Streeter Lecka/Getty Images; Andrew Redington/Getty Images
- Michael Jordan called Tiger Woods’ win at the Masters "the greatest comeback I’ve ever seen."
- Jordan credited Woods’ mental toughness, saying it not only helped him get back onto the course, but gave him an advantage over his opponents on Sunday.
- Jordan said he thinks Woods has gotten his career back on track and will win more majors.
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Tiger Woods’ win at the 2019 Masters has been heralded as the greatest comeback in sports, as Woods prevailed from personal scandal, injuries, surgeries, and more to win his first major in 11 years.
Count Michael Jordan among those giving Woods that title. Jordan spoke to The Athletic’s David Aldridge and called Woods’ win "the greatest comeback I’ve ever seen."
"I never thought he’d get back physically," Jordan said of Woods. "He didn’t think he’d get back physically. But he did it. No one expected him to be back the way he is now. He’s probably the only person who believed he could get back. To me, that’s a major accomplishment. To me, it’s unbelievable. Mentally, you always think you can. But you can’t answer to what your body has to deal with."
Sam Greenwood/Getty ImagesHe added: "I’m pretty sure he questioned himself, whether he could get it back, and he had to put a lot of work in. But he took it head-on. He had to change his game; he had to change his perspective a little bit. To me, it was the greatest comeback I’ve ever seen."
Woods entered Sunday one shot off of the lead. After two bogeys that threatened his day, he regrouped and began hitting the ball as well as he has in a decade.
That included surviving hole No. 12, where four of Woods’ competitors all landed in the water, opening the door for Woods to win the Masters.
Jordan complimented Woods’ mental toughness, saying when he survived the 12th hole, it put pressure on the rest of the field.
"You’re going against guys who are more gifted physically. But your advantage is mental," Jordan told Aldridge. "You have so many things you can draw upon, and the other guys don’t have the same. They don’t have the experience. You think about (Francesco) Molinari hitting it in the water on 12, (Tony) Finau hitting in the water, Brooks (Koepka) hitting in the water on 12. Mentally, (Woods) had to sustain it. From then on it was him trying to figure it out."
Jordan added: "What he wanted to do was play to his strengths, and his strength was being mentally tougher than a lot of the other guys. Those guys had to deal with him."
Jordan, who is a frequent golfer and has played rounds with Woods before, said he thinks Woods is back on track.
"I think he’s gotten over the hump. I think he’s going to win more."
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Source: Business Insider – sdavis@businessinsider.com (Scott Davis)