Monday 2 April 2018 19:50, UK
Tiger Woods has missed the last two Masters but will make a welcome return to the fairways of Augusta National this week.
The 42-year-old has described himself as a "walking miracle" following his return from spinal back fusion surgery earlier this year and he is only around 12/1 to complete a remarkable comeback and notch his fifth Masters success after showing some impressive form on the PGA Tour.
Woods has a superb record at Augusta National, with 11 top-five finishes, and here we take a look back at his 20 previous appearances in the first major of the year, beginning with his four victories……
An opening round of 'two-halves' saw Woods, playing his first Masters as a professional, shoot 40 on the front nine, but recover brilliantly by coming home in six-under 30 for a two-under 70. That put him in fourth place and just three shots behind early leader John Huston.
Woods carried on where he had left off in the second round as a six-under 66 took him into the lead - the first time he had been in front in a major - and three clear of second-placed Colin Montgomerie.
The fireworks continued in the third round with seven birdies in his 65 increasing his advantage to nine shots over Italy's Costantino Rocca.
The final round then became a lap of honour for the 21-year-old as his three-under 69 left him 12 shots clear of Tom Kite on 18 under.
It was Woods' first major triumph and he became the youngest winner of the Masters. His margin of victory was also the biggest in a major until he won the 2000 US Open by 15 strokes.
Woods once again opened his campaign with a two-under 70 but it was less dramatic than 1997 as he went out in two-under 34 and came home in level- par 36 to sit in a six-way tie for 15th place, five shots behind leader Chris DiMarco.
DiMarco retained the lead on 10 under after 36 holes but he was under pressure with both Woods, who made his move with a six-under 66, and Phil Mickelson two behind him.
Woods hit the front on 12 under after the third round thanks to a 68, although despite Mickelson lurking only one behind, it was David Duval who launched a final-round challenge.
Duval eventually came up short, though, and Woods birdied the last for another 68 and an historic two-shot success.
The win completed the 'Tiger Slam' as he became the first man in the modern era to hold all four major titles at the same time. It was also his sixth major victory.
Woods once again kicked off with a 70 which left him in an 11-way tie for seventh place, three shots behind early pace-setter Davis Love III.
He made steady progress in the second round as his 69 elevated him to five under and four adrift of halfway leader and 2000 champion Vijay Singh.
'Moving Day' proved to be just that for Woods as he stormed into a share of the lead thanks to a six-under 66 which took him to 11 under and alongside Retief Goosen.
Goosen started the final round poorly and back-to-back birdies at the second and third helped to lift Woods into an early four-shot advantage. His lead was then never threatened as he carded a 71 to finish on 12 under and three clear of the South African.
As a result Woods became only the third man to retain the Masters crown after Jack Nicklaus in 1966 and Nick Faldo in 1990.
The opening round was delayed by over five hours due to heavy morning rain and Woods could only manage a two-over 74 as he mixed five bogeys with three birdies. DiMarco the early leader once again after a 67.
Rain continued to be a problem on the Friday with the second round completed on the Saturday, but Woods was back to form with a six-under 66, although DiMarco's second successive 67 meant he was six shots clear of the world No 1.
The third round was split between Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning for the leaders and the situation changed dramatically on the back nine where there was a massive swing in Woods' favour.
DiMarco dropped five shots to slip back to eight under after a 74, while Woods carded a 65 which included seven straight birdies from the seventh, although bogeys at the 14th and 15th took him back to 11 under and three ahead.
The final round provided plenty of drama, including Woods' legendary chip-in at the 16th, and the two Americans were locked together on 12 under following 72 holes, setting up a play-off.
Woods had bogeyed both the 17th and 18th to let DiMarco back in, but he held his nerve as they played the 18th again, holing a 15-foot birdie putt to clinch his fourth green jacket.
Woods made his Masters debut as a 19-year-old amateur in 1995 and recorded a respectable five-over total of 293 to finish in a tie for 41st place and earning low amateur honours.
He was back as an amateur a year later but missed the cut for the only time in his 20 Masters appearances so far after two rounds of 75 left him on six over.
Woods failed to break 70 as he defended the title for the first time in 1998, with rounds of 71-72-72-70 leaving him a tie for eighth place, six shots behind Mark O'Meara.
Once again Woods failed to shoot a round in the 60s in 1999, his first-round 72 including a triple-bogey eight on the eighth. He finished up on one under and nine back from Jose-Maria Olazabal.
Woods arrived at Augusta National in superb form in 2000 only for an opening-round 75, which included two double-bogeys, to dent his chances. Rounds of 68 and 69 put him back in contention at the weekend but his four-under total of 284 left him in fifth place, six shots behind Vijay Singh.
A disappointing 76 in the opening round in 2003 - Woods' worst score at Augusta National - followed by a 73 saw him just make the cut, but a third-round 66 put him just four off the lead, only for another 75 to drop him back into a tie for 15th place as Mike Weir claimed the green jacket after a play-off.
There was another mixed bag from Woods in 2004 with 75s in the first and third rounds leaving him among the also-rans as he finished on two-over 290 for the second year running, although this time he was tied for 22nd and 11 behind Phil Mickelson.
Woods failed to break 70 again in 2006 and lost out by three shots to Mickelson as he finished in a tie for third place. He said it "hurt the most of any tournament that I have failed to win" as it was the last major his father Earl would watch before passing away that May.
There were cold and windy conditions in 2007, making Augusta National very tricky for the whole field, and although Woods failed to break par with rounds of 73-74-72-72, he still ended up in a tie for second place just two shots behind Zach Johnson.
Trevor Immelman was a wire-to-wire winner in 2008 with Woods heading the chasing pack despite having 120 putts during the week. Immelman closed with a 75 but it still proved good enough to keep him three clear of the American.
Woods extended his run of top-10 finishes to five in 2009 when he tied for sixth place on eight under, four behind the winning score as Angel Cabrera emerged as the champion following a play-off.
The 2010 Masters saw Woods return to action following his infamous personal problems and, despite all that had happened over the previous months, he put himself in contention with a four-under 68 in the opening round. He remained in the hunt with rounds of 70-70-69 but never quite threatened the top of the leaderboard as he finished in a tie for fourth on 11 under, five behind Mickelson.
Woods had to settle for a share of fourth again in 2011 after rounds of 71-66-74-67 saw him post a 10-under total of 278, four behind Charl Schwartzel, although he was just one off the lead when he made the turn in the final round before playing the back nine in level par.
Woods' run of top-10 finishes ground to a halt in 2012 with his worst Masters finish as a professional - tied for 40th on five-over 293. He endured a frustrating four rounds as he failed to break par again and was criticised for kicking his club after a poor tee shot at the 16th during his second-round 75. Bubba Watson won the tournament after finishing on 10 under and beating Louis Oosthuizen in a play-off.
Woods was back in the top 10 as he shared fourth spot on five under in 2013, four shots behind eventual play-off winner Adam Scott, although he was also involved in some controversy when he was handed a two-stroke penalty for an illegal drop after his third shot at the 15th hit the pin and rebounded into the water hazard.
Woods was forced to miss the 2014 Masters after undergoing surgery on his back for a pinched nerve and there was plenty of attention on him as he returned to action at Augusta National for his first tournament since February that year.
Rounds of 73-69-68-73 were a respectable return for Woods as he ended up on five under and in a share of 17th place, but, like the remainder of the field, he was never a danger to runaway winner Jordan Spieth.
