Everyone knows that when leading a Major going into the last round Tiger Woods wins, don’t they? Well someone must have forgotten to tell YE Yang! He trailed Woods by two shots going into the final round of the 2009 PGA Championship at Hazeltine National GC, caught him by the turn, and was tied with five holes to play. It looked as though nerves were getting the better of him when he three-putted for bogey at the 17th but he produced the shot of his life down eighteen. From a lie in the semi on the left side of the fairway he needed to fly a tree and bunker to get at the flag, his 3-iron hybrid cleared a bunker and settled 12 feet away closing out a victory making him the first Asian born male player to win a Major.
What do you do when your golf ball is stuck up against a tree? Close your eyes and have a wild slash at it hoping to make a decent contact without breaking your club and/or wrist? Of course you do! Particularly if your name is Sergio Garciaand you’re chasing Tiger Woods down the stretch in the 1999 PGA Championship at Medinah CC. This fantastic golf shot really shot Garcia to prominence, the tree in question was on the sixteenth hole and Sergio’s slashing, eyes shut, open faced six iron shot is a classic. What makes it all the more memorable is his exuberant scampering after the ball, running and jumping to see the result of his ball making the green and then laughing with the gallery about closing his eyes.
Medinah Country Club is just one of the Major venues that features in the free golf download Golf Courses of the Majors that is a fully searchable database of every winner of every Major with links to the course website and player biographies. Download.
The TPC Sawgrass #17 hole has reached iconic status in golf as every year the worlds best golfers queue up to sweat over a shot to the island green at The Players Championship. With zero margin for error you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s all about the tee shot. Well it is, almost! Once your ball has reached the putting surface you are still faced with a treacherous putt. See Tiger Woods read a double breaking putt to perfection and laugh as the commentators get the call completely wrong. A wonderful amazing golf shot.
Of all the amazing golf shots that Tiger Woods has played in his career this shot stands out as probably the most memorable.
Let me take you back; Tiger led Chris DiMarco by three shots going into the final round of the 2005 Masters tournament but that lead had been whittled away to a single stroke as they stood on the tee of the par three sixteenth at the Augusta National Golf Club.
The pin was in its traditional Sunday placement, on the left side of the green at the bottom of the slope encouraging an attacking shot to the heart of the green that will run down to the flag for a possible birdie two. DiMarco played a good shot that left him a very holeable eighteen foot putt for birdie but Tiger pulled his eight-iron tee shot long and left of the green and his ball nestled up against the second cut of rough.
This awkward lie forced Woods into playing a low running chip across the incredibly fast green away from the flag before it took the slope and curved down to the right and towards the hole. The shot was judged to perfection, as it trickled nearer to the hole the ball momentarily stopped on the edge of the cup before taking one more half turn, displaying it’s Nike swoosh, and tumbling into the bottom of the hole whilst the gallery, Woods and caddy Steve Williams erupted into pandemonium. DiMarco subsequently missed his own putt and Tiger’s one stroke advantage was preserved.
Of all the amazing golf shots over the years this is destined to become the most iconic of the digital age. Nike, Tiger’s sponsors, were delighted with that serendipitous last turn of the ball and converted footage of the shot into a ubiquitous advertisement that captures the drama of the event including CBS commentator Verne Lundquist’s immortal lines “Oh my goodness! Oh Wow!! In your life, have you seen anything like that?” as the ball edges ever nearer the hole and drops in.
Whilst this one shot doesn’t tell the full story of the 2005 Masters, DiMarco caught Tiger and forced a playoff, it is certainly what the tournament will ultimately remembered for.
