He's the Master...wow that's cheesy

Tiger won it on 16 with perhaps the greatest clutch golf shot since Jack's 80 footer on that same green decades ago. But then, in very un-Tiger fashion he forgot to bury the dagger.

After chipping in from impossible position, just on the edge of the second cut 35 feet from the pin with a green that would rival most ski mountains in slope and most parking lots in firmness, Woods hit three of the worst shots you will ever see from him on 17. His drive started out right and kept bleeding until it was nearly on the 15th fairway. Then his second shot, over a huge tree came up 15 yards short. His chip didn't quite have enough and eventually settled 10 yards short. When DiMarco tapped in for par and Woods settled for a bogey the lead was 1 with 1 to play, still insurmountable right?

On 18 Tiger's drive found the rough and his second shot found the bunker. Meanwhile DiMarco cooly drove it down the middle but then, as all Master's runner-ups do, forgot that you have to reach the pin at 18 on the fly or you'll be 10 yards off the front of the green by the time it stops rolling.

On the green the stage was set. Tiger had 10 feet to win the Masters and you knew it was going in, it didn't matter that DiMarco still had to chip from off the green, Tiger was going to roll it and the rest would be history. Except no one told DiMarco and he almost won the whole damn thing and would have if his chip had checked up a little and was able to drop instead of rimming off the right edge of the cup. It was almost one of the most amazing moments in golf, but regardless Tiger had the gimmie 10 footer to win. But apparently no one gave Tiger the script either and he missed the putt badly to the left.

Was it possible that the greatest closer, the man who never takes his foot off your neck when you are down blew a 2 stroke lead with two to play? It was possible and Woods and DiMarco headed back to the 18th tee to start the sudden death playoff.

Somewhere along that narrow fairway, during the reverse walk ironically and symbolically away from the adoring galleries, Tiger became the old Tiger again. His drive was perfect, his second shot was safely on over the slope and DiMarco opened the door a second time by coming up short in almost the exact same spot. Normally you don't survive opening the door for Tiger once, DiMarco certainly could not have hoped to survive it twice. This time Tiger did what he should have done the first time, he drilled the put right into the center of the cup with such confidence that had he missed the ball would have stopped 20 feet past. It didn't matter, there was no way Tiger was letting this one slip away.

Now in the aftermath of a classic finish get yourself prepared to see Tiger's chip on 16 a zillion times this week and every Masters week forever. It is now in the pantheon of greatest clutch golf shots ever with Jack's long one and the fairway chip to win it all years ago by a guy whose name escapes me.

Long term it will also be the only thing anyone remembers about this year's Masters, which it deserves. But it's too bad that no one will remember Chris DiMarco simply refusing to give in to the overwhelming pressure that comes from playing with Tiger on Sunday at Augusta. No one will remember that DiMarco would have won if his rim tickling chip on 18 had gone down. No one will remember that at one point Tiger birdied 7 in a row. Nor will they remember how badly he wanted and needed this win for himself and to silence the doubters. And most of all no one will remember that Tiger actually choked away a 3 stroke final round lead and 2 with 2 to play. All we will see, forever, is that chip.

Try to name five plays in your lifetime that you saw and said, "I will be seeing that on highlights forever." (Sidenote: if at this point anyone references Aaron "Bleeping" Boone you will end up on the business end of my size 11.)

Oddly enough, on my list there are actually two golf shots. Lefty's putt to win last year's Masters and obviously Tiger's chip. Three others: Jordan's shot over Ehlo, Montana to Clark, Laetner to beat Kentucky and sure it makes six but Joe Carter's home run to win the World Series. Maybe I should make this a top 10 so I can include Vinatieri and some of the Sox plays from last year's ALCS, but then I would have to include Boone so forget it.

Now if I can just degenerate into some tabloid yahoo smut for minute I'd love to point out another reason I feel bad for DiMarco tonight. The last thing you need the world to see, while you're fighting your ass off for the championship of a lifetime against possibly the best ever, is alternating shots between Tiger's amazing super-model wife and your wife looking frazzled trying to keep three kids under 10 in line and not have a heart attack because of what you might be about to do. Not the finest moment for Ms. DiMarco or for Chris's respect amongst the boys. Buy my God how hot is Tiger's girl?