On this day, April 8, 2001: Woods completes 'Tiger Slam'

American golfer secures fourth straight Major by winning Masters at Augusta

Tiger Woods is handed his second famous Green Jacket from previous year's winner Vijay Singh after the American won the 2001 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club. AFP

Tiger Woods during a practice round for the 2001 Masters. AFP

Tiger Woods with Mark O'Meara during a practice round. AFP

Fans line-up on the 18th hole as Tiger Woods hits a drive during final practice. AFP

Tiger Woods on the 12th green during his final practice round. AFP

Tiger Woods after missing a birdie putt on the 8th hole during the opening round. AFP

Tiger Woods of the US chips on to the 2nd green during the opening round. AFP

Tiger Woods in a bunker on the seventh hole during the second round. AFP

Tiger Woods during the third round. AFP

Tiger Woods after sinking the final, winning putt on the 18th hole. AFP

Tiger Woods celebrates with caddy Steve Williams after sealing victory. AFP

Tiger Woods waves to the gallery after sealing victory. AFP

Tiger Woods is hugged by his father Earl. AFP

The superlatives were raining down on Tiger Woods almost immediately after he had sealed his place in sporting immortality at the 2001 Masters.

"We have witnessed the greatest golfing feat of our time," Augusta National chairman Hootie Johnson said at the awards ceremony.

"Awesome," is the way fellow American Fred Couples described Woods' talent. "He's an amazing player. He's one of a kind."

Aged just 25, Woods had just won his second Masters title and a sixth Major. But that was not all. As he was handed his Green Jacket by the previous winner, Vijay Singh, Woods had become the first player in history to hold all four Majors at the same time.

His feat was dubbed a Grand Slam, though, strictly speaking, a golfer should win the four famous championships in a calendar year to earn that title.

The first three of Woods' Major titles came in 2000; the US Open, the British Open and the US PGA Championship. Masters glory had followed the following year.

But that would be splitting hairs. It was a truly remarkable achievement that became known as the 'Tiger Slam'. Counting the Masters victory, Woods was 65-under par through his four Major victories in 294 days.

"I don't think it would be right for me to comment on how significant this is," he said. "But I'm sure it will go down as one of the top moments in our sport and I'm very proud of my achievements."

As the ball dropped into the hole on the 18th to seal yet another birdie and the Augusta crowd roared their approval, a clearly emotional Woods punched the air in delight.

In 1997, Woods rewrote the record books in his first Masters appearance as a professional when, aged 21, he became the youngest winner in the tournament’s history.

He also set a new record low total of 18-under-par (270) – breaking Jack Nicklaus’ 32-year-old score by one shot – and clinched the new largest margin of victory (12 shots).

This time round, a stunning new marker had been made. “To win four consecutive Majors, if you look at my career, I don't think I have ever accomplished anything this great,” said Woods, who finished at 16-under-par, two strokes ahead of David Duval and three strokes ahead of Phil Mickelson, for his 27th PGA Tour victory.

“It's hard to believe, really, because there's so many things that go into winning a Major championship.

“You've got to have some luck. You have to get some breaks. You have to have everything go right. To have it go right four straight times, some of the golf gods are looking on me the right way.

“I've thought about winning Majors, but I don't think four in a row ever entered my mind.

Asked about his tearful reaction to winning, Woods – whose tournament rounds read 70-66-68-68 – said: ''I finally had no other shots to play. That was it. It was done. It was such a weird feeling. Then I started thinking, I had just won the Masters. Then I started losing it a little bit."

He had been made to fight hard for his latest victory but both Duval and Mickelson acknowledged they had come up against a very special talent.

“I can't put it in perspective," Duval said. "I would imagine it was the same way when people were competing against Jack Nicklaus, and they beat him, that's kind of where we are. We've got another player who is certainly the best player in the game right now."

Mickelson, who started the day one stroke behind Woods, said: ''If I'm going to win with Tiger in the field, I cannot make the mistakes that I've been making. I just can't afford to keep throwing shot after shot away.''

Just for good measure, Woods would come back to Augusta the following year and win again, this time by three strokes to become only the third player to defend his title after Nicklaus and Nick Faldo.