriate (or if it wasn’t, he wasn’t far off the mark).
43 year old Tiger Woods was again leader of the pack, thirteen years after he’d last ruled it. It didn’t seem possible – but he’s a Tiger, not a wolf.

In huge news, it has been reported in The Age that Tiger is likely to play in the Presidents Cup in Melbourne in December! See our Presidents Cup packages here

Meanwhile four Aussies made an assault at this year’s Masters. Jason Day was up the top of the leaderboards at the half way point but faulted on day three. A closing 67 had him as the Clubhouse leader on -11 for a while, until Tiger cut a swathe through the field to claim victory by one.
Adam Scott looked like the Adam of old for a good part of the tournament, atop the leaderboard on parts of day one and two. He continued to plot his way around the familiar layout with great driving and iron play, but yet again it was the flat stick that was his kryptonite. At one stage towards the end of the third round, after another ten footer shaved the cup for birdie but refused to fall, a commentator said he’d left six to eight shots out on the course due to those missed putts – a third round 72 could have been a 65 or 64 or anything! Alas it was a 72 and a closing 73 saw him finish back at T18 on -6, and another opportunity gone begging.
Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith bought solid form with them to the Masters, and commentators couldn’t definitively say which Australian would lead the charge – so good all their lead up form been. Ironically it was the wounded Jason Day (crook back) that led again. While both players made the cut and were in the red heading into the Sunday, both would have been really disappointed with their closing rounds of 75 for Leishman and 77 for Smith. Maybe next year?
The Champions Tour, Canadian and web.com Tour had a break while the world focused on Augusta, while in China ten Aussies teed up at the Haikou Championship. James Marchesani (son of former AFL Carlton footballer Frank) was the best placed finishing 5^th. After 54 holes he was just one shot off the lead. It’s a great result for the young son of a gun.
On the Latinoamerica Tour, Ryan Ruffels nearly won the Molino Canuelas Championship in Bueno Aires, Argentina. He lost a playoff to finish runner up for a second consecutive week and he sits in 3^rd place on that tour’s OOM.
The ladies PGA Tour enjoyed a week off returning this weekend to the LOTTE Championship in Oahu, Hawaii.

PGA TOUR-Affiliated Tours, Australian Player Results, Week of April 8, 2019
The PGA TOUR and its affiliated Tours boasts a large roster of Australians as members. Here is the recap from this past week’s action and the Australians’ performances.

USPGA Tour
Masters Tournament
Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Georgia
Purse: $11,500,000 ($2,070,000 to winner)

Next Tournament: RBC Heritage
Harbour Town Golf Links, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, April 18-21

PGA Champions Tour
No Tournament this Week
Next Tournament: Mitsubishi Electric Classic
TPC Sugarloaf, Duluth, Georgia, April 19-21

PGA web.com Tour   
No Tournament this Week
Next Tournament: Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail Championship
The Senator Course, Prattville, Alabama, April 18-21

PGA China Tour     
Haikou Championship
Sunac Haikou 3KM Golf Club, Haikou, China
Purse: ￥1,600,000 (￥288,000 to the winner)

PGA Latinoamerica Tour
Molino Canuelas Championship
Canuelas Golf Club, Bueno Aires, Argentina
Purse: $175,000 ($31,500 to the winner)

Next Tournament: Molino Canuelas Championship
Canuelas Golf Club, Bueno Aires, Argentina, April 11-14

PGA Mackenzie Tour - Canada
No Tournament this week
Next Tournament: Qualifying Tournament-U.S. East 2
TPC Sawgrass – Dye’s Valley, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, April 23-26