All of Tiger Woods' peers agree his return to the top is great for golf

It is very rare for the defeated to enjoy this joy of the victor's identity. Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler, sign of things to come.

The world's top players lined up to honor Woods as he donned a green jacket for the fifth time. “I couldn’t be happier for him, what a great day for golf,” said Rory McIlroy.

Woods also owes McIlroy and Co a debt of gratitude. As the reigning 15-time champion began his journey back to tour golf following a fourth back surgery, Florida's young professional golf contingent was a constant source of encouragement. Woods regularly played practice matches with them as he sought to determine whether his body would allow him to be competitive again.

“It’s amazing,” said Koepka, who shared second place at the Masters. “I think we all knew it was coming. I said this last year at the Open. I thought he was ready, raring to go to win a major again and it only took two more tries. It's impressive, it's fun to watch, and just as a golf and Tiger fan, it's pretty special. The atmosphere around Tiger is mind-blowing.”

The byproduct of Woods' prominence is, of course, more attention to professional golf in general. It's no surprise, then, to see his colleagues offer congratulations. However, it seemed on Sunday as if there was a general sense of appreciation for what the 43-year-old has achieved during one of the sport's greatest comebacks. “It’s an incredible story,” said Tommy Fleetwood. “Not just in golf, in sports; In life."

The problem for these golfers, of course, will come if Woods becomes anything close to his dominant past. Then, one supposes, the adulation will not be so evident.

Schauffele finished alongside Koepka and Dustin Johnson as runners-up. “It was like a dream, honestly,” Schauffele said. “It’s what I watched as a kid. That's what I watched growing up. Just everything about it and for me to be a part of it; It was an incredible experience.”

Tony Finau's scenario was different from everyone else's – Francesco Molinari aside – because he spent Sunday in the company of Woods. “It was great,” Finau said. “To bear witness to this, a few years ago I didn’t know many people who believed Tiger would win another major. From what I've seen, he's obviously not going anywhere anytime soon.

“You can’t say enough about Tiger and what he did for the game. It's great for him to be involved in the game and now he has his 15th major. He's going to be a force to be reckoned with in the coming years, I'm sure.