Amy Sancetta / AP

Masters champion Tiger Woods, left, gets the coveted green jacket from 2004 winner Phil Mickelson. It was the fourth title of Woods' career at Augusta National.

AUGUSTA, Ga. - The chip scooted up the slope and crawled toward the hole. There, for two agonizing seconds, it hung on the edge before disappearing into the cup.

A shot for the ages, sheer magic from Tiger Woods’ glorious past in the Masters.

Just as stunning was the mess that followed, shots into the trees and the sand, a rare collapse by the greatest closer in golf on the verge of blowing a final-round lead in a major for the first time.

The only thing that looked familiar was Woods wearing a green jacket.

Woods kept a breathless gallery guessing to the very end Sunday, when he delivered his best two shots under stifling pressure and made a 15-foot birdie putt to beat Chris DiMarco in a playoff to win his fourth Masters.

“I was just trying to hang in there,” Woods said. “To play as poorly as I did on 17 and 18 and have a chance to go into a playoff and hit two of the best golf shots I’ve hit all week is really sweet.”

It was a show-stopper that started on dew-covered fairways in the morning when Woods rattled off seven straight birdies to tie the Masters record. It ended in fading sunlight when Woods hit a perfect tee shot in the playoff and an 8-iron that covered the flag. His winning putt slid into the corner of the cup and sent Woods to his ninth major championship at age 29.

DiMarco gave him the fight of his career, chipping away at a three-shot deficit with a 35-foot birdie on the 11th and applying the pressure with steely nerves.

He played with Phil Mickelson last year when Lefty won his first major with an 18-foot birdie on the final hole. He was helpless as Woods made a 15-foot putt in the playoff on No. 18 from the same line.

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“I was ready to win,” DiMarco said. “I will be ready to win next year. I certainly feel like I can.”

Woods knew it was over when the ball was a foot from the hole, taking two steps to the left as a smile creased his face and his right fist punched the air with fury.

DiMarco, whose birdie chip in regulation caught the right edge of the cup, again came up short of the green in the playoff and chipped close for a tap-in par. He took his hat off and ran his hand through his hair, crouched and kept looking up at Woods and down at his feet, afraid to watch, perhaps knowing what was about to happen.

When the putt fell, DiMarco walked slowly toward Woods and congratulated him.

“Expect the unexpected,” DiMarco said. “Unfortunately, it’s not unexpected what he’s going to do.”

Elise Amendola / AP Tiger Woods celebrates after sinking a birdie putt to beat Chris DiMarco in a playoff for this fourth Matsers title.

Woods closed with a 1-under 71 and won for the second time in a playoff at a major, wrapping up a long and bizarre week at Augusta National. It started with rain delays, and an eagle putt that Woods rolled all the way into Rae’s Creek. It ended with his record run of birdies to seemingly pull away, only to be dragged into a duel by DiMarco.

Woods and DiMarco played 28 holes on Sunday, and gave the gallery a Masters it won’t soon forget.

For Woods, the only thing missing was his father waiting for him on the 18th green to celebrate. Earl Woods’ health has been bad all year, and he never left his hotel room. Woods broke down while dedicating the victory to him.

“Every year that I’ve been lucky enough to win this tournament, my dad’s been there to give me a big hug. And today, he wasn’t there,” Woods said, his voice cracking and his eyes filling with tears. “I can’t wait to get home and see him, and give him a big bear hug.”