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We’ve seen it all in 14 major championship wins from Cypress native Tiger Woods: playoff theatrics, ridiculous margins of victories, laughs, cries, and an array of shots that make you wonder whether the world’s No. 1 player is human like the rest of us. Here are his 10 most definitive major moments. 1. 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines: Birdie putt on par-5 18th hole during final round The latest is the greatest. With a torn ACL in his recently scoped left knee and a double stress fracture in his left tibia, Woods persevered through 91 holes and somehow found a way to win his 14th major. The birdie putt he made on the par-5 18th in the final round to force a playoff with Rocco Mediate is the biggest of his career to this point – it was tough, timely, and packed with emotion on a layout he’s so good on that it should one day be renamed after him. 2. 1997 Masters: New age begins with near perfection on par 5s The first was the greatest – until Torrey Pines. There were so many meaningful moments from Woods’ initial triumph at Augusta National: his youth (at 21 years old, youngest to win the Masters), his separation from the field (12-stroke victory margin was largest in a major, at the time), and his background (first minority golfer to win a major) are only a few. It’s tough to pick one shot that summed up his dominance for the week, but his performance on par 5s was absolutely remarkable — and, to an extent, revolutionary. His 18-under-par total for the week was buoyed by going 13-under par on 16 tries at par-5 holes. Woods was either putting or chipping from around the green for eagle on 13 of those 16 holes. His overpowering efforts on those holes single-handedly altered the face of Augusta National and professional tournaments in general. 3. 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach: Stunning approach shot to par-5 sixth during second round Like his win at the 1997 Masters, it’s tough to pinpoint the most memorable shot from an Open triumph that was even bigger than his record-setting Augusta win (15-shot margin of victory). But the one that stands out above the rest came during the second round Friday, when the weather got brutal and making birdies was almost impossible. An errant drive on the 524-yard par-5 sixth hole left Woods with 205 yards to the green, and his lie in the deep rough was made more difficult by a giant cypress tree in his way. Woods pulled a 7-iron and took a mighty rip on a slightly steeper path, and the ball carried the trouble and settled 15 feet from the cup for a two-putt birdie. He was the only player in the world capable of pulling off that shot under the circumstances, and his ability to do so justifies his 12-under total for the week when the best his peers could muster was 3-over. 4. 2000 PGA Championship at Valhalla: Pointing to playoff heroics Before Tiger vs. Rocco, there was Tiger vs. Bob. The only other time Woods needed multiple extra holes to win a major was at Kentucky’s Valhalla Golf Club in 2000, when he and Bob May each posted 18-under par at the end of regulation. This playoff was only three holes, and it got off to a raucous start on the par-4 16th. May had just hit an amazing pitch that nestled next to the hole for a par, and Woods had 20 feet for birdie. Continuing to wield a hot flatstick, he stroked his putt and started strutting toward the cup while his ball was still rolling. As the ball disappeared, Woods pointed to it as if he knew it was destined to end up there, and both he and the crowd let out emphatic roars. That birdie proved to solidify a one-stroke winning margin and ensured Woods would become the first to successfully defend his PGA Championship title since it switched to stroke-play format in 1958 (Denny Shute was the last repeat champion, in 1936 and 1937). 5. 2006 British Open at Royal Liverpool: Holed approach highlights emotional win The indelible image from Woods’ win at the ’06 British Open was when he cried in the arms of caddie Steve Williams and wife Elin after clinching victory, his first since his father, Earl, died from cancer. This may have been the most emotional of Tiger’s majors, and it was also one of the most unique considering he only hit driver once the whole week. He used an array of creative long-iron shots on the 7,258-yard Royal Liverpool track to post an 18-under-par total for the week, and his most memorable came on the par-4 14th in the second round. From 205 yards out, Woods holed his 4-iron for eagle — something he wasn’t necessarily planning on, but something not unfathomable considering it’s Tiger. 6. 2005 Masters: The Chip No shot in Tiger’s career is more memorable than the birdie chip he holed on the par-3 16th during the final round at Augusta in 2005. After going long and left off the tee, Woods chipped his ball past the hole about 30 feet, utilizing the contours of the green to let it roll all the way back down toward the hole. The orb hung in suspense on the lip for about two-and-a-half seconds before it fell in, making the effort one of the most imaginative and dramatic shots ever. And it turned out to be a shot he had to have in order to win his fourth Green Jacket – Woods bogeyed his 71st and 72nd holes and fell into a playoff with Chris DiMarco, who couldn’t match Tiger’s birdie on the first sudden-death hole. 7. 2000 British Open at St. Andrews: Tiger goes bunker-free for career Grand Slam As he has done in each of his three British Open titles, Woods operated with extreme precision to claim his first Claret Jug at the home of golf in 2000. St. Andrews seeks to torture players with 112 bunkers, but Woods didn’t find a single one throughout the week. The result was a 19-under-par total, the lowest score in relation to par ever recorded at a major championship. This win sealed the career Grand Slam for Woods, who was 24 at the time. 8. 2001 Masters: 11th hole gem leads to Tiger Slam Woods began the final round of the 2001 Masters one stroke ahead of San Diego native Phil Mickelson, who was still pining for his first major. And as the round progressed, David Duval, who began Sunday three strokes behind Woods, made a charge. But the day belonged to Tiger. His most mesmerizing stroke of the final round came on the par-4 11th, where a “little chip 8-iron” from 149 yards ended inches from the hole for a birdie and enough of an edge to fend off Duval and Mickelson. This was Tiger’s fourth major win in a row, leading the streak to be dubbed the Tiger Slam since he held all four titles at the same time. 9. 2007 PGA Championship at Southern Hills: “62½” in the second round produces lucky No. 13 The final major of ’07 didn’t begin in the best fashion for Woods, who opened with a 1-over-par 71 and was six shots behind unlikely leader Graeme Storm. But Woods promptly seized control of the event a day later when he shot a 63, tying for the lowest score ever at a major. It was nearly a 62, but a good-looking birdie bid on the 18th spun around the cup and failed to drop. Woods dubbed his record round a “62½.” This major was also significant since it was his first as a dad; daughter Sam was born about two months earlier. 10. 2002 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black: Routine birdie on 13th leaves no doubt If any of Woods’ major wins featured a bigger storyline than the man himself, maybe it was at Bethpage in 2002. With raucous crowds getting on some competitors’ nerves – particularly grip-aholic Sergio Garcia, who was paired with Woods in the final round — and a difficult golf course that perplexed many – including the victor – this was certainly not a glamorous triumph. But Woods still became the first golfer to win the national championship at a municipal venue, a victory largely sealed by a clutch birdie on the lengthy par-5 13th hole in the final round. Phil Mickelson had just birdied the hole a group before Woods, who smashed a prodigious drive shortly after Mickelson and hit an iron into two-putt range for a birdie and a comfortable three-shot lead heading down the stretch. |
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