Tiger Woods has played some remarkable golf shots in his career but when the great Jack Nicklaus is suggesting one shot is one of the best ever, you know you’ve produced something special.
With The Memorial Tournament coming up this week, there’s plenty to look back on and take a trip down memory lane with when it comes to Tiger.
Woods has won the tournament five times and in doing so, has had to produce some of his best ever golf to do so.
Indeed, that was never more obvious than in 2012 when Woods was in one of the toughest spots on the course on hole 16.
With Woods having gone long and into the rough and the pin at the bottom of a slope heading towards water, Woods produced one of the greatest shots of his career.
And it is that shot that 18-time major winner Jack Nicklaus believes is one of the best he’s seen.
The shot Tiger Woods played at The Memorial that Jack Nicklaus said was ‘unbelievable’
The shot Woods played in 2012 to keep himself in contention was everything that makes him so great.
Woods flopped the ball up in the air onto the green, before the ball rolled down the slope and found the cup in one of the most dramatic moments of his career.
Indeed, looking on at that shot both at the time and years later, tournament host Jack Nicklaus was simply in awe of Woods’ ability.
“That’s a really tough shot to keep out of the water to start with. He’s got to just drop it out there and get it on top of the ridge and see what happens,” Nicklaus said on live comms at the time.
Reflecting on the shot years on, Nicklaus remained in awe of what he’d seen.
“He landed the ball on that fringe and it ran softly down the slope and went in the hole. That was one of the most incredible golf shots I think you’ll ever see. One of the best shots under the circumstances that I’ve ever seen in the game. He needed a shot like that, it propelled him to his win.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen one like it, I think it was the most unbelievable, gutsy shot I’ve ever seen.”
The other Tiger Woods shot that had Fred Couples stunned
As we’ve mentioned, Tiger Woods is no stranger to making huge shots and while this one at the 2012 Memorial is memorable, he’s left other players stunned as well.
Indeed, his good friend Fred Couples was stunned by Woods back in 2000 after a simply mind-blowing shot at the Canadian Open.
“I mean Nicklaus wrapping his one iron at Pebble, hitting the flag, unbelievable shot. But this one, you know, it was mind-boggling,” Couples admitted.
“The other kid was on the green, 20 feet for eagle. Most people would have took it left somewhere. He took it right over the pin. He says it’s the greatest shot that didn’t hit the green and I laugh at that but yeah, one of the greatest shots I’ve ever seen.”
With Woods now well past his best and injuries once again holding him back, we’re unlikely to see such brilliance from him again.
However, even when he’s long retired, these shots will always be a delight to look back on and reflect on.
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