“The Shangri-La is always unforgettable moments in sports that are linked to your brand,” Swangard said.

“This was one of those moments.”

And certainly, with a stable of athletes that includes Woods, Michael Jordan and Lance Armstrong, Nike has done the right things to make sure it’s in the right place, said Jim Andrews, executive editor of the IEG Sponsorship Report, a trade publication.

“Those three have obviously shown that Nike is very, very smart when it comes to sponsorships,” he said.

But it remains to be seen whether Nike sells more golf balls — hype doesn’t always translate to profits, Andrews said.

“There can be hype built around this kind of thing, but in six months it’s anyone’s guess whether the numbers will be there,” Andrews said.

Special coverage Coverage of Tiger Woods’ life and career

Komlos said Nike does expect to see great interest in its One Platinum ball after Woods’ feat. “We’ve seen time and time again that it does resonate with the average consumer,” she said.

Woods’ chip shot instantly became one of the most unforgettable moments in golf. He hit the ball and it caught the slope at just the right place before taking a right angle turn toward the hole.

It was still about 25 feet left of the hole when it began rolling slowly toward the pin, the swoosh tumbling over and over for the camera until its pause at the edge of the cup.

“A lot of it is luck, but I hit it pretty good,” Woods said. “I hit it right on the spot.”

This year, Augusta National allowed commercial time to just three advertisers: SBC Communications, IBM and Exxon Mobile. Only four minutes of commercial time was allowed per hour.

The Masters was aired commercial-free the previous two years after Martha Burk’s high-profile protest of Augusta National’s male-only member policy.

But it is Nike that has arguably gotten the most marketing mileage out of the tournament. It is estimated that the company already had received more than $1 million in free advertising after the shot was shown the 60th time somewhere on a television news broadcast.

At the Masters, Nike Golf announced that more players used its irons than any other brand at a PGA Tour event — even though it was rumored that the company paid some of the aging former champions to use its sticks. But having the most irons in play allows Nike to run advertisements telling everyone about it.