10. 18th hole, Bay Hill Club and Lodge
Arnold Palmer Invitational(s)
Yes, some liberty was taken and we rolled three putts into the No. 10 ranking. Had to because not once, not twice, but three times Woods holed walk-off birdie putts on the 18th hole – or the 72nd hole if you will – to win Arnie’s annual bash.
In front of the King each time, no less.
Sure, he’s won the tournament a record eight times but none were more dramatic than his trio of show-enders.
2001: Tiger knocked a 5-iron to 15 feet and with Phil Mickelson looking on with his wife, Amy, Woods faced a big breaking downhill putt. Buried it.
“I had that putt before and I missed it low twice in the final round,” Woods said. “I said, ‘Trust the break. Whatever you read, play it just a little bit more than what you read.’ And I read it to break probably about a foot and I said, ‘Well, just add that couple little more inches just in case.’ And I hit the putt just the way I wanted to and it took its time breaking. Didn’t really start breaking until toward the end, but once it started snapping, it went sideways and caught the hole.”
2008: He had 24 feet to beat Bart Bryant and earn his fifth consecutive PGA Tour title. Buried it.
“That’s why Tiger’s Tiger,” Bryant said. “It didn’t surprise me one bit. You know, you’ve still got to chuckle, even though you’re not surprised. Anything he does anymore doesn’t surprise me.”
Once the putt disappeared, Woods roared and rifled his hat to the ground.
“When Stevie (Williams, his caddie) handed me my hat, I was like, ‘How in the hell did he get my hat?’” Woods laughed. “Evidently, it came off. I don’t know how it came off, but it came off.”
2009: A year later, Woods fell five shots behind in the final round but had 16 uphill feet to defeat Sean O’Hair and win for the first time since reconstructive knee surgery sent him to the sidelines after winning the 2008 U.S. Open. Buried it.
“I kept telling myself obviously with the temperature getting a little cooler, this putt is going to be a little bit slower because of that. On top of that, the putt is uphill into the grain left to right, make sure you hit it hard to get it up to the hole. I hit a pure putt. I hit it really solid and it held its line all the way there.”