Watch: Tiger Woods takes lead with shot so crazy he could only laugh
There’s no denying that the sport of golf is more exciting when Tiger Woods is at the top of his game.
Woods, once considered a lock to break Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 career major championships, has fallen off in recent years. In fact, since 2008, when he won the U.S. Open, Woods hasn’t won another major, leaving him stuck on 14 for nearly a decade.
But the 42-year-old’s recent performance has given millions of golf fans reason to believe that Woods might be making a comeback.
The golfer didn’t win last weekend’s Valspar Championship, but he did finish just one shot back of tournament champion Paul Casey on Sunday.
And on Thursday, the opening day of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, he gave fans even more hope with an absolutely ridiculous birdie putt from the edge of the green to take the lead.
It was the type of shot where the only appropriate response is to laugh, acknowledge the improbability of what happened and tip your cap, as if to say, “We all know that shouldn’t have gone in, but I’ll take it anyway.”
That seemed to be exactly what Woods did after sinking a shot from 71 feet away on the par-3 eighth hole.
Woods didn’t direct his shot toward the hole, instead aiming right. And the ball indeed rolled right before gradually curving left and dropping into the hole for a birdie.
The crowd, of course, loved it, erupting into cheers as soon as the ball found its way into the hole. Woods laughed while he walked off the green, tipping his cap as he did.
Not only was the putt amazing all on its own, but it gave Woods an early lead, dropping his score to 4-under-par. Woods would finish the round at 4-under, one shot off the lead.
Woods’ performance, especially early on in the first round, was so impressive that Las Vegas oddsmakers made him the favorite to win the Masters next month.
“I love playing Augusta National,” Woods said on Tuesday, according to CBS Sports. “I love it. And I know how to play it. Sometimes I don’t play it well, but I know how to play it. Just me being out there on those greens and hitting putts and being creative … there’s no other golf course like it in the world and there’s no other golf tournament like it. It is literally, it’s a players’ heaven.”
As noted by ESPN, Woods has not won a PGA tournament since 2013, though he has won the Masters five times in his career.
But first, Woods will tackle the remainder of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, an event he has won eight times.
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