7. 17th hole, Medinah Country Club
Final round of the 1999 PGA Championship
After trouncing the field and thrashing Augusta National during his historic win in the 1997 Masters, Woods went 10 majors without a victory. And when he arrived at Medinah north of Chicago, he was overhauling his swing. But after starting the final round tied for the lead, Woods built up a 5-shot advantage through 11 holes.
Then his play turned sloppy. A three-putt, two chunked chips and a bad 8-iron led to four lost shots. When he got to the 17th hole, he was just one shot clear of a scissor-kicking El Nino named Sergio Garcia.
And then Woods sailed his 6-iron tee shot over the green at the severely downhill, 212-yard 17th over water. The lie in thick rough was miserable and Woods did all he could to gouge the ball to 8 feet. But it was a terrifying downhill bender that would make any man shake. Woods slid it in to maintain his lead. Nearly spent, all he could mustered was a few muted fist pumps.
A solid par on 18 closed out his second major title.
“It’s what all those hours of practice are all about, to be able to execute the shots when you absolutely have to,” a weary Woods said afterward.