One of the most incredible things about Tiger Woods is the way that he has come back from adversity and completely stolen the show on the golf course – and done it on several occasions.
Few would have ever imagined that Tiger Woods would go well over a decade before his next major win after he clinched the 2008 US Open on essentially one leg – a tournament in which he needed to play 91 holes to get across the line.
Woods would miss the rest of the season. But 2009 would become one of his most successful years as he won six times and earned more than $10.5 million on the course alone.
One of those victories came at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, with Padraig Harrington one of the players who finished four shots back of the world number one.
The shot Tiger Woods hit in 2009 which Pádraig Harrington was the ‘greatest’ ever
With three holes to play, it was actually Harrington who had a one-shot lead. However, there was a four-shot swing on the 16th hole – largely due to the best shot the Irishman has ever seen.
Woods had just over 180 yards to the pin at Firestone, but with the flag right at the front of a green which was protected by water, he would have been forgiven for aiming for the middle of the putting surface – particularly with Harrington in a tricky spot up against the lip of a bunker.
However, Woods decided to hit an eight iron – and the gamble paid off in stunning fashion. He left himself with a tap-in to get to 11 under par.
Harrington meanwhile, would end up in the water. His approach went long of the green, and he ended up finding the hazard with his chip shot. As it turns out, the three-time major champion was completely thrown off his game by Woods’ shot.
Speaking on the Fore Play Podcast in 2022, Harrington said he has not seen a better shot than Woods’ approach.
“He hit the greatest golf shot probably ever hit in golf on that 16th hole. It was 192 yards, somebody said he might have hit an eight iron,” Harrington said.
Dan Rapaport replied: “So I quizzed him on this in my old job, I asked him, I was quizzing him on all his wins and I said, at the 2009 Bridgestone you hit a shot to six inches on the 16th hole on Sunday to beat Padraig Harrington, what club did you hit? He said: ‘I hit eight iron, it was 180 yards, we were on the clock, that’s what put Paddy off, he had to play quickly and he made a mistake’.”
“Absolutely, I have never been a quick player, my style of golf being a bit erratic and all that. So I’d be aware of my pace of play. We were going ding-dong at it. I actually really liked playing with Tiger. He was very easy to play with. He only said ‘good shot’ to you when you hit a good shot, which was great. There was no b——t about it. It was straightforward, we’re here to play golf and he really wanted to beat you by playing better than you. There was nearly a sense that he wanted you to play well, just to make him play well. So there was no messing with him. It was so straightforward. And then obviously, you’re inside the bubble, which is a lot easier than being outside the bubble,” Harrington added.
“He hit the greatest shot ever. No doubt, my whole life I would say I’m really good at handling pressure and not getting affected by my playing partner doing this. But I chipped in the water afterwards. When do I ever chip it in the water? And then, not only did I chip in the water, I made an idiot of myself and dropped it far side of the hazard when I could’ve dropped it from when I was chipping from. I forgot the ruling. It was the greatest shot I ever saw.”
Tiger Woods sending a message after Padraig Harrington’s incredible 2008 season
Harrington had been the player who made the most of Woods’ injury issues in 2008. He retained his Open Championship title while he also went on to win the PGA Championship.
Remarkably however, he would not win on the PGA Tour or the European Tour again until 2015. Obviously, that was not all down to Woods’ return.
But perhaps it is fair to assume that Harrington would have got across the line that week in Ohio had he not been up against arguably the greatest talent the game has ever seen.
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