Tiger Woods holed for an estimated $22.5 million for Nike taking just two seconds to putt to his first major victory in 11 years in a sensational sporting comeback at the Masters.
Woods, 43, raised his arms triumph on the 18th green while wearing his Sunday red Nike shirt, the same as he had worn in his first major triumph at the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia in 1997.
He hugged his family including his son Charlie in moving scenes reminiscent of how he had embraced his own father wearing the iconic Nike swoosh with his first ever major at Augusta in 1997.
It broke a major-winning curse he had borne for over a decade and meant Nike cashed in to the tune of an estimated $22,540,000.
Tiger Woods celebrates winning the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club with his family in his Sunday red Nike shirt matched by his son Charlie after winning on Sunday
Tiger Woods’ family, daughter Sam Alexis, son Charlie Axel, mother Kultida woods (left) and girlfriend Erica Herman (right), smile has he approaches them after he won
Woods and his girlfriend Erica Herman – who manages his restaurant The Woods in Jupiter, Florida – kissing after his final round at East Lake in September last year
Tiger Woods raising his arms triumph on the 18th green at Augusta National in Georgia while wearing his Sunday red Nike shirt, the same as he had worn in his first major triumph at the same course in 1997
Woods clenches his fist as the jubilant crowd erupt after the ball rolled for just two seconds into the hole, netting Nike an estimated $22 million
Woods hugs his son Charlie after winning the 83rd Masters tournament on Sunday in Augusta
Woods came full circle and mirrored scenes of his first Masters victory back in 1997, when he hugged his father, hugging his son Charlie
Nike released an advert on Sunday in honour of Woods’ vicory with the caption: ‘Never stop chasing your crazy dream’
The video was accompanied by dramatic headers which brought attention to ‘every high’ and ‘every low’ the champion had experienced
Glory: Nike revelled in the victory of the superstar they have sponsored over three decades, including in times of struggle
That money is thought to equal the brand value added during coverage of his last round alone, Apex Marketing said.
It was a comeback for Woods and a colossal boost for the sporting apparel giant who had taken a gamble in sticking with the champion after stories of extra-marital affairs rocked him in 2009.
They had similarly backed Woods when he was found asleep at the wheel of his car at a set of traffic lights in 2017, and remained faithful despite back injuries since 2014 which left Woods failing to make the cut at majors.
On Sunday afternoon Woods-branded items on Nike.com were selling out fast and they released a moving advertisement online, documenting his comeback.
It said: ‘It’s crazy to think a 43-year-old who has experienced every high and every low and has just won his 15th major is chasing the same dream as a 3-year-old.’
Nike signed him when he turned pro in 1996 in a $40 million five-year deal and continued to sign him as the years progressed, signing a new deal in 2013 for $200 million, Business Insider reported.
During his decade of physical and mental strife many of the brands who had been associated with Woods – AT&T, Procter & Gamble Co.’s Gillette, General Motors Co.’s Buick and watchmaker Tag Heuer – had dropped him, Bloomberg reported.
Among other brands who cashed in on Woods on Sunday, Monster Energy are estimated to have made $958,333 for being emblazoned on his bag, and Bridgestone netted $134,167 for being on his ball, Apex Marketing estimated.
Tiger Woods and Nike co-founder Phil Knight attend the Tiger Woods Foundation’s 20th Anniversary Celebration at the New York Public Library on October 20, 2016 in New York City
Former President Barack Obama had kind words for Woods on Sunday
Donald Trump Jr, the President’s son, posted his congratulations for Woods alongside a picture with Donald Trump and his granddaughter
NBA’s Kobe Bryant tweeted his praise for Woods after the victory
Tennis great Serena Williams piled in to the outpouring of praise for the champ with her own thoughts on all he has been through
His sensational comeback captured the hearts of millions across the world – including President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama.
Donald Trump wrote: ‘Love people who are great under pressure. What a fantastic life comeback for a really great guy!’
And Barack Obama tweeted: ‘Congratulations, Tiger! To come back and win the Masters after all the highs and lows is a testament to excellence, grit, and determination.’
Other sporting greats paid tribute to Woods including Wayne Rooney, Serena Williams, AP McCoy and Kobe Bryant.
The champion’s mother Kultida Woods, 75, his two children Charlie and Sam, and his girlfriend Erica Herman, 35, embraced him as he walked off the green.
Herman, who manages Woods’ restaurant The Woods in Jupiter Florida, has been dating him since September 2017.
She has been wearing the ‘Player Spouse’ badge reserved for wives and girlfriends of tour pros to watch him play since that time and they are said to be exceptionally close, Golf Monthly wrote.
The mother of Woods’ children is his former wife Elin Nordegren, a Swedish model who he married at Sandy Lane in Barbados in 2004.
Their marriage fell apart in 2009 after the troubled golfer crashed his SUV into a fire hydrant in the early hours of the morning two days after the National Enquirer had published a report about an extra-martial affair with New York nightclub boss Rachel Uchitel, who denied the claim.
In the days and months afterwards numerous scandalous stories broke in the press about affairs with women, prompting a press conference in February 2010 where he made a statement saying he would undertake a therapy program.
He told the cameras then: ‘I felt that I had worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me. I felt I was entitled. Thanks to money and fame, I didn’t have to go far to find them. I was wrong, I was foolish.’
2018 champ Patrick Reed helps Tiger Woods with his green jacket after Woods won the Masters golf tournament on Sunday
Reed helps Tiger Woods with his green jacket after Woods won the Masters golf tournament Sunday in Georgia
Tiger Woods with with his green jacket and the Masters Trophy, which depicts the Augusta National clubhouse
It is Woods’ first win at The Masters since his father Earl Woods, who introduced him to golf at the age of two, died from a heart attack in 2006.
And it is just two years since he was overheard quietly telling Jack Nicklaus ‘I’m done’ during the Champions Dinner at Augusta National, after which he flew straight to London to see a consultant who recommended he undergo what proved to be career-saving spinal fusion surgery.
Speaking in Butler Cabin ahead of receiving his fifth green jacket on Sunday, Woods said: ‘It’s come full circle, I had my dad there in ’97 and now I have my kids here today.
‘Last year I was just very lucky to be playing again. I missed a couple of years of not playing this great tournament to now being champion.
‘[It is] Unreal for me to experience this, my mom was here and she was there in 97 as well. I couldn’t be more happier or excited, I’m lost for words.
‘It’s up there as one of the hardest I’ve ever had to win. My father shouldn’t have been there [in ’97] he was recovering from a heart attack and heart surgery,’ an emotional Woods continued.
‘To have my little boy Charlie here, that embrace, that was so special. Sam had a soccer tournament yesterday but I managed to persuade them to come up and watch the Masters, and I was able to win.’
Wayne Rooney was similarly unable to contain his emotions as he tweeted a photo of himself at Augusta National
Champion jockey AP McCoy said Woods’ victory was of biblical proportions
The Jonas brothers toasted Tiger’s victory on a private jet in this Instagram snap
Woods caught up with tournament leader Francesco Molinari on the 12th hole, when Molinari double-bogeyed on a shot into the water.
On the back nine, there was at one point a five-way tie for first place, with Woods, Molinari, Xander Schauffele, Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson all sitting at 12 under par.
Woods jumped out to the lead with a birdie on the 15th hole for 13 under. He went two up on the field with another birdie on the 16th, and held the lead through the final green, finishing one under Johnson, Koepka and Schauffele.
Wood’s phenomenal triumph was staged under the threat of storms as a severe weather system moved across the South.
In a desperate attempt to get the season’s first major across the finish line before the storm hit, officials pushed up start times and sent golfers off in threesomes from both the first and 10th tees.
Floodlights cast shadows on the practice range as players warmed up in darkness before the final round started at 7.30am.
Woods said he got up by 4am to start stretching a body that has been slowed by four back surgeries.
Actor Hugh Jackman was full of joy as he took a selfie beside the coverage on Sunday
Woods’ half-sister professional golfer Cheyenne Woods posted on Instagram her joy at watching her brother’s win
Will Smith’s former wife, the actress Jada Pinkett Smith was full of praise for Woods
TIGER WOODS TIMELINE SINCE 2013, WHEN HE WON HIS LAST VICTORY ON THE PGA TOUR
Woods is seen above holding the trophy after winning the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational golf tournament in Akron, Ohio on August 4, 2013. It would take him five years to win another tournament
2013 – Captures his 79th PGA Tour title at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in August.
2014 – A week before the Masters in April, Woods announces that he requires back surgery, forcing him to miss the year´s opening major for the first time since 1994.
He returned to competition in June but struggled on with back pain.
2015 – Posts the worst score of his professional career in June, a 13-over-par 85 in the third round of the Memorial tournament in Ohio.
2015 – Woods has a second microdiscectomy performed in September with a follow-up procedure six weeks later, forcing him to shut down his playing schedule indefinitely.
2016 – In April, he plays his first stretch of holes in eight months at a golf course opening in Montgomery, Texas.
2016 – Misses all four major championships in a season for the first time in his career.
In May 2017, Woods was arrested by Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputies in Palm Beach, Florida
2016 – In September announces that he hopes to make his competitive return to golf at the PGA Tour´s Oct. 13-16 Safeway Open in Napa, California.
2016 – Three days before the start of the Safeway Open, pulls out, saying his game is not sharp enough to compete at the highest level.
2017 – Woods ends 17 months on the sidelines by playing the Farmers Insurance Open, where he misses the cut.
The following week he pulls out of the European Tour’s Dubai Desert Classic before the second round, citing back spasms.
2017 – Undergoes lumbar fusion surgery in April. The procedure involves fusing two vertebrae in his lower back into a single structure.
2017 – Arrested after being found asleep at the wheel of his parked car in Florida in May.
Toxicology report reveals he had five drugs in his system, but no alcohol.
2017 – Woods returns to competition in November at the unofficial World Challenge, finishing equal ninth in the 18-man field.
2018 – After being among the title contenders at several tournaments during the season, Woods ends his five-year barren run by clinching the Tour Championship, his 80th PGA Tour victory, leaving him two shy of the all-time mark held by Sam Snead.
2019 – At age 43, Woods wins the Masters Tournament in an astonishing comeback, his first majors win since 2011 and his first win at Augusta since 2005.
Source: Reuters