Why Tiger Woods was left hyperventilating after hitting ‘the most amazing shot’ his playing partner had ever seen

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There is an argument that what Tiger Woods did at the 2008 US Open does not get spoken about anywhere near often enough, with Woods winning his 14th major title after playing 91 holes essentially on one leg.

Of course, the wins at The Masters in 1997 and 2019, as well as at the US Open in 2000 are potentially more iconic.

No one has made more of a statement than Tiger Woods did at Augusta National 28 years ago. Meanwhile, Woods seemed to be playing a different event to everyone else when he triumphed at Pebble Beach three years later, winning by 15 shots.

But when it comes to guts, few victories will compare with what Woods did at the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines.

How Tiger Woods hit the most amazing shot Robert Karlsson had seen at the 2008 US Open

Woods was dealing with a knee injury throughout the week. He underwent surgery in the days after winning the trophy and would sit out the rest of the season. 2008 marked the first time since 1995 that Woods did not play in the Ryder Cup.

But Rocco Mediate did not make it easy for Woods by any means. Woods holed a lengthy putt on the 72nd hole to make it into an 18-hole playoff on Monday. The 32-year-old would eventually win on the first sudden-death hole.

It was Robert Karlsson who played alongside Woods during the third round in San Diego. And speaking to 5 Clubs this week, the Swede explained just how impressive his playing partner’s performance was that day as he made two eagles on the back nine to put himself at the top of the leaderboard.

“I had played with him a few times before, I actually played with him when he was still an amateur in 1995, so I played with him a bunch of times. But the way he played, as bad as he moved, to even get around that round was fantastic. To play the way he did, being close to him a bunch of times, I’ve seen him play poorly or struggle before and still putting in a number. But that was the most impressive nine holes, especially the back nine, that I’ve ever seen anyone play,” he said.

“Me and my caddie, we asked Steve Williams, do you think he’s going to play tomorrow? He’s like, well, he has walked nine holes since Augusta – and that was on the Tuesday at Torrey. He could hardly walk. And the most impressive thing is on 15, because he hit a big slice all the time, big slice because that put less stress on the left leg, but at Torrey Pines, there’s a tree on the left side so he couldn’t hit a slice, and the wind was off the left.

“So I was first off, hit a good drive. And before he tees off, he tells Steve Williams and the two of us, ‘when I’ve hit it, you can go’. And Steve Williams looks at us just puzzled. And he had a couple of practice swings and he hits the most beautiful, low piercing draw in the middle of the fairway. But he just pulls down the club from the top of his swing and starts leaning on it and hyperventilating like he’s just delivered a baby. He’s like, ‘you go, I’ll see you soon’.

“He’s literally still on the tee when we were on the fairway. That’s how much pain he knew he was going to be in. And to pull off that shot was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen.”

What Tiger Woods said about the pain after the third round at Torrey Pines

It is impossible to imagine the pain Woods pushed through throughout that tournament. In total, he hit 358 shots before he had finally won.

And speaking after his third round, Woods explained what he kept saying to himself before he hit some of those shots.

“I just keep telling myself that if it grabs me and if I get that shooting pain, I get it, but it’s always after impact. So go ahead and just make the proper swing if I can,” he said.

“Again, warming up I didn’t warm up particularly well today. I again had a little bit of a two-way miss and tried to organize that throughout the day, tried to miss it one way, try to go if anything, overshoot shots, hit big hooks or big cuts, one way or the other. So I didn’t have an opportunity to hit a double cross.”

There is definitely a feeling of sadness when it comes to reflecting on Woods’ victory at the 2008 US Open. It would prove to be the penultimate major win of his illustrious career – with everyone having to wait more than a decade for his emotional triumph at The Masters.

What came in the years after the 2008 US Open showed that Woods is flawed like every other person. However, what he did over that week at Torrey Pines was nothing short of superhuman.