In the end, Tiger Woods lost it.

That's right, he lost it.

Not the golf tournament, of course. Tiger never loses golf tournaments, especially not the Masters, and not when he's running in front.

Tiger got lost in the moment. How could he not? The gravity of Sunday's accomplishment at Augusta National overwhelmed us all.

``I was in such a zone today,'' he said. ``Working so hard on every shot. Then I walked over to the side and I just started thinking, `I don't have any more shots to play. I'm done.'''

Done? Hardly. Tiger Woods will never be done. Sunday's completion of the Grand Slam sweep was as much a beginning as a culmination. With his second Masters victory, Tiger Woods gave us all something special.

Woods dares to dream the big dreams. Top Jack Nicklaus' 18 majors. Eclipse Sam Snead's 81 tour wins. Set scoring records. Win Grand Slams.

Does he ever amaze himself?

``I'm amazed at the fact I was able to play as well as I was able to play when I needed to,'' he admitted.

For that he lost it. He slid his cap over his face and gathered his composure. As hard as it is to believe, Woods is human after all.

``I've done it before. I've cried after wins. I've cried after defeats,'' Woods said. ``But I've never had that feeling before.''

With all the pressure and all the hype heading into this Masters, Woods never flinched. Players always swore that the heat of a Grand Slam quest would cause any man to wilt.

Not Woods.

``You probably think I'm lying, but I kid you not,'' he said. ``I actually felt more relaxed this week ... because I had won this tournament already.''

The 15-footer for birdie on the last hole was a nice touch, a flourish that was needed when David Duval and Phil Mickelson couldn't apply the final heat.

Once the putt fell in, the emotions flooded over Woods. He was so in tune with the match that the shots started rewinding in his skull in rapid succession. The shot he stuck a foot from the cup at 11. The sweeping drives - left and right - he carved around the corners on 13 and 18. The par-saving putts on 9 and 10.

Then other images invaded his mind. The evolving leaderboard. The challenges from Mickelson. The roars from Duval's vicinity.

``A lot of different things went through my head at that moment,'' he said.

Ours as well. Witnessing the greatest accomplishment in golf history does that. It scrapes the soul for some perspective.

Ruth's 60 homers ... DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak ... Nelson's 11 straight victories ... Jordan's six NBA titles ... Wooden's 10 NCAA basketball titles in 12 years ... Secretariat's monumental Belmont Stakes triumph ...

In his 25 years, Woods struggles for comparisons. He's too young to have even seen Muhammad Ali box.

``I think some of the biggest accomplishments I've ever been privy to have usually been on videotape,'' he said. ``I haven't been on the planet long enough to have seen some of the greatest athletes of all time do some of their stuff.''

If we all are lucky enough to be alive a long, long time, we will be lucky to top what we saw on Sunday and three similar Sundays in the past year.

Woods gave us a precious gift. He shared with us something special. We got to see it. We got to savor it. Whether you were on the grounds or watching on television, we all shared the experience. This one stands apart. This was for the ages.

He's done something incredible. But he's not done.

``Hopefully it is the start, but it might be the end,'' he said. ``I don't know.''