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April 13 (UPI) -- Tiger Woods got emotional while reliving his surprise 2019 Masters triumph during an interview on what would have been the final day of the 2020 Masters, had the tournament not been postponed due to the coronavirus. CBS re-aired the final round of last year's tournament on Sunday and Jim Nantz interviewed Woods throughout the broadcast via satellite to Woods' home in Jupiter, Fla. The 44-year-old golfer hasn't played since Feb. 16 due to back issues.
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Woods held off Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Xander Schauffele by one stroke to win the 2019 tournament, which was his first major tournament victory in 11 years. The 15-time major championship winner battled with Francesco Molinari down the stretch last year at Augusta National Golf Club before the third-round leader misplayed shots on the 12th hole and 15th hole, leaving the door open for Woods to collect another green jacket.
Woods was in a five-way tie for the lead on the 14th hole and went on to birdie Nos. 15 and 16 to win the tournament by one stroke. Woods said he doesn't remember screaming or putting his arms up in celebration.
"That's one of those kind of blackout moments," Woods said. "There's certain celebrations throughout my career that I've made putts or celebrated, I just don't recall it. I guess I'm so locked in to the moment."
Woods said he remembers opening his eyes to see the raucous crowd in front of him, and became emotional when he spoke about celebrating with his family.
"To see my son, Charlie, there, open arms, come rushing at me and jump in my arms. ... And that's when the emotions just came flooding out," Woods said. "And I started crying. And Charlie was squeezing me and kept getting tighter and tighter and tighter. And then I looked at him, squeezed him again."
"Then my mom's there, and she's patting me on my back and kept saying she's so proud of me, [how] my dad would be so proud if he were here. She said, 'I love you,' and I said, 'I love you, too, Mom,'" he added. "And then there's [my daughter] Sam. Sam is -- she doesn't like the spotlight. She can't stand it. So when we hugged, I turned her away from everybody and made sure that she was sheltered.
"And we just had a little moment together. ... And she just squeezed harder and didn't have to say anything. And, yeah, now you're starting to get me choked up.''
Woods said he hates that he'll hold onto the green jacket longer because of the 2020 tournament being pushed to November due to the pandemic. He said he would have been healthy if it would have been played as scheduled.
"I was starting to peak," Woods said of his form heading into the 2020 Masters. "We try to peak four times a year, and I know that the tournament's been postponed -- not until November -- but for some reason, I was still peaking anyway.''
Woods recreated several Masters moments from his home during the hiatus from the tournament. The 2019 Masters champion began the week by hosting a 'quarantine style' Champions Dinner from his porch, including the menu he picked out for fellow champions at Augusta. He also lined up some trees in his yard so they made a path to his putting green, mirroring the Masters venue's Magnolia Lane.
The 2020 Masters is scheduled for Nov. 12-15.
