For patrons, a Tiger win means a story of a lifetime

Happiness is Tiger Woods winning another Masters Tournament.

How else do you explain a grown man – 41-year-old Felix Chavez of Albuquerque, N.M. – standing on a chair chanting "Tiger! Tiger! Tiger!" as the green jacket was placed on Tiger Woods on the practice green Sunday afternoon?

How else do you explain when the scoreboard at No. 18 green turned the name Woods to a red 14, a standing ovation erupted -- even though Tiger was still on the course at No. 16?

How else do you explain patrons standing hundreds of yards away as Woods walked up the fairway engulfed by crowd at least 30 deep crowd at No. 18?

PHOTOS: Tiger Celebrates 5th Masters Win

Indeed, the Tiger Roar returned to Augusta National on Sunday, and patrons couldn’t have been happier to personally experience Woods winning a fifth green jacket.

Conner Jacobs, 26, of San Diego was among the massive crowd at No. 18 when Woods dropped his final putt.

“This is a lifetime memory, for sure,” said Jacobs, wearing a red golf cap with Woods’ TW logo. “I mean 11 years between his majors, this is unreal. The crowd here today was ridiculous.

“I was about nine deep behind 18th green and it was outstanding. The crowd was going nuts and everybody was cheering Tiger. People were fist-pumping, jumping up and down. I could barely see him. I got a glimpse of his last putt, but this is surreal, to be honest.”

Michael Stokes, 52, of Atlanta and 47-year-old Brent Jordan of Orlando stood with their umbrellas, back from the crowd standing in front of the building where Tiger went in to sign his scorecard.

PHOTOS: Tiger's Sunday round at The Masters

Stokes said he has been to at least 20 Masters Tournaments and 2019 “is the best Masters ever."

“I followed Tiger the whole back nine and I saw some shots, heard some roars, standing on the ledge pulling for the guy because you are pulling for history, you are pulling for tradition. Those things are big here. There is some self-gratification because you are a part of history.”

When Woods walked off the No. 18 green he hugged his two kids “and that brings chills to everybody,” Stokes said. “I’m going to be in trouble with my wife for being here in Augusta all week, but it was worth it. I’ve been following Tiger since he was a snapper.”

Jordan’s view of the Woods’ final putt was priceless.

“I’ve known Tiger for a long time, so I’m a huge Tiger fan,” Jordan said. “You are pulling for him at 12 and it doesn’t look like Francesco (Molinari) was going to make any mistakes. And then he dumps one in the water on 12. That opened it up.

PHOTOS: Tiger's Green Jacket Ceremony

“I was lucky enough to meet some people who let me sit on the front row at 18. The patrons were pulling for him today. It was like a bottle of champagne on No. 18. Everybody was waiting to get up and scream.”

Fred Wise and his young son, Barry, from Raleigh, N.C., each saw their first Masters Tournament on Sunday.

“Thanks to Tiger this is a day I’ll remember forever that I shared with my son,” said Wise as the two stood around the shortened green jacket ceremony.

Aaron and Karen Howard of West Palm Beach, Fla., also were thrilled their first Masters Tournament ended with a Tiger win.

Aaron, who celebrated his 42nd birthday on Saturday, and Karen watched from deep into the crowd on No. 18 and were touched by the emotions displayed by Tiger.

PHOTOS: Final Round action at The Masters

“We were back there on 18 about 25 rows away but it was awesome,” Aaron said. “We were rooting for some of the new guys, too, but to see Tiger do his thing and kind of complete the comeback. Absolutely, I’ll tell people about. We were here at the 2019 Masters.

"All my buddies have been texting me already that this was an epic Masters.”

Karen put it best for those fortunate patrons who experienced it.

“We are just waiting to get to the car and get to our phones and tell everyone,” she said.