every legend has an origin but in the
game of golf a sport with a long and
hallowed list of immortals it would be
hard to find the beginning more
brilliant than that of Tiger Woods I
have someone here to challenge you ok so
right now I like gonna be Tiger Woods
and his father Earl woods famously
introduced to the game before the age of
two he was from the very outset a clear
prodigy destined not just to make
history but make it just about as soon
as he could in 1991 in the world
professional ranks Greg Norman was the
world's top player Nick Faldo was coming
off three major championship wins in two
years Payne Stewart's dream has come
true
he's the 1991 US Open champion and 34
year old Payne Stewart would win his
first United States Open at Hazeltine
National Golf Club in Minnesota
meanwhile at the US Junior Amateur a 15
year old Tiger Woods was among the
entrants in a championship that many say
is as competitive and difficult to win
as any other in the sport with nearly
2,200 entries that year Woods advanced
to the final against Brad's Wes key in a
match that would prove to be the start
of golf history
it went into sudden death but when it
was over Tiger Woods was the youngest
ever winner of the USGA Junior Amateur
Championship I wasn't necessarily
intimidated but we got to see how you
know he got that fire he wasn't quitting
he was gonna knock down some shots make
some putts it was on the next year 1992
only proved to be more of the same as
against Mark Wilson an eventual
five-time winner on the PGA Tour Woods
won his second straight Junior Amateur
he was like an icon like a god almost I
shouldn't talk to him right we can tell
my kids and grandkids about what was
like to play against Tiger Woods
the wind made woods the only player in
the history of the USGA junior amateur
to win the championship more than once
but he wasn't finished yet as again in
1993 he took the trophy this time
defeating Ryan Armour already it was
undeniable
Tiger Woods looked like he could become
an all-time great I think the biggest
influence he's had in the last 15 years
is the level of athlete that is gotten
in the Gulf in 1994 at age 18 Tiger
moved into the United States Amateur
Championship the oldest Golf
Championship in the country featuring
the best amateur golfers in the world
with no age or gender restrictions on
injury now it was about a new challenge
and a legend to chase the biggest name
in the history of amateur golf the
immortal Bob Jones
Jones won the us ammeter five times and
owned the best match-play winning
percentage in the championships history
but now Tiger Woods was chasing that
year he waged a classic match against
Tripp teaming with kini taking a six
hole advantage in the morning round and
then Wood storming back to pull off the
greatest turnaround in the championships
94 year history all square in a run
highlighted by a memorable 15-foot putt
on the 35th hole it seemed like he was
always able to you know to take it to
the next level and it's me that was his
you know that's his true greatness the
next year Woods was at it again and
against George buddy Marucci in a
memorable grueling match that wasn't
decided until the 36th hole Tiger won
the US Amateur again
just don't think they'll ever be anybody
at that level of greatness we've seen
the greatest players but I don't think
we'll ever see anybody at that level
then came the 1996 ammeter when Woods
and Steve Scott faced off in a match
that went 38 holes one of the most
dramatic finals in the history of the
championship both golfers play
tremendously that day with Scott leading
most of the way but in a sudden-death
playoff Tiger Woods came out on top
against winning his third straight US
Amateur title and moreover dating back
to the junior ammeter he had an
unbelievable six championships in a row
history the man flips the switch better
than anybody and so many people asked me
along the way
you know why wasn't he so lucky wasn't
he
you know I said it's a partner it's not
it's not luck if you do it six times in
a row he's the only player to ever win
either championship three times in a row
let alone pull off this unique kind of
six people what does this do these two
your feelings as to whether you'll turn
pro or stay in school
right now I just know one thing I'm
going to celebrate like hell tonight and
in a remarkable career that's made him
unquestionably one of the greatest
golfers of all time the six men he
defeated will be forever linked in
history by the defining moments they
shared with Tiger Woods in his quest for
the 6p
woods may have made it seem easy but
each championship presented its own
challenge starting with where he first
tested his skills as a 15 year old in
the 1991 US Junior Amateur most
important obviously the juniors by far
because there's an age limit once you
turn 18 you no longer a junior anymore
you're out of it so there's a ceiling so
you have to get it done early and to be
able to win multiple and then top season
when when three in a row was was more
than you know I thought I could do but
somehow pulled it off the biggest
influence on the career of Tiger Woods
was always his father Earl Woods a
former college baseball player who
became captivated by the game of golf in
his 40s he introduced the game to his
son and guided the young prodigy from
there
retiring from his job in 1988 so he
could travel to Tigers events as often
as possible back in those days we didn't
really talk a whole lot you know before
assist you not he knew I knew how to
play match play just go out there and
get up early you know it Street every
hole as this individual match you have
18 individual matches treat it that way
and
he just you know stood back and put all
his headphones and but just you know
watch me play and you know sometimes
it's kind of funny cuz I go out and then
come back in and I would have to give
him a sign of him I'm too up or I'm
gonna one down or two down or whatever
it is and he's not okay you had no clue
you know he was sitting underneath the
tree somewhere just listen is jazz
he had always said hey why do I need to
worry about it hitting you hitting a
golf shot when you're better than I am
so that was always comforting here
and I would go out there and try and do
the best I possibly could even at a
young age
Tiger skills earned him the respect of
his opponents he was unrelenting at an
early age seeking perfection in a game
that you cannot find perfection going
from junior golf taking it to that next
level and amateur golf then taking it to
the next level and PGA tournaments and
then winning majors definitely alleged
this is such a great long-range thinker
I mean just just that the fact that he's
just not not thinking about tomorrow or
next month he's thinking about five six
seven years down the road you know he
played less tournaments than anybody and
was always the leading money winner
played less and was the best he was
mentally strong and physically strong
some of the shots when I played with him
out of some of the rough
I remember at Bay Hill on the 18th hole
hitting it very close to him
and I just I got sixty degree wedge I'm
chipping it out to the fairway whereas
he's taking 8-iron and going over the
all the water to the green and worrying
about it flying you know I mean I'm not
worried about flyer in this situation
he's a very unique individual from his
father breaking the color barrier big
eight baseball to being able to you know
have the foresight to have the mental
coach to swing coach an ethic to the
relationships that he came with you know
it had with his corporate sponsors
unparalleled
I just don't think they'll ever be
anybody at that level of greatness when
they're great we've seen the greatest
players but I don't think we'll ever see
anybody at that level in a word the way
the young Woods played was remarkable
and that was clear to anyone who matched
up against him on the course my first
impressions of Tiger were I knew he was
the longest hitter in golf and amateur
golf I knew I wasn't gonna outdrive him
that day Tiger was just the he just hit
it forever so I knew one good thing I
was going to hit first into the greens
but you know he was the medalist that
week so I knew he was on his game I
obviously don't make to the finals
without being on your game man you know
I was attempting to stop a history you
know and you know three u.s.a meters in
a row I don't think anybody else is ever
going to top that in our lifetimes all
right what do you think we were fighting
destiny weren't we all of us yeah he
does one iron as far as my driver know
if not further so I could still hit
first in the green but he's in one and
on the tee so I'd remember the length
that he it was the first thing I saw I
had the same experience because I
couldn't get my driver past his two
horns so and at Newport of course you
had to hit the ball in the fairway he
didn't drive it more than two or three
times I think in our match but I still
even though I drove it well was hitting
first I thought that was a big advantage
for me I always want it to be you know
trying to hit in there first
it didn't work by the way but I thought
it was at least I thought it was a good
strategy he had quite an entourage you
know you go up to the teenage a bronze
ax is sports psychologist was caddying
for him and he was wonderful he could
not have been nicer to me
during the match and of course he had
Butch Harmon who was also out there
giving him lessons on the tee and not to
mention his father being out there but
you know there I am over in the corner
and I have my mcaddie that I've had
since we were kids were friends and over
there and it's entire it's our stable so
it was kind of an interesting thing to
see him walk down with his at that point
you know he stole in nineteen years old
now the entire Jake a deep when I play
did he did he catty when you were he was
with me in the junior - not me no nope I
noticed that walking down the first
fairway that morning that final and the
whole thing is lined with people and and
I said he doesn't have a sports
psychologist caddy for him I'm gonna
kill this guy I think my impression
first impressions
way different than you know all of you
guys I mean my brother and sister were
great friends with Tiger Earl and and
Tiger stayed at my house you know prior
to as this kind of legend was was
growing and I vividly remember this is I
used a lot of y'all's matches in mine
and my father was caddying for me and
our our strategy completely going into
the event or the final was hey he was a
notoriously slow starter he got off to a
slow start and all three of his junior
wins let's get out there and get off to
a fast start and we all got off to a
fast start so he could just never never
quite closed the deal but I was never I
didn't worry about the link you know the
link with him I wasn't intimidated with
him at all I knew he was a great player
and you know it's hard to believe that
we're sitting around talking about
arguably the greatest comfort of all
time
you
it was an early Sunday morning in the
summer of 1991 at the Bay Hill Club in
Orlando Florida a teenage golfer was
attempting to make history at the u.s.
junior ammeter finals the assembled
media quickly grasped the stakes
he speaks softly and does in fact carry
a big stick his California teenager is a
hundred and forty pounds and the ball
flies off his club like a rocket from
the pad at the Cape my expectations are
usually higher than everybody else's so
I may live up to everybody else's but I
might not live up to mine and I don't
really like that the 15 year old Tiger
Woods was playing against 16 year-old
Brad's whiskey would struggle and fell
behind at the start but then made a move
to get ahead on the 18th hole though a
bogey from Tiger left the score tied and
the match headed to sudden death
I think I have a 1-up lead playing 18 I
put two balls in the water up a hill it
was great you know so then we go to the
first hole and I win the hole with bogey
to his double and so that's how the
first one came about we're both choking
her guts out I believe I was four up
through six to four under and I was like
you know here we go let's do this and
then I wasn't necessarily intimidated
but we got to see how you know he got
that fire he wasn't quitting he was
gonna knock down some shots make some
putts so he won eight nine ten eleven
twelve so after that is it was on I was
there I like a lucky point in the met
like you said man this guy's the
luckiest guy ever I know there was
something and he was pursuing my match
then that happened and sure we could all
kind of well I mean he was probably
saying that about me
but but no he he had some shots that he
could have sealed it on 16 or 17 and but
he missed like a four footer on 17 I was
taking my glove out of my pocket and the
tee is out and I was ready to shake his
hand and he missed a short one on 17 but
yeah they he was able to close
and also somehow to able to decline on
top of that match but I was so
nerve-wracking be able to win that that
event the win was woods first major
victory and made him the youngest winner
of the US Junior ammeter in history is
there one shot that you would have back
or you just you know yeah it was on the
first playoff hole he he hit it down to
the right and I've kind of hit it over
it took it over the trees on the left
right and I had a shorter iron in and I
just got it into this horrible mess over
the back bunker so he didn't have to
close with a clutch birdie to close me
out I had to push a four footer and
chunk it out of her to lose it but
nevertheless you know they had to get
started somewhere so what was the most
impressive shot that he hit against you
sixteen at Bay Hill which is a par five
and I think we hit our drives about the
same and I was stuck behind a tree on
the right and I was thinking about
cutting something out of the out of the
right rough there and see if I could get
it over over to the green and so I walk
up to the green and I'm just like you
know okay well what's gonna happen here
and he throws it right at the stick
spins it back to about that far if you
know I'll give you that time pick it up
go on a seventeen so yeah that was a
shot the 1991 when was a pivotal moment
in Tiger Woods young career but just the
start of an incredible run
the next year the junior ammeter was
held at the Wollaston Golf Club in
Milton Massachusetts and woods found
himself battling for the title against
Mark Wilson I had plenty of wholesome to
make it up but I had to play really good
golf and I had to play mistake-free and
and and just had to have a clean card
coming in and I couldn't afford to drop
a hole just couldn't make those typo
mistakes I had to play very clean golf I
was - basically they felt like the whole
day and then I 14th tee I was still two
up and then he won 14 16 and 18 so it's
kind of in have a stretch there but I
knew he was gonna hang in there willing
to quit you know in a lot of the short
putts team and I think that sticks out
in my mind he made about a 5-footer on
17 that after I'd made one for par I'm
thinking I'm going last hole one up like
he can't he can't knock this in all you
know the expectations are all on him to
get it done I'm like maybe he's gonna
falter
and now I just drains it went out for no
those short pots and so he wasn't
wasting any shot I think I was two down
with four five to go
and I'm I remember making two birdies
coming in and we get to 18 and again two
guys choking their guts out and it was
who's gonna make the least amount of
mistakes on the last hole and I believe
I won that whole of the bogey as well
woods defeat of Wilson made him the
first player to win a second US Junior
Amateur Championship in the 45 year
history of the event and the day wasn't
just memorable for woods he didn't
really see each other because you kind
of first of all you gotta kind of
meander around the people there's no
gallery ropes and stuff and if I do more
walking of the 18th tee I just made
about a seven footer for par he made a
four or five footer and it was like the
only secluded place on the golf course
that we got it was just the two of us in
our caddies went back there and I were
walking out there I hadn't really said a
word to him all day guys always kind of
he was like an icon like a God all this
I shouldn't talk to him right and he was
behind me and he just kind of said hey
good putt back there yes yes oh oh you
too but I thought that was very that was
very nice he he understood the magnitude
of it and and he was he loved the
competition I felt and that's kind of
what I felt from our from our match
you
in the summer of 1993 at the Waverly
Country Club in Portland Oregon
Tiger Woods met Ryan Armour in the
finals of the US Junior Amateur
Championship the seventeen-year-old
Woods was the two-time defending
champion but hungry for a third straight
title
now I'm too down with two to go 17 a hit
a nice shot in there stiff
I remember balls were plugging and so
that my ball plugged up next to the hole
and make him make a birdie there in 18 I
remember is I had a nervy putt from
about six seven feet to get into extra
holes and I was able to make it and you
know he he made a bogey on going down
one and I made a par yeah I think I
believe he had over the back of the
green
and then get up and down the match was
hardly easy over the last few holes any
one mistake might have cost Woods a shot
at the three-peat
but he prevailed over Armour in 19 holes
to win the championship yet again
there's this hole in Portland that goes
along the Willamette River and you know
big pine trees there and I have to hit
like kind of a 3-wood out to the corner
and a 4-iron on the green he just takes
driver out sends it over these huge
evergreens out in the middle of the
river and hooks it back into the fairway
going the opposite the dogleg well I got
185 yards and he's got a hundred I mean
what's happening here I mean it wasn't
you know but I mean I played the hole to
make four I made four and he buries a
10-footer and you know then we go to 18
he makes another birdie 50-yard up and
down out of a fairway bunker I mean you
don't do that down the stretch I mean
that's amazing that two down and he's
gonna take on that shot right you know
to think you know my blocker sits over
in the water he's over but no he's not
thinking that he's thinking how am I
gonna make birdie right there a lot of
people watching because I mean at ours
is like 2,000 people watching it it was
a new thing for me yeah it was I was
kind of familiar with that because of
the year before when you lost to him in
the finals but they doubled that in
Portland 5,000 people following the one
match and I was like wow it's pretty
cool yeah and you're a kid you know
never done that before I remember kind
of the wave of emotions that hits you
after it's done and the one I remember
is fatigue I mean I was just tired
Woods went at Waverley in 1993 marked
the end of his junior amateur career it
was now time to move on to a bigger
target the United States Ambler
this final match is between mr. Tiger
Woods of Cyprus California and mr. Tripp
Keaney McKinney Texas an event dominated
by future pros of all ages winning the
hallowed championship would get Tiger
Woods another step closer to generations
of golfing greats from Francis Ouimet to
Arnold Palmer Jack Nicklaus Phil
Mickelson and five-time Amateur winner
Bob Jones who clinched his first
championship in 1924
none of that intimidated Tiger Woods
though and in August of 1994 at TPC
Sawgrass Stadium Course in Ponte Vedra
Beach Florida
he faced off against Tripp Keaney for
the title
now Woods five down this to win the hole
a birdie putt for Tiger Woods and Keaney
were friends but that wasn't going to
temper the competition and the match was
a struggle for Tiger throughout
trip was just kicking my butt after the
first aid team I was down earlier than
five I get to two or three through nine
it wasn't was the goal and then I can I
had a chance by the back I had to get it
to at least two or three and then I end
up burning at 11 to get it to one down
then finally I pulled a rabbit out of my
hat on 14 hit on the right trees and
some kind of punch cut through the trees
and up on the green and you know making
a miracle par there poor drive at the
par-5 2nd tried to play it and heroic
shot ended up in the fairway bunker well
short of the screen at one point he was
six down no one had ever come back to
win the event after being down that many
holes
this is his fit stroke a wonderful car
but once again Tiger Woods was the
exception pulling off the greatest
turnaround in the championships 94 year
history and becoming the youngest winner
of the oldest golf championship in the
United States but Tiger Woods become
golf's next superstar they'll take him
he's a likable young man and what a
performance here today I'd hit a really
good drive off number 9 and it was the
turning point of our match because I had
a couple bad shots but we're walking
down the fairway and and I dad and I
probably about 30 yards in front of P&J
just enough where dad was a little bit
behind me but could hear it and Tiger
looked over in Jace that this guy's
kicking my ass I don't know how we're
gonna beat him and then 16 the par 5 we
were down we were about a foot apart
barely in the right rough and I hit it
in it that the long grass caught the
edge of my club and threw it way to the
left and kind of under that treatment in
the bunker and Jerry Pate was announcing
our match he said trip if you're ever in
the same place again just lay up so I
was like okay I was out by foot so I
just laid it up down there where I have
a nice little wedge and I saw Tiger
puller like a 3 or 4 and I kind of hit
my dad like that I said maybe what Jerry
Pate says is gonna come true and he hits
it it was exactly how Jerry Pate said it
was gonna be it was going it's a big
pull rope hook to the left catches the
tree goes in the middle of fairway 30
yards short of the green and
kind of the rest is history and I was so
nervous of hanging off the little kind
of a dirty lie and I end up knocking it
down there heating up making birdie
there to make the match go all square
and I got lucky as hell on 17 because I
hit that I had a wedge and ironically
enough a guy hit the way to look at you
should have been in the water and I hit
the fringe popped up and stayed and I
remember the putt breaking more than I
thought I missed it you know low pretty
significantly low that putt if you look
at it right before it comes onto the
green it hits something and it kicked it
up the hill and we're right in the
middle hole
probably the toughest thing for me you
know waiting in the match after his over
with was you know hugging my dad and you
know out of respect for Earl and Tiger
is letting them have their moment
together on the 18th green for I can you
know say hey way to go bud you know you
played great to Vietnam stance as a
green beret retired as a lieutenant
colonel what's that a vietnamese friend
and colleague who his friends called
tiger and he needs his son and his honor
he has never seen his comrades since he
left Vietnam
he would be of his namesake here today
you
in August of 1995 at Newport Country
Club in Newport Rhode Island
George Buddy Marucci became the latest
to try and stop Tiger Woods only a
teenager you know only a sophomore in
college I'm you know legally I can't do
a lot of things I think that's the way
it ought to be approached and that's
what I'm approaching it I'm not getting
caught up in all the hoopla age at Bob
LA place in history I'm just going out
there and trying to do the things that I
can do which is uh trying at the ball in
the hole what ensued was a grueling
extraordinary 36 hole match Tiger was a
freshman at Stanford buddy was 43 years
old they battled to a near standstill
each blind with poise and elegance
throughout
buddy and I we had a but a great match I
mean he chipped in on eight par three
coming down the hill it was just put it
on me and I I was waiting for him to
make any kind of mistake he was driving
on a string right down the middle
fairway he doesn't care it very far but
those fairways at Newport were running
buddy just put on me he drove a great
little little pop stroke that he had and
I get down there build a little stands
and pop it in there and he was making
everything we had a huge crowd at
Newport we must have had 11,000 12,000
people I mean it was it was larger than
anything I had seen not to mention it
had been larger than anything it which I
had played you know I never played in
front of me but I like that the courts
are very cordial match Tiger was very
very much a gentleman but because of the
distance difference I never really got
to see him I saw him on the on the team
ground and I would see him on the green
but I would never see him during the
match because he would be so far up the
fairway so the demeanor was great but we
were kind of to ourselves the match we
played really well which was one of the
things I was most proud of about the
match we both played well we were under
par in the morning two or three under
and I was 200 in the afternoon and Tiger
was 400 in the afternoon and that's kind
of the way it ended
somehow I end up getting a lead going
down 18 and I end up having rehab going
on 18 and I hit some kind of beautiful
little cut 7-iron in there and I
remember watching the telecast
afterwards and Johnny Miller says it
wouldn't be surprised we hit it to a
foot and of course Johnny's blurt out
stuff like that but this time he'd blow
her out and actually I didn't hit till I
hit inside old foot
it was just one of those miracle thing
miracle shots I never really worried
about winning I was worried about could
I play the golf course the way I'd
played it all week
and I and if it was good enough it was
gonna be good enough and if it wasn't
good enough it wasn't gonna be good
enough but if I was worried about Tiger
there was no way I was gonna be able to
play the match the way I wanted to play
it and as it turned down I think I shot
136 or 135 or 136 which was about as
well as I was gonna play ever I think
that was the thing that I was most proud
of but also the fact that you know at
the end of the day we really we really
got along well it was a very interesting
day because there were a lot of emotions
going both ways but I think the fact
that the Golf was played well and the
match was played respectfully really
meant the most to me so that I never
really worried about winning I was just
worrying about playing as well as I
could and just doing it the right way
after three straight USGA junior ammeter
wins it was a second consecutive victory
at the USM
second-straight by now Tiger Woods was
indisputably the most dominating ammeter
since Jack Nicklaus
you
in August of 1996 at the pumpkin Ridge
Golf Club in North Plains Oregon 20
year-old Tiger Woods set his eyes on yet
another championship and his match
against Steve Scott was yet another
tremendous duel this one stretching to
38 holes
Scot held the lead most of the morning
with many observers getting the sense
this might be the year Woods would
finally be beat Steve doesn't flat-out
outplayed me in the morning you just put
it on me and I made a couple of mistakes
he capitalized on that and then forced
me to make a few more and then he played
well on top of that so huge margin again
I was five up after 18 and then he
shaved off four strokes by the turn in
the afternoon so I'm one up going to the
28th hold the match and kind of the the
flop shot that kind of turned things
around I hold a flop shot from off the
green and you know I jump higher than
than anyone my my statute should jaw I
might have been able to dunk I'm I
almost fell down over on side of the
hill and then he turned it right back on
the next hole
being buried a 35 or 40 footer that he
easily could have three potted
was the thirty-fourth hold the match I
was too up at the time I hit it a
greenside bunker
and best I could do is hit it about 10
feet from the hole and he had spun a
wedge back off the off the hill in about
60 will it come back yes it will
that ball is probably 2 or 3 inches from
hanging up in the rough over the green
the heavy rough his mark was in my line
I asked him to move it like he would on
every any Saturday match at the club
Steve asked me to move my mark on 16 and
he had a birdie putt down there and so
did I I had forgotten to move my coin
back and he said hey we'll have your
coin back out of true sportsmanship I
think that's the greatest thing about
golf that that just separates this sport
from any but any sport out there you
know any sport you play you know you're
trying to get away with as much as you
can you're trying to you know they're
gonna max that five fouls out you're
gonna get the yellow flag thrown at you
but you know in golf you we police
ourselves
good I just kept his mouth shut and let
me not move the coin back let me hit it
from the wrong spot and him when the
hall he was a great sport and that's
that was the beauty of golf man that's
what golf's all about about that for
sportsmanship in the heat of this
championship battle
and this time I think that's the that's
that's the greatest thing I learned from
the mash and I you know I'm a I've got a
lot of traction from that moment you
know not not winning but but I you know
I think we all won that day then we go
down 17 where my buddy Brian caddie from
in in the match play Porsche in there
and I said Bry
it's just as five inches outside left
that's all it is I don't care what speed
I hit it's gonna go in this is all right
knock it in and all right so for some
reason normally you see like a line or
you feel a line it probably the first
and only time I've ever seen like a
trough I literally don't like a like a
highlighted trough but no matter what I
did it was gonna go in if I threw it
five inches out and I hit it soft five
inches out and I hit it hard it was
going to go in don't ask me how I knew
or how things work out that way
sometimes in sports but that's how that
happened and I happened to bury the putt
good great speed and saying are you
serious
that's all I can say there's just some
surreal day you know I mean and maybe
you all can agree with this you know
when you when you play and I mean the
tournament's about a week long you know
with shrill play match play and once you
get to that final match you know you're
so locked in so like an autopilot with
your routine and everything you hit
shots and you balls up in the air lands
on green you don't even really remember
hitting the shot and you look back you
say wow you know that you know you just
kind of let all the practice you know
come into play and and you you just you
let it go but but no we we had a you
know a very limited conversation that
day we let our golf clubs do the talking
and it was some fight em are going down
18 thinking of well I'm pretty nervous
right now
I'm just gonna hit hi bombing cut and I
just smoke this thing down there
and got it down there and Steve made a
great bird he got up and down made a
birdie and we went to extras and I
happened to get him on in the second
extra ultimately woods got the wind on
the second hole of a sudden-death
playoff going back to the juniors
it was the sixth consecutive year Woods
had won a USGA tied at 20 years old he'd
done essentially everything he could as
an ammeter
you
the most compelling comparison to Tiger
Woods streak of dominance from 1991 to
1996 in the US Junior ammeter and us
ammeter is the legendary Bob Jones
who made six ammeter finals between 1924
and 1931 a five times
but the competition woods faced was much
larger and much deeper and furthermore
each of tigers victories featured
comebacks to remember epitomizing the
mental strength that bolstered his
incredible physical talents and
revealing just how singular his focus on
winning was in that six-year stretch he
only lost two matches in USGA
championships a streak of dominance that
was unprecedented and perhaps will never
be seen again I was so focused and so
into beating who I was gonna I had to be
to walk away with the trophy and I think
that was the beauty of being in match
play is that it you go out there should
have goes cornered you're going home you
had to play each match for what it is
these had to be one guy and I figured
after each qualifying getting in the
match play I just had to be six guys
okay it's not a hundred fifty six-man
field or I got to be a hundred fifty
five other guys it's not like that I got
to be six guys that's it just six like I
take care of one at a time and that's
what I focus on and take care who I play
the next round because it didn't matter
if I didn't get there still the six beat
was accomplished through six hard-earned
victories against six great players in
their own right I just know one thing
I'm gonna celebrate like out tonight so
many people asked me along the way
you know why wasn't he so lucky wasn't
he you know I said I said partner it's
not it's not luck if you do with six
times in a row the win 36 straight
matches and USGA event from
from the junior to the through the US
Amber's you know quite a astonishing
feat something that'll never be never be
duplicated you know I don't I don't
think but you know just truly impressive
golf and be able to to come back in ways
that he came back and not only in the
matches that we had but you know in the
94 ammeter and your head coach buddy
Alexander had him beat and then hit went
in the water and just to have be able to
have the intestinal fortitude and the
mental toughness and be able to execute
the shots when you have to or you're
done I mean it's not like hey I can make
a birdie and that guy makes a double
bogey and I pick up three you know it
was well that's just one hole in the
build to come back and never have a guy
you know and in one of the 36-hole
matches go out and make seven or eight
birdies and when that happened he made
nine or you know he it seemed like he
was always able to you know to take it
to the next level and it to me that was
just you know that's his true greatness
and I guess the thing that's that's the
most shocking to me is here's a guy
that's a 14-time major champion and zero
come-from-behind
this is added if it's the right distance
will it come back yes it will
I thought there were guys who are more
physically gifted that made their taller
bigger faster hit the ball further
better drivers the ball better on
players better putters better chippers
but I always felt I had the mental edge
I told everyone I played really well in
those matches and basically I've forced
my hand
they had that earned those leads I may
have made a few mistakes they also shot
really good numbers too you know you
combine the two and I'm down in every
match and so it's as I said don't count
on them you know giving me anything
coming out of stretch I had to go out
and earn it
horse enough I was able to make birdies
at the right time and and turn things
around in the years since Woods
unparalleled run as an ammeter he of
course has reached a level of greatness
as a professional only a select few have
come to know
with 14 major championships and an
overall 79 wins on the PGA Tour
he's considered by some to be the
greatest closer in history
but it all started when he was just 15
and the path to his legend began with
the six feet
that will forever hold a distinct place
in the history of golf
you
