With his back-to-back Masters victory assured, Tiger Woods shakes hands with his caddie Steve Williams as they walk off the 18 green. (Jonathan Ernst /Augusta Chronicle)
No. 1 Woods wins No. 3
Web posted 04/14/02
The rain showers and gloomy conditions at the 66th Masters Tournament had given way to sunny skies by the time Tiger Woods successfully defended his title Sunday afternoon.
The world's No. 1 player entered the day tied with South Africa's Retief Goosen, but Woods quickly pulled away from him and the rest of the field en route to his third Masters victory.
Woods, 26, became just the third player to win the Masters in back-to-back years. Jack Nicklaus (1965-66) and Nick Faldo (1989-90) were the others.
The defending champion usually presents the green jacket to the winner, but Woods didn't have to worry about that. Augusta National Chairman Hootie Johnson slipped the green jacket onto Woods.
The tournament was plagued by poor weather, but the rain stayed away Sunday.
By the time Woods made the turn, he held a three-shot lead over Vijay Singh of Fiji. He wasn't seriously challenged the rest of the way.
"I hit some good shots and made a couple good putts when I absolutely needed them, and just really hung around and I was able to outlast the guys today."
Augusta native Charles Howell completed his first Masters with a 73 on Sunday. He wound up with a four-day total of 291, a tie for 29th.
