Tiger Woods had a shot go awry on Saturday during the Zozo Championship. He swung his club on the 451-yard, Par 4 hole needing his approach shot to travel 192 yards in a straight line, but the ball went 179 yards and to the left, landing behind a tree. Woods didn’t panic; he simply made an improbable trick shot and hit his ball through the tree.
Woods lined up behind the tree facing three primary options. He could try to send his ball under the curved trunk, over the top of the large tree or through it. He hit the ball, which went through a gap only big enough to fit it. The ball landed on the green and rolled toward the hole, ultimately coming to a rest 22 inches away. All Woods had to do at that point was make the simple putt for par.
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They say trees are 90% air…@TigerWoods put that theory to the test.#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/WwTbjP3geR
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 24, 2020
“Tiger playing over the tree, through it,” said Dan Hicks on the NBC broadcast. “Oh my goodness.” Analyst Paul Azinger chimed in and agreed after watching the wild trick shot. “He tried to go over it, I think, and it did go right through it,” Azinger said. “That’s awesome.”
When the fans in attendance saw the trick shot, they cheered loudly. Some said that the shot was unreal. Viewers at home had similar reactions and immediately headed to Twitter to post about Woods’ greatness on the golf course.
“How many other golfers out there have tried to do something similar to this and just failed miserably? The [goat emoji] just makes it look too easy,” said sports reporter Brooke Grimsley. Several other Twitter users agreed with the sentiment. One person said that they had tried a similar shot the other day but nearly hit their friend in the head. Their final score on the hole was triple bogey.
While Woods sparked praise with his tree shot, he also created concern about the remainder of the 2020 season and the Masters. Woods won the Zozo Championship in 2019, notching his 82nd PGA Tour victory in the process. This year’s iteration, on the other hand, was a struggle. Woods finished at one stroke under par, 22 strokes behind eventual winner Patrick Cantlay. He placed 74th overall, only beating three of his competitors in the 76-player field.
The Masters are near and Woods may not have any other opportunities to work on his game. He could ultimately decide to take part in the Houston Open in three weeks, but Woods has not made this decision just yet. The Golf Channel reports that he will decide in the “next couple days” whether he will head to Houston for the tournament.
