Woods' chip on No. 16 becomes an instant Masters classic April 11, 2005 AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Don't be surprised if it turns up soon in a new Tiger Woods commercial. This was a shot, though, that will outlive any ad campaign. Brilliant even before it hung tantalizingly on the lip, Woods' chip became one for the ages Sunday when it toppled into the bottom of the cup on the 16th hole of the Masters. Woods wasn't trying for a memorable moment when he hit the shot that swept down a ridge and funneled its way slowly into the hole. He was just trying to win a golf tournament, and his fourth Green Jacket. He got both, with a shot that will join iconic Masters moments of the past. "I was just trying to throw the ball up there on the hill and let it feed down there and hopefully have a makable putt," Woods said. "All of a sudden, it looked pretty good, and all of a sudden it looked like really good, and it looked like how could it not go in, and how did it not go in, and all of a sudden it went in. "So, it was pretty sweet." Tiger Woods says he trusted his new swing and hit some beautiful shots More player interviews from Augusta National It wasn't just the magnitude of the moment, or the difficulty of the show, though the moment was huge and the shot treacherous. It was the image of the ball rolling slowly down the slope and stopping for two agonizing seconds before finally dropping in the cup that will be remembered years after the fans who were privileged to see it are no longer around. They may not have seen Woods when he won his fourth Green Jacket a short time later with a playoff putt on the 18th hole. But they were there to see The Shot, erupting in a raucous celebration when it dropped. "Somehow an earthquake happened and it fell into the hole," Woods said. The shot instantly became a Masters classic, joining moments like Larry Mize chipping in to beat Greg Norman in a playoff in 1987 or the shot that stuck on the slippery bank of the 12th hole that allowed Fred Couples to win in 1992. Long before television, Gene Sarazen's 4-wood for a double-eagle on the 15th hole helped define the young Masters Tournament in 1935. The Masters needs no help these days, but Woods gave the tournament some with a shot that seemed at the time to be the winning stroke. It put him two shots up, though he lost the lead with bogeys on the last two holes before winning in a playoff. Steve Williams, left, and Tiger Woods celebrate the unforgettable chip on No. 16. (Getty Images) Woods was crouched over, as if he were deep in prayer, as the ball traveled its last few inches toward the hole. When it fell, Woods raised himself up, yelled and began high-fiving caddie Steve Williams, while thousands packed around the green did the same with whoever happened to be next to them. DiMarco suspected something magical might be happening. "He made a great chip. Great imagination," DiMarco said. "I was over there expecting him to make it. You expect the unexpected. "Unfortunately, it's not unexpected when he's doing it." The shot came as DiMarco was making a run at Woods, who had a precarious one-shot lead as they stood on the tee of the 170-yard par 3 hole that has been so pivotal in so many Masters. DiMarco had honors and hit a good shot about 15 feet beneath the hole. Woods landed long with his 8-iron, and his ball caught up against the edge of the second cut over the back of the green. With one brilliant stroke, though, Woods walked off the green with a cushion he would badly need. Woods remembered Davis Love III making a similar shot in 1999, but his was more difficult because it was up against the deeper rough. Afraid he might hit it fat because of the lie, he told himself to hit it hard enough to get up the slope and take his chances from there. Woods found a spot well left on the green where the fading sunlight was coming through the trees and took a few practice swipes with his wedge. "A lot of it is luck, but I hit it pretty good," Woods said. "I hit it right on the spot." The ball hit, checked up and 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 ball began losing speed as it neared the hole, slowing almost so much that the word "TIGER" could be read on the side. It made what seemed like two final turns, then stopped on the edge of the cup, teetering ever so slightly as if trying to defy gravity. As thousands watching from greenside and millions others on television held their breath, it dropped and the celebration began. "I think under the circumstances it's one of the best I've ever hit," Woods said.