Tiger Woods has been front and centre of some of the most iconic moments ever seen on a golf course.
Whether it was his chip-in on the 16th at the 2005 Masters, remarkable 2000 US Open win at Pebble Beach, completing the Tiger Slam, emotional victory at the 2006 Open, or return to glory back in 2019 – there’s an endless catalogue which will stand the test of time.
One crucial aspect of Woods’ game that supported the iconic moments mentioned above was his putting. Woods’ seven-foot birdie putt at the 2000 PGA Championship to force a playoff with Bob May is considered one of his most important.
Tiger, however, believes a lengthy putt at the 2001 Players Championship is the best he’s ever hit.
The best long putt Tiger Woods has ever hit
During the third round of the 2001 Players Championship, Woods was battling to make it into Sunday’s final group.
Playing the iconic 17th, he was left with a daunting downhill putt that broke both ways. Woods, of course, made birdie and subsequently won The Players by one stroke.
“That putt broke more at the end. It was the old green. They have since changed it since then. They had a lot more movement. Guys used to spin the green off the ball easily from the drop area and spin it back in the water and make big numbers,” Woods explained in a recent PGA Tour YouTube video.
“I just wanted to get the right speed and get out of there. That putt is quick. The group in front of us – I believe it was Fred Funk – might have four-putted from just above the ridge. He ran it by quite a bit, so I knew it was quick. It was moving. I don’t think it would have been within eight or 10 feet if it didn’t hit the hole.
“You don’t see putts go in at that speed on the low side very often. But that was by far the best long putt I have ever hit. Given the hole, the iconic hole it is in itself, to make that putt, on that green, with that much movement, at that particular time and with so much on the line, trying to get into the final group, it meant a lot.”
Tiger Woods’ remarkable putting records
During his heyday, few players could match Woods’ on the greens. Between 2002 and 2005, Woods only missed three putts out of 1540 attempts within three feet, which is a miss rate of 0.00195%.
Furthermore, during the 2009 season, Woods made 90.4% of his putts from inside ten feet.
On average, PGA Tour players make 88% of their putts from inside ten feet with there being a steep decline to 40% from ten feet.
It wasn’t just Woods’ short-putting which contributed to his success. Between 2000 and 2002, the 15-time major winner’s lag putting was superb, leading to fewer three-putts.
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