DiMarco: I had best seat in the house for Tiger's chip

IT IS 20 years since Tiger Woods produced one of the most magical moments in Masters history.

- BY NEIL SQUIRES

The final-round chip-in at the 16th, with a Green Jacket on the line, was poetry in slow motion as his ball stopped teasingly on the hole edge before dropping in.

Woods, who would go on to win the fourth of his five Masters, rocked back and roared in triumph as an explosion of noise rang around Augusta.

His playing partner, and rival for the Masters title that Sunday in 2005, was Chris DiMarco. Even now DiMarco can't quite believe what happened.

"That chip he made, I mean, that's just legendary. That's one of the all-time great shots," said DiMarco. "If it was just him playing with his buddies on the 16th hole at Augusta, it wouldn't have been that difficult a shot. Under the circumstances, it was a very difficult shot.

The gradient that Woods, close to a collar of rough by the green, had to deal with was such that he was aiming 25ft to the left of the hole.

Steve Williams, his caddie, later explained that he picked out a ball mark on the green and hit it. The theatre, as the ball meandered its way towards the cup, was incredible, but DiMarco's assessment of the shot itself is revealing.

"I would say it was probably five percent genius and 95 percent good fortune," he said. "A few years before, Davis Love did the same thing and made his chip, it just wasn't at the same stage of the tournament.