Mark O'Meara wasn't wearing his green jacket for long before he heard from his famous golfing buddies.

When the Masters champion returned to his rented house after midnight on Sunday, Tiger Woods was waiting in the living room with a victory cigar. Baseball superstar Ken Griffey, Jr., telephoned O'Meara early Monday morning to offer congratulations.

All three sports figures live near each other in Orlando, Fla., and often play rounds of leisure golf together.

O'Meara is Woods' best friend on the PGA Tour. Woods had often said this past week that if couldn't repeat as Masters champion, there was nothing he'd like better that to see O'Meara win the tournament. Woods got his wish, and the two watched TV highlights of the final round together until the wee hours of the night on Sunday.

``Yes, Tiger came by last night; of course, we're good friends and he was very happy for me,'' O'Meara said on Monday. ``Tiger was raving about my putting. He wanted to know if I retire early from the PGA Tour, if I would let him have that putter.''

O'Meara sank birdie putts on the final two holes of the tournament to win the Masters by one stroke. O'Meara made an 8-foot putt on No. 17, and followed with a dramatic 20-footer on the 18th to win the green jacket.

Griffey had first tried to telephone O'Meara on Sunday evening after the Seattle Mariners lost 8-7 to the Boston Red Sox. However, O'Meara missed the call because he was still at Augusta National for the champions dinner. Griffey tried again Monday from Baltimore, where the Mariners opened a series against the Orioles, and had better luck.

``Kenny just wanted to say congratulations,'' O'Meara said. ``He had been watching the tournament on TV and was very excited for me. He can't wait to play golf together again.''

Griffey and Woods were not the only ones who wanted to congratulate O'Meara on the Masters. According to spokesperson for IMG, the Cleveland-based firm that represents O'Meara, the company was ``flooded'' on Monday with calls from well-wishers.

O'Meara had told reporters and family members until he went to sleep on Sunday night that he did not believe what had transpired in the final round of the tournament. When O'Meara awoke on Monday, however, he finally felt like a Masters champion.

``Yes, it finally has sunk in,'' O'Meara said. ``I couldn't get much sleep at all (Sunday night) because I was thinking about all what happened. I was so restless and excited. It had finally sunk in that I had won the Masters.''

O'Meara, wife Alicia, and kids Michelle and Shaun left Augusta for Hilton Head around noon on Monday. The Masters champion said he planned to spend the rest of Monday relaxing and then return to the greens and fairways Tuesday to practice for this week's MCI Classic.

The green jacket is not the only big prize for winning the Masters. Along with the first-place check of $576,000, O'Meara could earn millions more through endorsement deals. He already represents big-name clients such as Toyota and Descente clothing.

``I think winning the Masters will definitely be a boost to Mark's (endorsement possibilities),'' said Peter Malik of IMG. ``Mark obviously already has a great image. He is somebody who has already done a lot throughout his career on the PGA Tour. And winning his first major is going to take him to the next level. Mark has been with a good number of companies for a long time. We'll just have to see what he wants to do now.''