To Tiger Woods the joyous scene by the 18th green confirmed that his career, if not his life, has come “full circle”.

In 1997, he hugged his father after his first Masters triumph. Here, 22 years later, he hugged his children.

There were tears in Woods’s eyes as he thought not only his late father, Earl, who died 13 years ago, but also of Charlie, 10, and Sam, 12, who were there to greet him after his first major triumph in 11 years.

“It was just fantastic to have Sam and Charlie here for the first time,” he said. “I couldn’t wait to hold them, but I couldn’t hear them because I was screaming so much, and everyone else was, too.

I think – I hope – they will be proud. They had never been to Augusta National before and I had to tell them how unique it is. Now they know.

“They were at the Open last year when I had the lead, made a few mistakes, and cost myself a chance to win. I wasn’t going to let that happen to them twice.

So for them to see what it’s like to have their dad win a major, I hope that’s something they will never forget.

“It was amazing to have my mom, there too, just as she was when I won my first Masters. And of course I thought about my dad, how he was there for me in 1997, and in 2005 [Woods’s previous Masters win] when his health was so bad he shouldn’t really have come. He wasn’t supposed to fly, but he came. He’s not here, but my kids are. So it’s come full circle.”

The 43-year-old paid tribute to his family for helping him through his dark days.

“The infectiousness of their happiness has been such a help,” he said. “Their love and their support – I cannot stress enough how much that meant to me when I was having a hard time just moving. I could barely walk, couldn’t sit, couldn’t lay down. Luckily I had the [spinal fusion] procedure on my back, which gave me a chance at having a normal life.”

Woods revealed that a talk from his caddie, Joey LaCava, after falling three shots behind Francesco Molinari at the  fifth hole, reinvigorated his challenge. “He said some things that I can’t really repeat,” Woods said. “Then I went into the rest room and proceeded to say the same things to myself. I came out and I felt a lot better.”

Woods is plainly relishing taking on the young guns again in the three majors coming up in the next three months. “This win is right up there as maybe the hardest major I have ever had to win, because of what has happened since my last one,” he said. “And you’ve got all these young kids who are bigger, faster, stronger, hitting it prodigious distances. The game has come a long way, but I felt pretty good coming into the tournament. And my last three majors have been pretty good. So that gives me a lot of confidence.”

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Source: New York Post