Tiger Woods reflects on winning his 15th major at The Masters

Having endured years of physical torment which left him stuck on 14 majors, Woods finally added to his tally in April - after more than a decade without success at the very highest level.

That it came at Augusta, where two years earlier he'd told fellow former Masters champions he feared he would never play again, made it a particularly poignant triumph.

At the height of his powers, success was normal and failure was rare. Woods had little trouble taking it in his stride. Now in his forties, that is no longer the case.

"No, honestly it hasn't (sunk in)," he told GOLFTV's Henni Zuel.

"I've had a few brief little dinners with some friends, I've just been going to and from school and I really haven't done much.

"My son and I went out to the golf course a couple of times, the members were fantastic - lots of hugs.

"But to be honest - I haven't seen much, I haven't done much. I've been relaxing and basically getting away from it."

Clearly, Woods is still taking in the enormity of the success. For so long, it had seemed that he was destined to end his career on 14 majors - short of Jack Nicklaus' record of 18.

Suddenly, the goal which defined the early years of his career is back within reach.

"I always thought it was possible - if I had everything go my way.

"Now that I've had another extension to my career, one I didn't think I had... if I do things correctly, and everything falls my way? Yeah, it's a possibility.

"I'm never going to say it's not - except for a couple of years ago when I couldn't walk!

"The only thing I can promise you is this: I will be prepared."

Woods' celebrations next to the 18th green at Augusta will live long in the memory - both for him and those watching around the world.

For the first time, he was able to celebrate a major championship victory with his children and while he's 'still the same dad', Woods stressed how important it was that they saw him succeed.

"They gained an appreciation for the moment. They were there when I failed. They felt the buzz of dad's on top of the board - and I lost (at The Open). That sucked.

"Now they saw me on top of the board and I accomplished it."

So what was it that triggered Woods' success? Where did the belief come from, belief so strong that he sent a message to Zuel on the eve of the tournament claiming that something special could be about to happen?

"I found a swing in which I could start drawing the ball," he confessed.

"I don't have the length I used to have - I can't hit three-wood anymore off some of these tees. A couple of times down 10, I hit driver, which I've never done before.

"I found something in my game where I start feel comfortable turning it: the long-irons, the three-wood, the five-wood, the driver.

"I maintained the belief to hit the slider so I was like 'okay, we've got something here'."

Woods' comfort working the ball both ways was in evidence throughout the final round as first he stalked and then he pounced, capitalising on mistakes from Brooks Koepka and Francesco Molinari.

Victory was virtually sealed with a pinpoint approach to the 16th green, where his previous Masters triumph had been triggered some 14 years earlier, before he held his nerve down the final two holes.

Even in a career so remarkable, this one felt special to the observer. But where does it rank for the man himself?

"This one feels special in its own way. It's so different. Fourteen years between jackets is a long time.

"It took me years to understand what I accomplished (in 1997) and I don't think this one will settle in for quite some time as well."

Victory completed a remarkable turnaround for someone once so self-dependent, so self-absorbed, that glimpses behind the mask were rare.

That mask slipped as his personal life fell apart in 2009, but even as news of his misdemeanours broke it would have been difficult to imagine an entire decade passing before he tasted major glory once more.

"No one's perfect," admitted Woods. "Everyone is dealt cards in their life and obstacles that we all have to overcome, and some are different than others.

"To fight, to get back up, and know that this is all not done alone. I've had a fantastic group of people around me. Their love and support has helped."

Tiger Woods: the major champion who managed 14 without letting the world in, who might yet add four more now that he has.