And his dramatic playoff win at Augusta on Sunday.
But the golf world is still talking about — who else? — Tiger Woods and the controversial two-stroke penalty he was assessed after a viewer called in to complain about where Tiger spotted his ball after plopping one in the water on No. 15.
At first there was outrage that Tiger only given two-strokes and not disqualified for signing an incorrect card on Friday. But with the tournament behind us, there’s new photographic evidence that Tiger didn’t deserve a penalty at all:
Tiger Woods was assessed a two-stroke penalty and received a mountain of criticism after taking an illegal drop on the 15th hole of Friday’s Masters that sent the venerable tournament in chaos.
The question now, however, is whether he actually committed a violation at all, or instead was the victim of a false confession.
[The false confession was from Tiger, himself]
The Augusta Chronicle on Sunday printed two photos by staffer Michael Holahan of Woods’ two chip shots from the 15th fairway. The first hit the flagstick and rolled into the water, forcing Woods to take a one-stroke penalty and then drop his ball “as nearly as possible” to his original location.
The Chronicle circled various divots in the 15th fairway to show Woods’ second shot was in almost the exact same location as the first.
While the photos may not be conclusive evidence and they will no doubt be picked apart, Tiger does appear to be standing within inches of where he took his first shot, not the two yards that he himself thought he had moved.
Holahan maintained his location for both shots, offering a clear comparison. Television replays, on the other hand, came from different locations as an ESPN cameraman on the course set up in slightly different locations.
The new evidence doesn’t settle it one way or the other and if professional golf is going to continue using viewers at home for their officiating, there needs to be a tightening of the rules and penalties that can be assessed via one of these amateur-replay-calls.