Do you remember the shot? I would put it among the Top 3 shots Tiger Woods has ever struck, and the first two were putts – to send the 2008 U.S. Open to a Monday morning playoff with Rocco Mediate and the putt Woods walked into the hole at the 2000 PGA Championship when he beat Bob May.
Entering Sunday’s final round at the 2005 Masters, Chris DiMarco wasn’t going away. In fact, DiMarco had a one-shot lead on the dramatic and memorable 16th hole. DiMarco hit his tee shot into the middle of the green on the famous Par 3, while Woods pulled his tee shot just off the green.
Woods’ ball was dead. Bogey from there would be a good score. Par would be a great score. No one was thinking birdie. Some accounts of the shot had Woods aiming a good 20 feet left of the hole. The ball made a 90-degree turn down a ridge, sat there on the lip of the cup for a full two seconds, and then dropped!
The shot not only produced the most awkward caddie/player high-five exchange of all time, it also eventually spurred Woods to a playoff victory over DiMarco for his 4th and most recent green jacket. It also spawned a now famous Nike commercial. It’s almost as if the ball knew it was destined for fame when it posed, Swoosh out, before falling into the cup for a birdie two. And that leads me to this: shots like this are why it’s so hard for me to believe Tiger has (or is it had?) the chipping yips. I’ve seen his greatness, and so have you. This shot still gives me goosebumps.
The replay, to this day, still gets you excited. Don’t know if it’s the greatest shot, but every time you see it, it reminds you that it’s probably the best shot REMEMBERED the last few years.