TIGER Woods broke all the rules when he swept the field to win at 21 the Masters... and changed golf forever.

Woods, now 46, is trying to win the title for the sixth consecutive year, one year after his terrible car accident.

His career began 25 years ago with a stunning display of golfing mastery that spanned four memorable days.

The culmination of many years of hard work and some critical moments throughout the week, Augusta's 12-shot win was a remarkable achievement.

However, no one realized at the time how significant Tiger's impact would be on the sport.

He shared how, one week prior to the Masters, he was playing at the Orlando course with Mark O'Meara, when they were unintentionally able to witness the Space Shuttle take off.

Woods stated: "On the third hole (a par-5), we hit our drives around this corner. I looked up to see a white plume

"Space Shuttle Columbia just launched from Kennedy Space Centre.

"We saw it all and it was quite chilling.

"I felt small in comparison to space travel, and in awe at the feats that man could accomplish." Sitting there, I felt exhilarated."

Tiger shot 59 on that day. This round was crucial for him when he found his way to trouble days later after he had shot 40 on the front nine of the Masters' first round.

"I was furious and bewildered as I walked to my tenth tee. He wrote Unprecedented, The Masters and Me.

"I was very hot. I was hot inside just before I put on the tenth tee.

"I was recalling the feeling that I felt the week before at Isleworth when I hit perfect shots after shot.

"I felt a wave of emotion wash over me. My heart rate slowed. I felt free.

"I took the two-iron from my bag. I blasted the two-iron down to the fairway.

"There, there, that was it. The rest of the journey was flawless.

Tiger returned six under par on the nine remaining holes to tie John Huston's lead of three strokes.

Woods, who won the Masters four times, revealed that Earl, his father, had given him a key putting tip.

Because his father had only recently had a triple bypass, he was unable to attend Augusta.

Tiger sought advice from his father about his putting grip. Earl suggested that he make a small, but important change.

Woods wrote: "I grabbed three balls, got into my posture while he lay down in bed, and asked him if anything was there."

He did, and he said to me: "Your hands are too low. They should be lifted. Take that little arch in your hands as you do every day.

"I made the modifications, and tightened my left hand grip.

"Now, I felt ready to go for the first round. My putting was not the problem. Pop had the solution.

Tiger shot a second round 66 on Friday, to extend his lead to three strokes.

On the 13 ^th hole, he moved to the front and holed a 20ft par putt for an eagle.

He reveals that he spent time watching reruns of Masters from the Golf Channel's Orlando studios.

He said, "I had seen that putt before - not because it was in practice rounds or in Masters but because it was something I saw while watching it at the Golf Channel studios Orlando in the months prior."

"I didn't worry about the other shots, but I was able to quickly forwarded to the putts. I putt for eagle, and took the lead for my first time.

"I have always been grateful to Golf Channel for allowing me to use its video library.

He won that round by three shots over Colin Montgomerie. Montgomerie accidentally put his foot in the air at a press conference, before they were paired together for Saturday’s third round.

Tiger wrote: "Monty spoke up, saying that everyone would see what I was made from in the third round and that his experience might have been a key factor.

"His comments only strengthened me resolve to play my best golf throughout the course.

"The last thing Butchie (coach Butch Harmon), did before we left the range was remind me of Monty’s comments the previous day.

"I was eager to play and take on Monty and the rest of my field. Monty, in particular.

"Monty probably realized that his comments were motivating me." He was walking with his head down, his shoulders slumped and his shoulders down.

Tiger scored 65 points, while Monty managed 74.

Woods recalls that he was "beaten up, but cordial."

Woods held a nine-shot advantage over his closest rival on Sunday morning and was poised to make history as the first black man at the Augusta National. This augusta national has been a symbol of racial discrimination for many years.

As he was preparing for the final round, he tried to forget the enormity of it all.

However, it was impossible due to the presence of so many African-Americans, including Lee Elder, a former tour pro.

Elder was subject to racial abuse for a long time before he became the first African-American man to play at The Masters.

Woods wrote, "As I was practicing some chips before the round began, I spotted Lee Elder."

"He flew up to Atlanta from Florida with Rose, and then drove to Augusta.

"He wished me luck for the round, and that made it even more important to me to take care business.

"I learned later that Augusta staff members, many African-Americans, came up to the oak tree near the first Tee to see me start.

"It was time for the Masters to do something that hadn't been done before."

Woods was 12 strokes ahead Tom Kite, the nearest competitor. Previous champion Nick Faldo helped Woods into the Green Jacket.

Tiger stated: "A barrier was broken.

"Later that evening, after much celebrations, I fell asleep fully dressed and hugged the Green Jacket like it was a blanket.

"I stated afterwards that I hoped that my win would open doors for minorities.

"My greatest hope was that one day we would see each other as individuals and as people.

"I wanted us all to be color-blind." It has not happened twenty years later.

• Extracts From Unprecedented by Tiger Woods and Lorne Rubenstein (published in Sphere)