Tiger Style

A couple of weeks ago my cable provider finally upped its HD offering in order to be more competitive with DirecTV and Dish Network. One of the channels they added was Golf Channel and I must admit, I am quite addicted. I couldn't stop watching Big Break: Ka'anapali. I loved how much the contestants on Big Break: Michigan bothered me. I love the Tiger Woods infatuation of the channel. It seems like every other program is somehow Tiger related and really, I am not complaining. Because of the Tiger-centric programming I was able to enjoy a little walk down memory lane at 88 miles per hour. The program I was watching was counting down the 10 best shots of Tiger's career on and around the green. The number one shot and what might quite possibly be the greatest golf shot of all time was his iconic chip on the 16th hole at the 2005 Masters.

Let me set the stage a little. Tiger's father had recently passed away and some would argue that the emotional strain from this event was evident in his game. Tiger had been erratic the entire tournament yet somehow held a 1 stroke lead over the hard charging Chris DiMarco going into the par 3 16th hole in the final round. Tiger's tee shot sailed long while DiMarco was safely on the green, 15 feet from the hole. The intensity and drama of the moment was literally palpable. I remember sitting in my apartment that Sunday morning watching the HD broadcast in all its glory and thinking that Tiger was going to completely fall apart and being a little disappointed. I have always been a Tiger fan. And then this happened:

I remember rising out of my chair as the chip began to break. I remember holding my breath as the ball trickled ever closer to the hole. I remember time seeming to freeze as the ball was suspended over the lip of the hole. And I remember jumping in the air and yelping like a little girl when the ball dropped into the cup. Remember that Michael Jordan ad from many years ago where everything is in slow motion as people watch in awe as he spins through he lane? Yeah, it was kind of like that. If I wouldn't have seen it with my own eyes I would never have believed it. The lie of the ball. The break of the green. The pressure of being on the verge of collapse. The emotional drain of losing his father. Truly amazing. Truly Tiger. That sounds pretty lame, I know. I just am at a loss for words. I don't know how to capture the emotion of that moment and the way it was transported to me via a TV screen. A TV screen. I can only imagine what it would have been like in person.