Chris DiMarco tapped in his par putt on the first playoff hole Sunday and walked over by the bunker at No. 18.

He squatted, holding his glove in his left hand, and waited to see if Tiger Woods would sink his 15-foot birdie putt for his fourth green jacket. The putt went in the cup, the crowd roared, Woods pumped his fist and DiMarco didn't move.

After a short pause, DiMarco walked over to Woods to congratulate him.

It was the second year in a row DiMarco had to watch from the 18th green as someone else won the Masters Tournament. Last year, DiMarco had a front-row seat as Phil Mickelson got the "best player to never win a major" monkey off his back.

This year, DiMarco watched helplessly as Woods silenced the "Why did you change your swing?" critics.

But this year was different for DiMarco.

Last year, he played his way out of contention with a final-round 76. This year, DiMarco pushed Woods to the brink, tying the soon-to-be No. 1 player in the world on the final hole of regulation.

"I would let it hurt if I gave it away, but I didn't. I really didn't," DiMarco said. "You know, I played him as hard as I could down the stretch, birdieing a bunch of holes coming in on the back nine and putting it on him, really."

DiMarco shot 34 on the back nine - including birdies on Nos. 11, 14 and 15. But he also caught a few bad breaks.

DiMarco had a birdie putt lip out at No. 4. His approach at No. 6 landed on the top tier of the green and stayed there until after Woods teed off. The ball then rolled all the way off the front of the green.

His final two approach shots at 18 landed on the green but rolled back off. In regulation, DiMarco's chip shot at 18 went straight to the hole and lipped out.

"My chip on 18 had every right to go in the hole," DiMarco said.

Woods missed his putt for par, and DiMarco nailed his to keep him alive for his first major championship.

In the playoff at 18, Woods landed on the green, while DiMarco's shot rolled to almost the same spot as it had in regulation. DiMarco's chip shot in the playoff fell inches short of the cup, leaving Woods with his putt for birdie and the win.

DiMarco had taken a four-shot lead into the third round, but Woods' record-setting performance in the second and third rounds turned that lead into a three-shot deficit going into the final round. DiMarco let his poor performance go when he changed his clothes and shoes between rounds - and it showed.

"He's a fighter," Woods said. "What else can you say? The guy got out there and grinded his way around the golf course and fought. ... Just goes to show you, he's going to be in your face all day."

It was the second time in as many major tournaments that DiMarco lost in a playoff.

Vijay Singh beat DiMarco and Justin Leonard in a three-hole, sudden death playoff at last year's PGA Championship at Whistling Straits.

Reach Kristy Shonka at (706) 823-3216 or kristy.shonka@augustachronicle.com.