AUGUSTA, Ga. — Tiger Woods won the Masters Tournament on Sunday — his first major win since 2008 when he won the U.S. Open.

He shot 13 under par.

Tiger’s two children and his mother were all at the Masters to see him win.

In 2018, the 43-year-old won the Tour Championship at Atlanta’s East Lake Golf Club, which was his first golf tournament win in more than five years.

Tiger last won the Masters Tournament in 2005. He also won the Masters in 1997, 2001 and 2002.

Along with 2008, he won the U.S. Open in 2000 and 2002. </s> AUGUSTA, UNITED STATES (AFP) - Tiger Woods won the 83rd Masters on Sunday (April 14), capturing his 15th Major title to cement an epic return from scandal and injuries that once threatened his career.

Woods, who started the day two shots behind Francesco Molinari, fired a final-round 70 for a 13-under par total of 275 and a one-shot win over Dustin Johnson, Xander Schauffele and Brooks Koepka.

Woods, clad in bright red, raised his club and fist to the sky then hugged his mother and two children after sinking a short bogey putt to seal the win as the crowd erupted in chants of “Tiger! Tiger! Tiger!”

Woods had birdied the par-five 15th hole to take a one-shot lead and stretched it to two strokes with a birdie at the par-three 16th as Molinari’s challenge faced with double bogeys at 12 and 15.

Woods’s majesti march to victory was made to the accompaniment of the roars of the Augusta National crowds – those watching him and those who saw his name go up atop the leaderboards around the course.

The 14 years between his fourth Masters triumph and his fifth topped the previous longest gap of 13 years between Gary Player’s 1961 win and his 1974 title. </s> In one of the more improbable comeback stories in recent years, golf legend Tiger Woods returned from serious back injuries – as well as personal issues he has been dealing with for nearly a decade – to win the 83rd overall Masters tournament in Augusta, Georgia.

The win was Woods’ fifth Masters tournament victory, and the 15th major tournament of his storied career.

There was an outpouring of support for the legendary golfer on social media, with much of it coming from former and current Seattle Seahawks players.

Woods wasn’t the only big winner on Sunday, as Seahawks tight end Will Dissly pointed out. Apparently, a gambler was set to win a whopping $1.2 million dollars if Woods pulled off the victory – making that fan the happiest man in America outside of maybe Tiger himself.

Many Seahawks clearly enjoyed some Sunday morning golf, but Monday marks the beginning of the NFL season, with voluntary workouts getting started at the VMAC practice facility in Renton. </s> AUGUSTA, GEORGIA — Sergio Garcia has won the Masters for his first major championship, beating Justin Rose in a playoff.

The playoff was required after both players missed birdie putts on the 18th hole to stay tied at 9 under 210.

The 37-year-old Garcia hit a 12-foot putt for birdie on the playoff hole to seal the victory.

It was the 17th time in Masters history that the tournament had been decided by a playoff. </s> ATLANTA (AP) — Tiger Woods wins Tour Championship for 80th PGA Tour title and first in more than five years. </s> Fallen hero, crippled star, and now a Masters champion again. Tiger Woods rallied to win the Masters for the fifth time Sunday, a comeback that goes well beyond the two-shot deficit he erased before a delirious audience at Augusta National that watched memories turn into reality. Woods had gone nearly 11 years since he won his last major, 14 years since that green jacket was slipped over his Sunday red shirt. He made it worth the wait, closing with a 2-under 70 for a one-shot victory, and setting off a scene of raw emotion. He scooped up 10-year-old Charlie, born a year after Woods won his 14th major at Torrey Pines in the 2008 US Open.

He hugged his mother and then his 11-year-old daughter Sam, and everyone else in his camp that stood by him through a public divorce, an embarrassing DUI arrest from a concoction of painkillers and surgeries. “Wooooooo!!!” Woods screamed as he headed for the scoring room with chants of “Tiger! Tiger! Tiger” echoing as loud as any of the roars on the back nine at Augusta National. Woods lost his impeccable image to a sex scandal. He lost his health to four back surgeries that left him unable to get out of bed, much less swing a club, and he went two years without even playing a major. It was two years ago at the Masters when Woods said he needed a nerve block just to walk to the Champions Dinner. At that time, he thought his career is over.

Now the comeback is truly complete. Woods won his 15th major, leaving three short of the standard set by Jack Nicklaus. It was his 81st victory on the PGA Tour, one title away from the career record held by Sam Snead. “A big ‘well done’ from me to Tiger,” Nicklaus tweeted. “I am so happy for him and for the game of golf. This is just fantastic!!!” It was the first time Woods won a major when trailing going into the final round, and he needed some help from Francesco Molinari, the 54-hole leader who still was up two shots heading into the heart of Amen Corner.

And that’s when all hell broke loose at Augusta. Molinari’s tee shot on the par-3 12th never had a chance, hitting the bank and tumbling into Rae’s Creek for double bogey. Until then, Molinari had never trailed in a round that began early in threesomes to finish ahead of storms. And then it seemed as though practically everyone had a chance. Six players had a share of the lead at some point on the back. With the final group still in the 15th fairway, there was a five-way tie for the lead. And that’s when Woods seized control, again with plenty of help.

Molinari’s third shot clipped a tree and plopped straight down in the water for another double bogey. Woods hit onto the green, setting up a two-putt birdie for his first lead of the final round. Woods followed with a tee shot on the par-3 16th that rode down the slope next to the cup and settled two feet away for his final birdie. That gave him a two-shot cushion, and no one was going to catch him. </s> David Cannon/Getty Images(AUGUSTA, Ga.) — Sergio Garcia has finally won his first major championship.

After 72 holes of the 2017 Masters tournament, the 37-year-old Spanish golfer beat the English-born Justin Rose in a sudden death playoff– the 17th playoff in the Masters history.

The Masters win marked Garcia’s 74th attempt in his 18-year career at a major title. </s> AUGUSTA, Ga. -- History will judge whether the 83rd Masters Tournament will be considered as magical as Jack Nicklaus shooting 30 on the second nine to win a record sixth green jacket in 1986 at the age of 46.

But Tiger Woods’ victory in on Sunday at the Augusta National Golf Club will always be in the conversation.

At 43, 14 years after winning his fourth Masters, Woods finally has a fifth. He broke from a large pack of contenders with birdies at Nos. 13, 15 and 16 and shot 70 to win by one shot at 13-under-par 275.

Woods had a two-shot lead at the least and needed only a bogey to win. He laid back off the tee with a 3-wood, had issues with tree branches and had to leave his second shot short, then pitched onto the green and two-putted from 14 feet.

Brooks Koepka (70), who had won two of the last three majors in 2018, Dustin Johnson (68) and Xander Schauffele (68) tied for second at 12-under.

Francesco Molinari, who was tied for the lead through 36 holes and led by two through 54, finished with a 74 and tied Tony Finau (72), Jason Day (67) and Webb Simpson (70) at 11-under.

Woods captured his 81st PGA Tour title, one short of Sam Snead’s all-time record, and his 15th major, three shy of Nicklaus’ record. He earned a Masters record first-place check of $2,070,000.

It also was the first time Woods won a major after trailing to begin the final round.

Woods also won his first major championship in 11 years. His 14th major title came at the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines -- with a broken leg, as it later was revealed.

Woods has rallied from personal issues and a series of injuries (he’s had four back surgeries) since he last won the Masters. He missed back-to-back Masters in 2016 and 2017 and during the CBS telecast, analyst Nick Faldo, a three-time winner at Augusta, said Woods confided to him three years ago that he may not play golf again.

But Woods began his comeback last season when he contended in the Open Championship and tied for sixth (Molinari won, playing with Woods in the final round) and then finished solo second in the PGA, two shots behind Koepka.

Woods ended the season by winning the Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta, his first victory in more than five years.

Woods began day two shots behind Molinari, trailed by three after a bogey at No. 10, then took advantage when Molinari hit balls into the water at Nos. 12 and 15.

After an errant drive at No. 11 (he still made par), Woods hit his next five fairways and his next six greens, two-putting for birdies at the par-5 13th and 15th, and then landing an 8-iron at No. 16 on the green, with the ball catching the slope perfectly and rolling 4 feet past.

He made the birdie for a two-shot lead.

Severe weather predicted for the area forced Augusta National officials to take extraordinary measures to make sure the final round finished on Sunday to avoid the first Monday finish since 1983.

The field of 65 was divided in threesomes, and started off the first and 10th tees at 7:30 a.m. The final threesome of Woods, Finau and Molinari teed off at 9:20 a.m.

It was the first two-tee start since 2005, the last time Woods won the Masters. </s> AUGUSTA, Ga. -- They lined up five deep outside of rope barriers that the security guards were pulling tight to clear a path for Tiger Woods, craning their necks and cheering his name as he strode toward the old clubhouse.

This was just after 6 p.m. on a Saturday, and no one seemed to care that Woods, his lavender mock turtleneck coated in sweat, had won nothing except for their collective imaginations. Some stood on their toes for a better view. Others lined up along the fairway on the first hole, some more than a hundred yards away, just to catch a glimpse.

This was no longer wishful thinking on these famous rolling hills at Augusta National. This was real. This was happening. Woods had played himself into the final group on a Sunday at the Masters -- and, because almost everything about this tournament has been a little loopier than usual, that group will be a threesome.

It’ll be “Breakfast at Augusta” here, maybe the craziest day Sunday in Masters history, because of thunderstorms that will descend upon the area in the afternoon. Francisco Molinari, at 13 under, will have a two-stroke lead and the confidence from winning the British Open last summer. Tony Finau, tied with Woods at 11 under, is playing better than anyone in the field after carding a 64 in a brilliant third-round performance.

Still: It’ll be all about Tiger when that final group arrives at the course for a very un-Masters-like 9:20 am tee time. It’ll be the most anticipated final round here in years, one that will be compressed into a tight window as those storm clouds build.

Lightning will strike at Augusta ... eventually. Will it happen after Woods claims the green jacket for the first time in 14 years?

“It’s been a while since I’ve been in contention here,” Woods said. “But, then again, the last two majors count for something. I’ve been in the mix with a chance to win major championships in the last two years. So that helps.”

He’s been in contention, yes. But he hasn’t won one since the 2008 U.S. Open, and it’s hard to even remember all of the bumps since then. One major scandal. Four knee surgeries. Four back surgeries. Forget winning a major. For a time, Woods himself wondered if he’d even play in tournaments that matter again.

Few athletes of his stature have fallen as far as he did, dropping out of the top 1,100 in the world rankings. Everyone got giddy because he had a chance to win in Greensboro a few years back. Winning the Masters? That seemed like crazy talk.

“I wouldn’t have foreseen that (drought), for sure,” Woods said. “After I won my 14th (major), I felt like I still had plenty more major championships that I could win, but unfortunately I just didn’t do it. I put myself there with chances on the back nine on various Sundays and just haven’t done it.”

He has had plenty of chances to disappear from this one, too. He missed a series of short birdie putts in the third round, ruining an opportunity to seize the lead. An over-zealous security guard nearly took him out with a slide on the 14th hole, a scary moment given his long history of injuries.

He was a middling 1 over through five holes for the day on Saturday when, finally, the putts started falling. He birdied Nos. 8, 13, 15 and 16 to make his steady climb up the leaderboard, so when he made the walk up 18th fairway at 6:04 p.m., the fans rose to give him a standing ovation.

Woods lifted his putter once, then twice, and two minutes later, he missed a 25-foot birdie try by a couple inches. Even that didn’t dampen the enthusiasm as the fans rose for another standing ovation. Woods’ caddie, Joe LaCava, gave him a fist bump and said “good work” before handing him the scorecard.

Look: Sunday might be a downer before the rain starts. Woods has never won a major without holding the lead when Sunday begins, and the man he is chasing is no slouch. Molinari, who once caddied here for his brother, would be a fantastic story, too. So would Finau, who dislocated his ankle here playing the par-3 tournament.

But even they seem to recognize that they are supporting actors in this drama.

“It’s always a great tournament whenever Tiger is in the mix, and he’s 100 percent in the mix right now,” Finau said. “It’s going to be a Masters to remember, I know that for sure.”

It’ll start soon after sunrise. Woods insisted that he didn’t need to win another Masters, but he’ll probably feel differently as he steps onto that first tee box. Just imagine how that crowd will look a few hours later if he walks off this course a winner.

Steve Politi may be reached at spoliti@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevePoliti. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Tiger Woods wins the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, his first major golf win in 11 years and his first win at the Masters since 2005.