On 13 April 1997, Tiger Woods dismantled Augusta National and the record books. At age 21 he became the youngest champion in Masters history, winning by a record 12 strokes over Tom Kite with an 18-under-par score of 270.
A front nine stumble, then a charge
His opening round nearly came apart early. Woods played his first nine holes in a nervous 4-over 40. He salvaged the round on the inward nine, turning a crisis into a 70 and setting up what followed.
The Saturday that broke every challenger
The tournament pivoted on the third round. Colin Montgomerie began Saturday just three strokes behind Woods and walked off the 18th green 12 shots adrift. On the second hole, Montgomerie saw the gap laid bare — he hit 4-wood for his second shot while Woods had a 9-iron.
Woods produced a bogey-free 65 with seven birdies; Montgomerie shot a 74. No playing partner broke par alongside Woods all week, their combined score 27 strokes worse than his winning total.
Montgomerie surrendered openly afterwards. “There is no chance,” he told reporters. “We’re all human beings here. There’s no chance humanly possible that Tiger is going to lose this tournament. No way.”
A coronation on Sunday
The final round was not a contest. With a nine-shot cushion, Woods closed with a 69 as an estimated 44 million television viewers watched. His 12-stroke margin was the largest in any major championship since Tom Morris Sr. won the 1862 British Open by 13.
His father had spoken to him the night before, and when the winning putt dropped, Woods embraced Earl and Tida Woods beside the 18th green. The moment arrived two days shy of the 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking baseball’s colour barrier.
That first major as a professional would anchor a career of staggering peaks, from a 15-stroke U.S. Open triumph to the Tiger Slam and, 22 years later, a fifth green jacket. The game had changed hands.
