Tiger Woods, often hailed as the greatest of all time, experienced a blunder on Tuesday that many would find relatable. In what he described as one of his most embarrassing moments on the golf field, Woods miscalculated a shot in the newly established TGL league, a simulator-based competition. Here’s how it went down.
During a match against Cameron Young on a par-4 hole at Florida’s SoFi Center, Woods nailed his initial shot, placing it comfortably 294 yards down the fairway. However, the trouble began at his next step. As Woods moved to his team’s bench area, he asked his caddie and long-time confidante, Rob McNamara, for the distance to the hole.
“99,” McNamara replied, as broadcasted on ESPN.
Woods confirmed, “Yup, 99?”
McNamara stuck to his word. Woods, seemingly convinced, grabbed his club for a 99-yard shot. Staring at the massive digital screen, something felt amiss. He double-checked with McNamara, “How far?”
“Ninety-nine,” came the assured response yet again.
And with that, Woods swung. His ball landed 117 yards out, falling way short of the actual distance required. Teammates Kevin Kisner and Tom Kim, knowledgeable of the actual distance of 199 yards, could only look on in disbelief, chuckling at the unexpected misstep.
“He’s got a wedge,” said Kisner.
“What are you doing?” questioned Kim, highlighting the blunder with amusement.
As Woods processed what had happened, his eyes popped wide in shock. “You said 99 yards,” he confronted McNamara, repeating himself in disbelief, while Kisner and Kim couldn’t help but laugh at the situation.
So, who’s at fault here? In golf, the player’s the one in charge. Yet, it’s common for golfers to confer with their caddies for advice. Did McNamara err by not making it clear, or was it on Woods to clarify, saying, “99 or 199?”
After the incident, Woods went on to double-bogey the hole, while Young’s par helped his team, New York City Golf Club, snag the win. Woods later spoke about the mishap with ESPN’s Marty Smith.
Smith began, “Even the greatest of all time, Tiger Woods, is piecing together what just unraveled. But you’re smiling.”
Woods, chuckling at himself, explained, “I heard 99 yards, so I swung for 100. It turned out to be one of my most embarrassing moments yet.”
“This is typical talk on a real golf course,” Smith pointed out.
“Yep, that’s usually how we do it,” Woods agreed, regret evident in his tone.
“You can usually see the pin and know it’s 200 yards away,” Smith continued.
“I know, I just messed up. That was embarrassing,” Woods admitted.
Kisner quipped, “Blame it on Rob.”
Smith humorously concluded, “It’s all on Rob, then.”
In the aftermath, Woods humorously shouldered the mishap amidst ongoing challenges. He was returning to golf after an emotional period marked by his mother Tida’s passing nearly two weeks prior.
As friend and opponent Rickie Fowler remarked, it was probably fortunate for Woods that their fellow golfer and common friend Justin Thomas wasn’t around to witness the incident.
Finally, Smith playfully inquired, “Is this a tale you’ll save for another day?”
Fowler’s nod and laugh implied that indeed, some moments are best kept in reserve for stories and laughter later on.
