Vintage WITB – Tiger Woods, 1997 Masters

With top-level golf temporarily on hiatus as the world grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, there are no winners’ bags to delve into from this weekend.

So, instead, we thought we’d take the opportunity to do a dive into some of the clubs used by golfers for high-profile wins down the years.

First up, Tiger Woods’ bag from the 1997 Masters Tournament.

Woods was only 21 and playing in his first major championship as a professional when he romped to a 12-shot win at Augusta National. It was the first of five Masters victories for Woods and 15 majors in total.

• Tiger’s 1997 Masters win… in his own words

• LONG READ – “The Day The Earth Stood Still”

To date, the margin of his victory and four-day score of 270 (−18) are tournament records.

Let’s look at the clubs that helped him do it…

Driver: King Cobra Deep Face (9˚, True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 shaft)

FYI: One of the first things you notice about the King Cobra Deep Face driver is its size. The compact head is a far cry from the huge 460cc heads that most drivers now wield. The Deep Face was also made from 17-4 stainless steel – a durable material, but one that offered very little forgiveness. Even so, he used it to devastating effect that week at Augusta, averaging 25 yards longer off the tee than the second-longest hitter that week.

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3-wood: Titleist PT 15 (15˚, True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 shaft

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Irons: Mizuno MP-29 (2-4, True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 shafts); MP-14 (5-PW, True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 shafts)

FYI: Mixed iron sets might be bang on trend right now but, back in 1997, Woods’ decision to go with two different Mizuno models was considered somewhat unorthodox. Reportedly, Woods found subtle differences in the offset. The MP-29 provided less in the long irons than the MP-14, and vice-versa in the mid and short irons.

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Wedges: Cleveland 588 RTG (56˚ & 60˚, True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 shafts)

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Putter: Scotty Cameron Newport TeI3

FYI: Having used a different Scotty Cameron for his first two wins on the PGA Tour – the 1996 Las Vegas Invitational and the 1996 Disney World Oldsmobile Classic – Woods put a different Scotty in the bag for the 1997 Masters. It had a Teryllium face insert and five rows of white dots in the back cavity that were designed to dampen sound. He wielded it to great effect, too – he finished the week with ZERO three-putts.

• Replica of Tiger’s ’97 Masters putter sells for $20k

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Ball: Titleist Professional 90

FYI: Introduced in 1994, the Professional 90 is widely regarded as the predecessor to the Titleist Pro V1. It had a wound core and was the first urethane-covered ball to be played on tour.