Woods never needed so many heroics to win his previous three Masters.

DiMarco was responsible for that.

“This was one fun victory, but also a lot of work because I was playing with one heck of a competitor,” Woods said. “Chris has got no backoff in him. He’ll come at you ... and that’s what he did today. He put up a heck of a fight.”

Woods emerged from this battle with his ninth major, tied with Ben Hogan and Gary Player, halfway home to the standard set by Jack Nicklaus. He joined Nicklaus (six) and Arnold Palmer (four) as the only players with at least four Masters titles.

Still, this didn’t look like the same player who won his first eight majors.

At times Woods was simply brilliant, especially when it took him only five shots over two holes in 22 minutes to make up a four-shot deficit when the third round resumed Sunday morning. He tied a Masters record with seven straight birdies on his way to a 65, giving him a three-shot lead going into the final round.

Interactive In-depth look at Woods' career wins

But he made the kind of mistakes rarely seen from Woods in the final round of a major — a three-putt on the fifth hole from about 25 feet, a poor bunker shot on the 13th. All of them raised DiMarco’s hopes.

“Anytime you can make him hiccup a little bit, you know you’re doing something right,” DiMarco said.

Ultimately, all that mattered to Woods was having Mickelson, the defending champion, slip the green jacket over his shoulders in the Butler Cabin, and being a major champion again for the first time in nearly three years.

He last won at the 2002 U.S. Open, and the 10 majors that have come and gone matched his longest drought.

“Ten majors is really not that long,” Woods said. “Some guys go 0-for-life. I’ve had my major championships. I know what it takes.”

This one returned him to No. 1 in the world ranking, again replacing Vijay Singh at the top.

Both players finished at 12-under 276.

DiMarco won over the crowd with his fist pumps and resiliency. After finishing the rain-delayed third round with a back-nine, 5-over-par 41 Sunday morning, DiMarco outplayed Woods in the final round and could easily have won except for missing four birdie putts inside 8 feet.

TIGER'S 14 MAJOR VICTORIES Event Site Score Edge Second U.S./08 Torrey Pines -1 1 Mediate* PGA/07 Southern Hills -8 2 Austin PGA/06 Medinah -18 5 Micheel British/06 Hoylake -18 2 DiMarco British/05 St.Andrews -14 5 Montgomerie Masters/05 Augusta -12 1 DiMarco* U.S./02 Bethpage -3 3 Mickelson Masters/02 Augusta -12 3 Goosen Masters/01 Augusta -16 2 Duval PGA/00 Valhalla -18 1 May* British/00 St.Andrews -19 8 Bjorn, Els U.S./00 Pebble Beach -12 15 Els, Jimenez PGA/99 Medinah -11 1 Garcia Masters/97 Augusta -18 12 Kite * Playoff

He was stunned, like everyone else, when Woods hit a chip on the 16th hole that instantly became part of Masters lore.

Woods was clinging to a one-shot lead and on the ropes, sailing his tee shot long over the par-3 16th green with DiMarco facing a 15-footer for birdie. Woods played his chip up the slope and watched it trickle down, begging from his knees for it to keep going. When it stopped, then dropped, it looked as though Woods had the Masters won.

“I would rank that as one of the best ones I’ve ever hit,” Woods said. “It turned things around. It was pretty huge.”

But even a two-shot lead with two holes to play wasn’t enough.

Woods sliced his tee shot on No. 17 into the pines, couldn’t reach the green and escaped with bogey when his pitch rolled off the green. He sailed his approach on the 18th into the bunker on the right and made another bogey.

That forced the 13th playoff in Masters history, and the second one in three years.

U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen closed with a 67 and tied for third with Luke Donald of England, who shot 69. They finished seven shots behind the leaders.

Mickelson and Singh played in the final round and barely spoke, having argued spike marks earlier in the week. Singh got the last laugh with a birdie on the 18th for a 72, allowing him to finish one shot ahead of Lefty.

But that was just the undercard.

From a staggering rally by Woods in the morning to a shocking collapse at the end, Augusta National lived up to its reputation as the most dramatic stage in golf.

“I hope we put on a good show for all of you,” Woods said.

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