US Masters

Augusta National, April 1997 - Tom Watson had seen a lot of great golfers before he set eyes on Tiger Woods

Augusta National, April 1997 - Tom Watson had seen a lot of great golfers before he set eyes on Tiger Woods. Yet, after the young maestro won the US Masters in 1997, in a record score of 18-under-par 270, Watson remarked: "He's a boy amongst men, and he's teaching the men how to play."

So it was. Midway through his first round on the Thursday, however, it had seemed unlikely that Woods would dominate to such an extent. Woods reached the turn in 40 and, with the dream threatening to turn into a nightmare, he made a slight adjustment to his swing on the 10th tee. From there, he covered the remaining 63 holes in an astonishing 22-under-par.

Philip Reid

Philip Reid

Philip Reid is Golf Correspondent of The Irish Times