Tiger's tears for sick dad

Tiger Woods won the 69th Masters in a dramatic finish and then broke down in tears as he dedicated his ninth major title to his ailing father, Earl.

At the climax to a day of high tension, Woods sunk a teasing 15ft downhill putt to beat United States Ryder Cup team- mate Chris DiMarco at the first play-off hole.

His fourth Masters green jacket, at the age of 29, ties him with Arnold Palmer and he is now within two of Jack Nicklaus's record six titles.

Woods was nearly thrown off his feet when Elin, his Swedish wife, leapt into his arms. But the player's thoughts were always with his 72-year-old father who was staying in town but was too ill to come to the course.

The world No1, who had withstood DiMarco's late charge from four shots down in the final round, could no longer control his emotions as he looked into a television camera knowing Earl Woods was watching and said: "This one is for you, Pop."

In recent years his father Earl has suffered from heart problems and diabetes, and Woods admitted: "He's having a hard time right now. He's struggling. As we all know, my dad's as stubborn as can be so he's going to fight through it. He's had his moments where he's turned it around and other times where it hasn't been so good.