Tiger Woods lost it - his swing, that is - on the final two holes of regulation. Errant drives on both led to a pair of bogeys and put him in a situation to actually lose the Masters Tournament.

But just before Woods teed off in a sudden-death playoff with Chris DiMarco, hitting instructor Hank Haney sensed everything was all right.

"I knew when he took those practice swings on 18 tee, he was committed to what he was working on," Haney said. "I had a feeling he was going to hit some good shots."

Woods striped a drive down the middle of the fairway before knocking a solid 8-iron approach to the green. He will be remembered for winning his fourth green jacket with a 15-foot birdie putt, but Woods set up the victory with two solid shots.

Tiger's first major win since 2002 is due in some part to Haney's work. The mild-mannered Texan joined Team Tiger last year.

"I wouldn't overstate my contribution," Haney said. "I help with his swing, but there's so much more to Tiger Woods. All the credit goes to his parents. This guy is just unbelievable.

"I don't even consider myself his coach. I consider myself a teacher. I teach golf. Who am I to tell Tiger Woods how to play golf?"

Widely regarded as one of the best teachers in the game, Haney operates the Hank Haney Golf Ranch in McKinney, Texas, and operates four teaching facilities in Dallas. Haney also is an instructor at the ESPN Golf Schools.

Haney worked with Woods on his swing plane. Despite the work, Woods failed to win a 2004 major, and Haney took the heat.

"That goes with the territory," he said. "You can't prepare yourself for the enormity of Tiger Woods and everybody that's with him and around him. It was a little more than I anticipated."

"Certainly, there's been criticism over the past year and a half that this person should be teaching Tiger or this person," O'Meara said. "He's Tiger Woods. He doesn't need much teaching."

Last year at the Masters, Woods said he felt "close" to getting his swing down and returning to championship form. Saying he was close became a mantra for Woods throughout the year.

"It was the media's perception things weren't working," Haney said. "But when Tiger was practicing or when he was playing at home he felt really good about what he was doing, or he wouldn't have stayed with it. He kept saying he was close, and that became a joke. He knew he was close. He could feel it coming.

"And obviously, it was nice he weathered the storm and rode it out."

Haney wasn't ready to say Woods had mastered his swing - Woods finished 49th of 50 golfers in driving accuracy at the Masters.

"I think he's getting there," Haney said. "I don't think the golf swing is something you just get and have. You keep working at it and you keep trying and you keep getting closer and closer and closer."