Every time Tiger Woods goes out with an injury or is struggling with his game, the usual question that enters people's mind is: Can golf survive without Tiger?
Of course, whenever Tiger Woods is playing at a major, he is a tremendous story. Woods brings an incredible amount of buzz to the golf game, as some people love to root for Tiger, while others love to root against him and see him fail.
In 1997, Tiger won the Masters after he set a record at Augusta for the largest margin of victory in a major, at the time, as he beat Tom Kite by 12 strokes and his -18 score was the lowest to par score in Masters history. Since he came onto the scene with that incredible wipe-out victory at the age of 21, Tiger has been the biggest story in golf. Too add to the lure of wanting to watch Tiger on a Sunday at a major, a record that once seemed inevitable that he would break, still stands to this day. With his 4-year major drought, Tiger still remains at 14 major victories, which trails Jack Nickalus's record of 18 wins at the four majors.
Obviously, at the age of 36, Tiger's best years are behind him and with his current game in a tremendous amount of flux, it looks very doubtful if Woods can win four more majors to tie Nickalus's record and 5 more to pass him.
Coming off his win at Bay Hill in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Woods was seen as one of the favorites to win this year's first major. It was his first win in an official PGA Tour event since he won the BMW Championship at Cog Hill in September of 2009 and he looked destined to finally make a run at winning his first Masters since 2005.
When Tiger came to Augusta, he never looked comfortable on the tee or on the greens, as he said, "It was an off week at the wrong time."Woods tied his career worst Masters four hole score with a 5-over par, 293, and he didn't finish under-par in any of his rounds.
Contrary to popular belief that golf will be unable to survive without Tiger Woods, the 2012 Masters proved that a major can still be wildly entertaining even without Woods in serious contention.
2010 Open Champion Louis Oosthuizen's second hole set the stage for an incredible round of golf. Oosthuizen was looking to become the 6th player to win the British Open at St. Andrews as well as the Masters joining only Sam Snead (1946 Open Champion at the Old Course and 1949, 1952, and 1954 Masters Champion), Jack Nicklaus (1970 and 1978 Open Champion at St. Andrews and 1963, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1975, and 1986 Masters Champion), Seve Ballesteros (1984 Open Champion at St. Andrews and 1980 and 1983 Masters Champion), Nick Faldo (1990 Open Champion at St. Andrews and 1989, 1990, and 1996 Masters Champion) and Tiger Woods (2000 and 2005 Open Champion at the Old Course and 1997, 2001, 2002, and 2005 Masters Champion).
After hitting a drive in the middle of the fairway on the par-5 second hole, Oosthuzien hit a 4-iron on his second shot from 254 yards away. The ball hit the front of the green and rolled all the way down to the back of the green and then dropped into the hole. The unbelievable shot sent shock waves throughout Augusta, as Oosthuzien double-eagle put him at the top of the leaderboard, which he didn't fall from until the playoff.
As much as the South African would have loved to have won his second major, his albatross will forever be remembered. It was just the fourth double-eagle in Masters history along with Gene Sarazen's albatross on the 15th hole at Augusta in the 1935 Masters that put the tournament on the map, as well as Bruce Devlin's double-eagle on the 8th hole in the 1967 Masters, and finally Jeff Maggert's double-eagle on the 13th hole in the 1994 Masters.
Oosthuzien's iron will be recalled as one of the greatest shots in recent Masters history to go along with Tiger's incredible chip shot (who can forget it) on the 16th hole in the 2005 Masters, which he would later go on and win, and Phil's second shot on the 13th hole from behind a tree that rolled right near the hole and helped him win his 3rd Masters. Oosthuizen said about the shot, "My first double-eagle ever."
Despite Oosthuzien magical shot, Bubba Watson was the story of the tournament, as his unique golf style, which he calls "Bubba golf" was full of great shot making and drama to keep any fan of the edge of their seat.
Watson, who lost in a playoff to Martin Kaymer in the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Staits, was a much watch all week long. With his pink PING driver, Bubba finished second during the final round of the Masters in driving distance and his long and consistent drives helped him birdie 6 of the par 5's during the final two days.
Bubba's unique style of aggressiveness, which he claims to have because of never receiving a golf lesson, is every fans dream to watch. Every time you think that a shot can't be done, Bubba will attempt to prove you wrong, which he often does. His creativity is unlike any other golfer on the tour and this showed itself in the playoff.
After blowing a chance to win his first ever major during the first hole of the sudden-death playoff after he missed a birdie putt for the championship, Watson hit a tee shot on the second playoff hole, which was the par 4-10th, way right into the woods. It appeared as if Waton had missed out on his opportunity for the title, as he was in a horrible position for his second shot.
However, doing what he does best, Bubba was able to get out of the jam with his unbelievably creative play. Watson hit a wedge from 151 yards away from the hole and was able to curve the ball from the pine needles all the way from the woods onto the green. He two-putted to take home his first ever major victory.
Watson said about the shot, "I hit a crazy shot that I saw in my head and somehow I'm here talking to you with a green jacket on. The first time I started working with my caddie I told him, 'If I have a swing, I have a shot.' I got down there and saw it was a perfect draw. I'm pretty good at hooking it."
The playoff, which was the 15th in the 76 year history of the Masters and the 4th since 2003, brought an end to a thoroughly exciting round of golf and showed fans that the game can still do well even without Woods in the mix.
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