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Masters rewind: A look back at Tiger's last green jacket in 2005

TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP / Getty

The Masters never fails to ignite the golfing world on the first weekend of April, but this year holds special significance with Tiger Woods' return to the fold.

Due to a litany of injuries, the four-time champion has only played in the event once since 2013, but comes to Augusta with a swagger reminiscent of his dominant run through the sport.

Woods' influence on the famed course runs as deep as anybody's. The powers that be opted to lengthen the layout in an attempt to "Tiger-proof" the event following his 12-stroke romp over Tom Kite to win his first major at age 21 in 1997.

It didn't matter what changes were made, Augusta National remained Woods' playground as he scattered three more wins over the next eight years, culminating with his 2005 victory.

It would've seemed impossible at the time that his triumph would remain his last Masters win 13 years later, but such is the case as he returns to the hallowed grounds this week.

Here's how things transpired the last time Woods slid his arms into the green jacket and claimed golf's most prestigious title.

A tournament for the ages

Heavy rain caused massive delays Thursday, forcing the majority of the field to return Friday morning to finish their rounds. Woods' A-game was nowhere to be found around Augusta for his first 18 holes, as he posted a 2-over 74. That left him well back of leader Chris DiMarco at 5-under with 29 players ahead of him on the board.

Woods wasted no time in vaulting back into contention in Round 2, torching Augusta for matching 3-under 33s on his way to a 66. Unfortunately for him, DiMarco fired another 67, and Woods was left six shots back of the lead in third place.

Woods asserted himself in the third round, blitzing the famed layout for a 7-under 65 while DiMarco blew up with a 74. That flipped the leaderboard and suddenly Woods went from trailing by four to leading by three.

There may have been 18 holes in the final round, but few will remember anything before the 16th on Sunday. After all, that hole was where the world would stop for a moment as Woods executed arguably the best shot of his career.

Including the playoff, Woods hit 279 shots in tournament play at Augusta that week, but none came close to that second on the 16th. The players came to the tight par-3 with Woods holding a one-stroke lead. It didn't look like he'd be leaving with the same advantage, however, after yanking his tee ball into a collection area to the left of the severely sloped green.

"Well, the thing is, I hit a crappy 8-iron. I pulled it way left and I thought it was in the water," Woods told Steve DiMeglio of USA Today in 2015. "I had never been down there before, and I haven't been down there since."

Par was going to take some serious work, as Woods stalked the line he was going to have to play his chip on. It required an incredible amount of precision that would see his ball stop in the perfect spot and take a right turn down a significant slope toward the hole. The patrons in attendance may not have expected it to go in, but it's something DiMarco had braced for due to the incredible resume Woods had already built.

"Tiger knocking it in was certainly not what I was expecting, but I had prepared for it," DiMarco said. "It was Tiger Woods, and it is expected that stuff like that happens to him."

The miraculous birdie would give Woods a two-stroke lead with only two holes to play, and with his sensational record of closing out wins, one had to believe it was over for DiMarco.

Whenever the 2005 Masters is brought up, most will instantly recall Woods' chip on the 16th. What slips through the cracks is the fact that the world's best golfer closed with a whimper after that incredible moment, going bogey-bogey to allow DiMarco into a playoff after 72 holes.

Perhaps he was simply building for further dramatics as the players made the trip back to the 18th for the sudden-death playoff. The previous six playoffs, dating back to 1979, had started on the 10th hole, but this one was a repeat of the iconic closer. DiMarco would come up just short on his approach, while Woods would leave himself 15 feet from his fourth green jacket.

"Twelve under is usually good enough to win, but I was playing against Tiger Woods," DiMarco told David Westin of Augusta.com afterward.

With two straight top-5 finishes heading into the Masters and a swing speed that looks eerily similar to 2005, don't be shocked if the players are uttering similar statements this Sunday evening as he slips on his fifth green jacket.

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

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