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The 16th hole
This hole has been good to Woods over the years. It was here in 2005 on Sunday he had his Nike moment, his ball hanging on the lip for 1.8 seconds before the swoosh dropped into the hole, completing an improbable chip-in birdie en route to his playoff victory against Chris DiMarco. Fast-forward 14 years and Woods is on the tee in the final round with a one-stroke lead and Olympic star Michael Phelps in the front row directly behind the man in red. Woods nearly aced it, his ball coming off his 8-iron and stopping just 3 feet from the hole.
Woods: I did not notice Michael (Phelps) was back there. I was locked into what I was doing. I had just taken the lead on 15. I already had an idea if it was going to be 7 or 8 (iron), and that’s what I kept thinking and reminding myself that, hey, I’ve got to be committed to either shot. And then when we got over and the wind started picking up, I went in with 8-iron. But, no, I did not know who was there, and to see the reaction, to see Verne (Lundquist) call it and (later on TV replay) to see Michael, basically, bending over in the same position that I was in, leaning forward, that was pretty cool.
LaCava: He knows he’s got to keep his emotions in check. He’s still gotta make the putt and then play two big holes. Of course it’s exciting back there on the tee to watch the people stand up. Now you know it has a chance to go in, which is fun. I could care less if it goes in. I want it to be where you don’t even have to look at that putt. That’s all I’m thinking. What are the chances of it going in? I’m thinking I want it below the hole where you have the easiest putt possible. You don’t even have to look at it. But he’s a professional, he’s winning his fifth green jacket, he’s got to keep his emotions in check. That’s probably as calm as I’ve ever seen him on a golf course. Not that I’ve ever seen him antsy. But there was certainly a calmness and a confidence that he was going to get this thing done.
Simpson: We’re on 17 tee, and Tiger hits and lands it on the hill and it starts trickling. We have a perfect view. Crowd is so excited. They want it to go in. It looks like it’s going in. And Paul (Tesori, Simpson’s caddie) turns around and looks at me and says, “What if this went in?” It was one of those moments you’ll never forget. The crowd is so loud they’re oblivious to everyone on the tee. That was a cool moment, too.
Schauffele: On 16, we were in between clubs. I was hitting it good enough to hit my number so we kind of took the pin on. I wanted to hit an 8-iron and (his caddie, Austin Kaiser) talked me into a 7. Everyone knows (the wind) feels into but it almost plays a little down. And there’s adrenaline on that hole and you play it out to the right to use that ridge and I ended up on the back edge of the green, which is a terrible putt to have. I had to make an 8-footer for par on that hole. And then had to two-putt from 40 feet on 17 and made a ridiculous par on 18.
Cantlay: I think what’s interesting about (16) in particular is it’s just the opposite of what you see. So you would rather be short-sided in the bunker or you would rather even pull it long left of the green than you would hit it where I hit it, even though it doesn’t look like that. I just made a bad swing. But looking back on it, if I would have played halfway decent Thursday, Friday, and had the weekend that I had, I would have won by a lot. So I played really well on the weekend, I played really well Saturday and the first 15 holes of Sunday to give myself an opportunity. Sitting at home at dinner on Friday night, no one would have thought I even had a chance at all. So the experience that I gained from it is invaluable going forward, and as long as you draw on the positives from it and don’t linger too long on the negatives but learn from them, I think you’re best off going forward.
The 17th hole
The former historic Eisenhower Tree to the left of the fairway was an imposing obstacle Woods often tangled with over the years, but since an ice storm in 2014 caused its demise, his unease was slightly lessened. Now the other trees Augusta National planted on the right side of the fairway provided trepidation. The hole has always caused Woods fits. On this day, however, he got the better of 17 and protected his two-shot lead.
Woods: I kept telling myself on 17, that tee shot, I said, “I’ve been in this position before.” I had a two-shot lead with DiMarco and went bogey, bogey. Let’s go ahead and pipe this ball right down the middle. Hit a little flat squeezer out there and I did, I just smoked it. I made par there.
LaCava: That was the best shot of the tournament. He hit a 1-foot cut and hit it past Tony Finau. He stepped up and hit a tee shot that is probably not his favorite tee shot. To pipe it and just hammer it, fantastic.
Justin Rose, who had missed the cut and was watching at home: The tee shot he hit on 17, I think was everything for me. That’s just a tee shot that you can’t hide from, it’s straightaway, it’s like you either hit it straight or you’re in the trees. With a two-shot lead, 17 was the only hole that could have really made it difficult for him. So that was cool to see that.
Woods: That tee shot was the shot that won me the tournament.