Tiger Woods and caddie Joe LaCava recently took a trip down memory lane.
According to an ESPN report, LaCava was at Woods’ home in South Florida for some recent promotional work when they decided to sit down together and watch the broadcast of the final round of this year’s Masters. It was the first time that Woods watched the chaotic close that netted him his fifth green jacket and first major victory in 11 years.
“We spoke about the conversations we had over each shot,” Woods said. “Some of our friends and family who were there were like, ‘Oh my God, you guys really talked about that?’”
Woods began the final round two shots off the lead, and he remained two shots back after a bogey on No. 10. But he was 3 under the rest of the way, shooting a final-round 70 to race past Francesco Molinari and win by a shot over Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and Xander Schauffele.
LaCava has been on the bag for Woods since 2011, and this was their first major title together. With players teeing off in threesomes to finish ahead of an expected storm, Woods shared that one of the biggest difficulties for the pair was deciphering who exactly was making a move down the stretch, as birdie cheers were echoing among the Georgia pines from every corner of the course.
“You hear roars and try and figure out how many holes ahead it is, who would be on that hole,” Woods said. “All these scenarios are running through our heads as we try to handle the situation in real time. Now, it’s a lot easier on TV. You see it in front of you. It’s like calling a game on the sideline versus up in a booth. It’s much easier in that booth.”
Woods is in the Bahamas this week as host of the Hero World Challenge, which begins Wednesday. The tournament will end on Saturday to facilitate travel to the Presidents Cup, where Woods will be a playing captain for the U.S. team.