Terms of Service Yes, Woods, then 21, had won three PGA Tour events, and there was avid interest in his first major as a professional. He said, "Let me take a look at it." ORLANDO, Fla. - Tiger Woods nearly broke the internet last week at the Valspar Championship when he produced a club-head speed of 129.2 mph on the 14 th hole during Saturday's third round, the . I had some buddies with me, and they're going, "Aw, this kid is just a kid." In the 1980s, another Black golfer, Calvin Peete, won 12 PGA Tour events. Driver: Chez Reavie whats in the bag accurate as of the WM Phoenix Open. I can still see that white ball framed against the dark trees in the distance, then the blue sky and then the green fairway it was a bullet that seemed to never stop, Azinger, now an NBC golf analyst, said. Last week, heconfirmed in a statementthat he wouldnt be playing at Augusta, saying, My back rehabilitation didnt allow me the time to get tournament ready. He also said that he didnt have a timetable for his return, andthe consensus in the golf world is that hes donethat hell never reach Jack Nicklauss record of eighteen majors. KITE The conditions had been so hard the first day windy with very firm greens you bet 70 was a good score. The harder he swings, the worst he hits his drives. 4.9. What do you think? I had the jacket on, all my friends and family were there celebrating. He said, "I'll be hitting to the hole first, and let's see what Tiger does when I put it next to it," or something to that effect. Greg Nared (formerly of Nike): Everything Tiger competed in that week, he won. Hand the client a new club and with same swing speed smash goes up. Jim Nantz: I had a spell there coming to Augusta when I'd lost my voice. Before he left for the course, Woods ascended the stairs and entered the bedroom of his father, Earl, who had recently undergone surgery for his ailing heart. The only thing in doubt was whether he would break the record [17-under-par 271, set by Nicklaus in 1965 and matched by Raymond Floyd in 1976]. I went over to his house two or three times that week. Montgomerie shot 74 in the third round to Woods' bogey-free 65. Lofts of pro clubs. Woods has the fastest recorded swing on TOUR this season at 129.2 miles per hour and his average club head speed of 121.9 miles per hour is fourth on TOUR. Unless you are Bryson DeChambeau, who did this at the par-5 6th hole on his way to victory in 2021: Of course, few, is any, are going to achieve the ludicrous feat, let alone try it, but the par-5s are essential to making any score around here. Azinger felt differently after he was paired with Woods in the second round. To prove his current wellbeing, the selection sits in the top-20 for the season, averaging around 24th for his four outings of 2023. Im not sure the crowd even knew there was a little Italian guy playing with him. The ball just went extra fast and kept climbing. Working through the grades, hisdebut, five-shot victory on the KFT,was backed up with a pair of top-10s and two-top-20s, easily enough to nab his PGA Tour card for 2022/23. At least 40. Currently in 70th and making a steady approach back to the worlds top 50, Fowler may yet fulfil his new old coachs prediction: There are really good things in Rickie Fowlers future that were going to see. Tiger annihilated him. This is a game that I had not seen before, and none of us had. On Sunday, Woods shot three under par, and on the back nine his round turned into a victory procession. I got three out of four, so that ain't too bad. I actually did the Saturday show from Butler Cabin, calling it off a monitor. Perhaps the most important thing to remember on the 25th anniversary of Tiger Woodss seismic victory at the 1997 Masters, the first of his 15 major championships, is that almost no one saw it coming. Having spent a lot of his childhood in Hawaii and now on a course that will reward his best asset, Grant can justify this snippet from a recent interview: Fortunately for me, I grew up in the wind.. There are well-meaning initiatives to introduce the game to junior golfers, but the mechanisms for getting to the tour werent there. He basically proved that everything I'd heard was true. hadnt made a monster eagle putt in Dubai. He played a different kind of game. Jerry Chang: I had some good leads in Ping-Pong, and we were talking a lot of trash, but I never won a game. This is the worst Ive seen Tiger off the tee. pic.twitter.com/B38HfivIJw, Brandel Chamblee (@chambleebrandel) February 26, 2018. My iron game was pretty solidit wasn't great, but it was pretty solid. Woods, teeing off on No. This data means nothinghe needs to figure out his swing and that might entail equipment changes, including the ball. With wild drives and fluffed chips, the quality of his play has, at times, been embarrassing. I went through years where I just couldnt get speed, he said. Then they played basketball and table tennis. I don't know that there will be any single call that will make the clip file and still be played back 200 years from now, but generations of Nantzes later, they're still going to hear their great-great-great-great-grandfather saying, "A win for the ages.". 2023 Only if launch monitors were as accurate as your Scotty/Bettinardi/Ping/Odyssey/Other Studio Tour Only putters. On the fifteenth hole, after driving his tee shot three hundred and one yards, he arrowed a mid-iron over the creek in front of the green. original CBS Sports broadcast of Sundays final round on its Web site. [The par 4 was listed at 360 yards that year.] and I felt like I was a part of him. JOEL DAHMEN (sixth year on the PGA Tour) Ive watched too many times to count. Jim Nantz (CBS host): Kenny [Venturi] was in the tower at 13 and I was in the tower at 18 when Tiger came to the 13th on Friday eyeing an eagle putt. You knew you were going to be able to watch history, but you werent going to be making any history yourself. Driver. But, just how fast was he actually swinging the driver? That supersedes all the rest. As professional golfers you have to try to draw on experience if you have it, and Colin had the experience with some success. Tiger Woods WITB 2001 Masters. 289 - 361 yds. In his prime, watching Tiger Woods hit a golf ball was unlike anything else in the sport. Tiger Woods had really arrived. David Feherty (CBS analyst): He walked underneath my tower on 15. Woods routinely hit wedges into 11 of Augusta's 18 holesincluding the par-5 15thand he never three-putted, making two eagles, 21 birdies, 42 pars and seven bogeys. Of course all of us were all eyes for the young genius; we wanted to see what it was all about and if it was all true. Scotty Cameron Bernhard Langer 1993 Masters Tournament Winner - $59,100. 8 into the trees and I thought maybe theres some chance. Nick Faldo: What he did on the back nine, I guess that was the real beginning of Tigermania. Start the Golf Season off right with InsideGOLF ($100 value - just $20). 1997 Woods won the 1997 Masters using a King Cobra driver. The next year [1998] I picked out Tiger's wine for the Champions Dinner: a white Burgundy, Btard-Montrachet Grand Cru, 1995 vintage in honor of Tiger's first visit to Augusta National, and a red Cheau Mouton Rothschild, 1975 vintage in honor of his birth. Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy put the silver-plated shovels into a pile of dirt and left sizable divots. Paul Fregia [former director of the Tiger Woods Foundation]: I had the privilege of introducing Tiger Woods to Krispy Kreme doughnuts. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. He hit it so far he had a 4-iron to the green. He was physically incapable of doing anything other than focusing on the job at hand. April 21, 1997 When Tiger Woods stomped the competition at the Masters last week, he single-handedly broke or tied nine tournament records. And, of course, he drilled the putt, one that he later told us he had seen made many times watching the Masters on television. AZINGER Tiger was hitting a wedge or 9-iron to the greens on the back nine par 5s while some guys were hitting 3-woods there. He shot a four-over-par 40 with four bogeys and no birdies. You couldnt walk that out there any better than that, the late Ken Venturi commented. Actor Jack Nicholson was among those in attendance, and scalpers had pushed the price of a tournament badge as high as $10,000so off the charts that a local broker committed suicide after suppliers on the black market reneged on commitments, leaving him 142 tickets short for clients. MONTGOMERIE (after he shot 74 to Woodss bogey-free 65) All I have to say is one brief comment today. "This is very different. Still, theres nowt better than having them there, and the increased purse plus the run-in to The Masters sees a field of the highest class assemble at Arnies Place, Bay Hill. Fred Couples (Masters champion in 1992): Tiger was four over after nine holes. It was April 13, 1997, when a spry 21-year-old Woods won by 12 strokes at Augusta National. COSTANTINO ROCCA (accompanied Woods on Sunday) The mood was festive, like a celebration or a big party. 3-wood: Titleist 970 (15 degrees) Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X100. And again. I was playing with the best golfer in the world. Las Vegas,Nevada 89134-6299 No secret here. I'd played practice rounds with Nicklaus, Palmer, Floyd, Couples and Norman, guys who have had a lot of success there. FALDO The crowds around us started getting bigger and bigger and louder and louder. Kultida Woods: Tiger couldn't sleep, so he talked to Dad. That number would lead the PGA Tour every year since they started keeping track in 2007. When the three elements of his game came together, as they did that week at Augusta, he was unbeatable. He told me the shots you need to play, the clubs you need to play them with. The 1.5 Smash Factor Ratio isnt an absolute, it varies with the data gathering device. While playing on Tour, Tiger is more concerned with the outcome on the scorecard than impressing with high swing speed numbers. But I had a magical driving week, too. Woods, on the other hand, has an average driving distance of 290.3, which is not as high as the average number these days. PGA TOUR stats, video, photos, results, and career highlights. Got up in the morning and putted in the house for a little bit. It stayed in the air forever until it finally disappeared down the hill to some spot where probably no one had ever carried it. Each one of those sees him rightly disputing the market number one, but Im not sure I can get involved at around 20-25-to-one with any of the favourites, even if they hold excellent claims. At the time they were available only in the South, and I got him a dozen on Friday. It is as if Nijinsky lost the ability to do a pirouette. He was on his way to a Sunday victory lap. That was awfully nice. At the midpoint of the tournament, Colin Montgomerie, a sometimes crusty Scot who at 33 had competed in 22 majors and finished in the top 10 five times, trailed Woods by three strokes. 2023 Cond Nast. If anyone thought the Honda Classic had a below-par field, dont show them this weeks Puerto Rico Open. You're so engulfed in what you're doing that you forget about your surroundings, and all of a sudden you say, "Oh, I won.". And emotionally, he'd had a huge scare in the months before the Masters when he almost lost his father, Earl, who was still ailing as the tournament approached. He also had a Scotty Cameron putter in the bag. John Cook: Up until that week we thought he was too aggressive a putter. As Golf Digest's Dan Jenkins wrote, "Tiger Woods on Sunday at the '97 Masters was the biggest lock in sports since Secretariat at the Belmont.". I just wanted to tell the guy that he had it really wrong--that not only could Tiger win, but he could win by a lot. I didn't identify myself, but the guy knew my voice. To revisit this article, select My Account, thenView saved stories, To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories, Its Masters week, the annual ritual of thrilling golf, whispered commentary, blooming magnolias, white-suited caddies, and patrons in Bermuda shorts. United States. His fastest swing was measured at an incredible 127.08, and the slowest at 114.76. RELATED: Jim Nantz reflects on his call of Tiger Woods' 1997 Masters victory. Starting with a sixth at Silverado and a second place at the Zozo (holding every chance over the weekend), the man in orange has made all four cuts in 2023, starting with a consistent three rounds of 68 at The American Express perhaps, significantly, as we go into next weeks Players, a Pete Dye course then finishing 11th at Torrey Pines (55th to ninth place at halfway) 10th at TPC Scottsdale, and a closing 20th at Riviera last time out. He also played college golf at Rutgers University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. In 1997, Tiger used a Titleist 975D with 7.5 degrees loft. I just felt anything under 15 feet, I could make it. On the 10th anniversary of his 1997 win, Golf Digest interview dozens of people who played or watched the historic win and compiled this oral history of that magical week. The smash factor makes no sense. Tiger Woods: I felt great on the greens. Chris Kirk breaks his winless drought, LIV kicks off its second season, the major organizations all announce their intentions and more in this week's edition of the Monday Scramble. But he didn't do it alone. BEARD (81, still lives in Augusta) Tigers win really helped young white golfers more than Black golfers. This jurry-rigging wont last for long. It transcended the sport, and seeing Lee Elder was a visual cue to me. At the back of his swing, Woods utilizes his flexibilty to reach far back, extending his range of motion while keeping his rotating torso directly over his right leg. And I looked at Mark and said, "Oh, s---." During his first nine holes on Thursday, Woods very nearly played his way out of the tournament. When this years Masters gets going on Thursday, we may well see some great golf. JARIAH BEARD (one of dozens of Black caddies at Augusta National from 1955 to 1983) We had more Black pros in the 1960s than we do now. All of a sudden, it hit me. Neither worked. Ten days later, in a sign of his cultural transcendence, Woods gave Oprah Winfrey his first post-Masters interview. Much of Harrison Endycotts claims were covered in the2023 Players To Followlist, but the summary is worth repeating to justify his selection this week. pic.twitter.com/y6OtNsEsAk, GOLF.com and GOLF Magazine are published by EB GOLF MEDIA LLC, a division of 8AM GOLF, WATCH: Boom! Woods' tearful hug with his father behind the 18th green instantly became one of the game's iconic images. LD guys swing at 145mph or faster, with a regular 45 length they still top out over 140. Woods' club speed number stood at 129mph, so just 4mph shy . Ten years ago, golf changed. Obviously, the course suits his eye. Justin Ray (@JustinRayGC) February 24, 2018 Wait a second. 10 Things to Know About the 2019 Rules of Golf, Turskys Takes: Justin Thomas vs. PGA Tour fans. That showed in his short game; sometimes he would go long, sometimes short. I slept throughout the morning and woke up on a perfect schedule. With Mase and Puff, we had the opportunity to let them embellish on Tiger Woods and the big moment that the sport was having in 1997. Jim Nantz: On Sunday it wasn't about the competition. Maybe if he had already won a major I might have let it go, but since he had not, I figured we were pretty even going into that round.. Q: Drive the green on 3. No way.". He has, of course, exploited the image to the full, being one of the highest-regarded Angry Golfers, and its great fun, showing a personality that many hide on the course. It was like he converted the anger into more focus. But one year earlier, as an amateur, he had missed the Masters cut. Lofts have changed how far the ball goes. They did the same things they were doing all week long. I guessed that on a par 5 he was going to give it a little extra, and as he got over the ball, I told my caddie, Mark Jimenez, "Hey, I'm finally going to watch him hit a shot.". A 21-year-old arrived at the Masters, having never broken par in six rounds at Augusta National, and a week later jetted off with a 12-stroke victory that strained imagination. As this quote indicates, Woodswhose father, Earl, was African-American, and whose mother, Kultida (Tida), was born in Thailandhas never been particularly comfortable in the role of cultural figure. I did not appreciate [until witnessing it firsthand] how he putted. I realized it was possible for him to win, but it seemed unlikely. It was really a magical moment in sports. According to Brandel Chamblees research (he appears to be using live ShotLink data), Tiger was bringing it between 124.5 and 128.4 mph, as measured on hole No. The New Yorker may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. He now uses a longer, lighter shaft in his driver, which helps produce more speed, but he still doesnt have an exact answer. 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