Tiger Woods celebrated his first major tournament win since 2008 at The Masters Sunday afternoon by delivering a big kiss to his girlfriend, Erica Herman.
Simply incredible. pic.twitter.com/cWIpdMpfzy
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) April 14, 2019
After the 43-year-old won his first green jacket at Augusta National since 2005, Woods embraced Herman and his mother, Kultida. He also hugged his children — daughter Sam Alexis Woods, 11, and Charlie Axel Woods, 10 — from his relationship with ex-wife Elin Nordegren.
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Woods completed his epic career comeback Sunday, shooting a 2-under 70 to complete a one-stroke victory.
The victory came after a series of professional setbacks due to injuries and personal turmoil that culminated in a 2017 arrest for driving under the influence in Florida. It was also Woods’ first major championship since his public divorce with Nordigen.
Woods and Herman have been dating since 2017, and were seen celebrating his Tour Championships win in 2018.
The couple have succeeded in keeping their relationship out of the spotlight, and were first seen together at the Presidents Cup in 2017. Herman reportedly ran Woods’ The Woods restaurant in Florida.
Although this was Woods’ 15th major tournament championship, it coming so long after the last one made it even more special. He also wanted his children to finally see him win, especially since his own father died in 2006.
“It means the world to me. their love and their support is — I just can’t say enough about how much it meant to me during my struggles, just the infectiousness of happiness as I was going through a tough time physically when I just couldn’t move,” Woods explained after the win. “Now, to have them see their pops win, just like my pops saw me win here, is pretty special.”
This was Woods’ fifth championship at The Masters, previously winning it in 1997, 2001, 2002 and 2005. He also won the U.S. Open and The Open Championship three times each, as well as the PGA Championship four times.
After Woods’ victory, both former President Barack Obama and President Donald trump honored his achievements.
“Congratulations to [Tiger Woods], a truly Great Champion,” Trump tweeted.
“Congratulations, Tiger,” Obama added. “To come back and win the Masters after all the highs and lows is a testament to excellence, grit, and determination.”
“What a great moment for the game of golf. I’m so impressed by [Tiger Woods]’ incredible performance, and I’m so happy for him to capture another Green Jacket,” Phil Mickelson, Woods’ longtime rival, wrote. “Truly a special day that will go down in history. Congratulations, Tiger!”
Photo credit: Getty Images
