Tiger Woods won The Masters on Sunday afternoon, and President Donald Trump himself was watching closely.
The president weighed in on the Masters around 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, with just two holes to go. At the time, Tiger Woods had just come within inches of a hole in one on number 16, and the commander-in-chief urged his followers to tune in to see it live for themselves.
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“Great Masters going on right now,” he wrote. “@TigerWoods is leading with 2 holes left to play. Very exciting, tune in!”
Great Masters going on right now. @TigerWoods is leading with 2 holes left to play. Very exciting, tune in!
โ Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 14, 2019
Not long after the tweet went up, Woods went on to win the whole tournament in a triumphant return to the sport. The president returned to Twitter with a few more comments and a congratulatory post directed at Woods himself.
“Watching final hold of [The Masters]. [Tiger Woods] is looking GREAT!” he wrote. “Congratulations to [Tiger Woods], a truly Great Champion!”
Woods’ last Major win was in 2008 at the U.S. Open. The pro golfer has been plagued by personal issues in the years since, but fans were overjoyed to see him return to the sport with such a spectacular display.
“I always felt Tiger was so famous so young he could never show the world how he was really feeling,” one fan tweeted. “In 25 years covering him, this is the first time I’ve seen him show pure joy.”
“Tiger’s reaction of joy, surprise and vindication all rolled into one is why we love sports,” echoed another. “I thought he would never win another major. Incredible.”
All you can do is smile when you see Tiger Woods celebrating the win with his kids and family at Augusta. Wow. What an emotional moment. #TheMasterspic.twitter.com/R8M2M1Qaou
โ Joe Prince-Wright (@JPW_NBCSports) April 14, 2019
“All you can do is smile when you see Tiger Woods celebrating the win with his kids and family at Augusta,” wrote a third person alongside a video from the scene. “Wow. What an emotional moment.”
As unanimous as the excitement and celebration was in the golf community, many of the president’s followers found it in poor taste for him to be remarking on the live sports event in the wake of such a controversial week. President Trump shocked many with his tweet about congresswoman Rep. Ilhan Omar, when he posted video of Omar talking about Islamophobia edited together with graphic footage from the 9/11 attacks.
“Ugh, take that tweet about the great [Ilhan Omar] down. Just about have had it with you and your attempt to badmouth a solid member of Congress who also has freedom of speech,” one person wrote. “Not inspired, sorry. Go Tiger, you’re doing a masterful job unlike someone who happens to be President.”
Still, the president’s close association with the sport of golf could not be avoided on Sunday.