For decades, he existed beyond comparison. As he turns 50, even golf’s most dominant figure confronts the one opponent he could never overpower
Talk to any golfer who played against Tiger Woods and there is sure to be at least one story about one shot so sublime they were certain it could not be hit by them or anyone else.
He was just different. Better.
The 2-iron Woods hit into the par-5 10th hole at the TPC Sugarloaf led Stewart Cink to say, “This is a skill set I don’t have.” Padraig Harrington once saw Woods hit an 8-iron so majestic at Firestone that it got in his head and led to the Irishman making triple bogey.
Nick Price played the opening two rounds with Woods at St Andrews in the 2000 British Open and felt the tournament already was over. Mark O’Meara played a practice round with him at Pebble Beach before the 2000 US Open and told his wife before the championship started, “Tiger is going to win. And not only is he going to win, he’s going to blow away the field.” Woods won by 15.
