Tiger Woods is once again absent on the PGA Tour as the days count down to the WM Phoenix Open, but one of his shots at the 1997 event will simply never be forgotten.
Woods has been competing in the TGL, but is yet to appear on the PGA Tour in 2025, having made just five appearances last season.
15-time major champion Woods is an 82-time PGA Tour winner, with Rory McIlroy among the players currently looking to follow in his footsteps.
McIlroy won his 27th PGA Tour title at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am last week, with the tour now rapidly moving on to the WM Phoenix Open.
Arizona’s TPC Scottsdale plays host to the iconic tournament, with its 16th hole one of the most famous in world golf.
Tiger Woods once recalled 1997 WM Phoenix Open fans going ‘nuts’ after his hole-in-one
The par-three has witnessed several unforgettable moments over the years, but none more so than a hole-in-one from Woods in 1997.
Woods fired an inch-perfect nine-iron onto the green before his effort quickly bounced into the hole, sparking a frenzy among everyone watching on, including Woods.
He has since looked back on the shot, with the commentary at the time having said: “They’re gonna go nuts when he hits this thing. Should be just a nice, comfortable nine-iron for him.”
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Analysing the shot, Woods noted: “It was just a cut nine-iron. I just tried to hold off a nine iron. I remember Omar [Uresti] had already hit one in there to about like three feet, so the place was already going nuts.”
Sharing his verdict, Uresti said: “I hit a really good shot to about two and a half feet just behind the hole on the right side. Unfortunately I make the mistake of thinking to myself, ‘let’s see you hit it closer than that’.”
Woods continued: “I knew it was going to be right around pin height. I saw it taking a couple of hops. And then the place went nuts up there, and then it quickly, almost like electrically, went up to the tee box. And then we all went nuts.”
And looking back on his wild celebrations on the tee box and his ‘raise the roof’ dance walking down the fairway, the legendary figure noted: “I almost broke Fluff’s (Mike Cowan) hand, I almost broke Omar’s hand, and Rusty [Uresti] ended up hugging me because I ended up missing his hand and he put his arm around me because he didn’t want me to crush his hand. I was going nuts, the place was going nuts, and we were all having a good time.
“25 years ago, raise the roof was in, it was the in move to do. If you look at it, I walked off the tee box, I end up raising the roof.”
His playing partner Omar Uresti certainly recalls that moment, having said: “We were going back for the high five and my brother, I just vaguely remember hearing ‘Bro, be careful’ when we were swinging, so I held up and missed and then we went back and made it on the second one. I just didn’t want to hurt my hand, as hard as he was swinging, as pumped as he was.”
Tony Finau said Tiger Woods hit ‘greatest shot’ in golf history at WM Phoenix Open
Steve Jones emerged victorious at the 1997 WM Phoenix Open, but unfortunately for him it will more often than not be remembered for the heroics of Woods.
Along with Woods, a handful of current PGA Tour stars also shared their reactions to the unforgettable moment, with Collin Morikawa saying: “God, so good,” with the shot remarkably hit 12 days before the latter was born.
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Sharing his verdict, Max Homa commented: “You could turn this into a TikTok now. I don’t think he needed to [raise the roof]. I think they were maxed out on noise there. I’ve heard crazy stories, like it shook the clubhouse which is like 600 yards away.
“JT (Justin Thomas) could pull off some of that stuff, but most of us don’t have it in our bag, as the kids say. I would just get ridiculed if I did it.
“Tiger could just do whatever. I don’t know he didn’t throw out his shoulder when he fist bumped, but that’s neither here nor there.
“That’s also another Tiger thing, is he did the coolest thing you could do on the one hole you really want to do it on.
“If you’re going to make a hole-in-one anywhere on the PGA Tour, I’m sure some people might pick a traditional hole and something that would mean a lot, but the coolest one you could do is on 16 at Waste Management, because it will get loud. And he of course did it.”
Joel Dahmen meanwhile said of the moment: “So good. The old raise the roof. It was a very cool thing to do back then. How hard he’s swinging his high fives, beach balls. How amazing would it be if he came back and he did that again?
“That was the coolest thing you could possibly do as a golfer, and Tiger did it. I’m surprised it isn’t played more. I mean, as much as it’s played, it should be played more.”
And perhaps sharing the highest praise of all, Tony Finau noted: “Raise the roof, that’s like the ’90s dance move, you know, just a little raise the roof.
“Greatest hole-in-one in the history of the game. I was just telling my son that. We were actually just watching this highlight, and I said ‘Son, this is arguably the greatest shot in the history of the game, ever’. I mean, everyone knew he was going to go nuts when he hit it.”
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