The big mistake Tiger Woods admitted he made after playing the Australian Open for the first time in 15 years

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Tiger Woods came close to an Australian Open victory in 2011, but made a costly mistake.

The 15-time major winner participated in the competition for the first time in 15 years in preparation for the Presidents Cup in Melbourne. Tiger Woods competed against a stacked field that included Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson, Greg Norman, and Fred Couples.

Woods was in true contention down the stretch and had an eagle putt that would have given him a share of the lead on the 17th green. That was a rare feat for the greatest golfer of all time that season, who had fallen to 58th in the world golf rankings. 

Unfortunately for the Aussie crowd, who packed the galleries in eager anticipation, he missed the putt, and Greg Chalmers went on to win the tournament. 

But after the round, Woods admitted that a mistake he made earlier in the round cost him the tournament as he chased the win.

Tiger Woods’ mistake that cost him the 2011 Australian Open

Woods shot a bogey-free three under on the front nine on Sunday to throw his hat into the ring. But he made an error on the back nine, which ultimately cost him.

On the 13th hole, Woods sliced his driver nearly out of bounds and saw his shot plugged in the mud next to a water hazard. He could have taken a free drop on the other side of the pond, but he instead elected to try and play the ball. He hit a tree, and the ball almost found the water again.

Woods ended up having to scramble for a bogey, and acknowledged after his round that hitting a driver off the tee was a mistake. He said, “I shouldn’t have gone for it in hindsight because I just should have laid up with a 5-iron and a wedge in there.

“But I figured I needed to shoot somewhere around 31 on that back nine to give myself a chance. I thought 13 or 14 (under) was going to be the number. I had to go get it. Unfortunately, I made a mistake there.”

Laying up wasn’t in Woods’ DNA. He’d become famous for his aggressive play, pulling off shots that no one else could. A lot of the time, it won him tournaments, but he played himself out of the tournament with this one.

Tiger Woods’ record playing in Australia

Woods had a typically brilliant record playing in Australia. He played tournaments there five times, finished in the top ten every time, and took a victory in 2009. 

His first appearance was in the Australian Open in 1996, months into his professional career. He finished T5. Woods then played the Ericsson Masters in early 1998, and finished T8.

Woods’ first win in Australia came in 2009 at the JBWere Masters, which he won by two strokes at 14 under par at Kingston Heath Golf Club.

He followed that up with a fourth-placed finish at the JBWere in 2011, and a third-placed finish at his first Australian Open since 1996 in 2011. 

Last time Woods played in Australia was the 2019 Presidents Cup, where he was Team USA’s captain. Woods was the only undefeated player on either team, as America took a 16-14 victory.

Before the 2011 Australian Open, Woods said, “I have a great affinity for playing golf in Australia”, and that was evidenced by his stellar record.