I was 1 up on Tiger Woods through 6.
Then he pulled off one of the most ridiculous chip-ins you’ll ever see. The crowd erupted, the momentum flipped, and I felt the gut punch that changed everything.
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Tiger Meat, Part 2
“You’re Tiger meat.”
That line was still rattling in my head, but here I was, standing toe-to-toe with Tiger Woods, and somehow holding my own.
After a solid start, I even stole a hole. Birdie at 6. Up on Tiger Woods. For a moment, I thought, maybe this is possible.
The crowd didn’t. Walking to the 7th tee, people leaned in with hushed encouragement for Tiger, not me. C’mon Tiger. Let’s go, Tiger. It was clear who they came to see, and it wasn’t the kid from Colorado.
On 7, the long par 5, Tiger did what Tiger does. Birdie. All square again. I wasn’t rattled. Not yet.
Then came the 8th hole.
Both in the fairway. I stuffed mine to about 25 feet. Tiger went long. His ball rolled into that nasty rough against the collar of the fringe, on the wrong tier of a lightning-fast green.
This was the kind of lie that ruins your day. For anyone else, it’s bogey or worse.
He takes out a wedge. Blades it. Ball rockets, climbs the ridge, and for a split second, you can feel everyone lean in because the slope is about to take over. The ball starts running away.
Tom, my caddie, whispers, “see ya.”
And then… BOOM. It hits the stick and drops dead into the hole.
The gallery explodes. I swear, everyone around the green doubled in height, jumping out of their shoes. Tiger lets out that trademark fist pump. He knew he got away with one.
I stood there stunned. My putt missed. Two down through 8.
Gut punch. And honestly, I never fully recovered.
On 9, he dusted me by a football field off the tee, another hole gone. By the turn, it wasn’t looking good.
But hey, I had my moment. I’d gone 1-up on Tiger Woods, even if it didn’t last long.
Don’t miss Part 3 next Wednesday.
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Thursday, Sept 25. Grab tickets.
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Arizona Golf’s legends get their due. The Hall of Fame just announced its 2025 class: Bill Grove, Gregg Tryhus, and Don Pooley. A powerhouse lineup of inductees. (more)
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