A 2x Major Winner Had the Most ‘Cocky’ Reply to Tiger Woods’ ‘I Want To Win’ Nature in 1996

Published 12/21/2022, 9:30 AM EST

Back in 1996, Tiger Woods turned pro after racking up a long list of amateur accomplishments. But he wasn’t the first to do so; many before him had joined the tour with an incredible amateur career and yet succumbed to its competitive nature. During his first professional tournament, the golf pro was in an interview with Curtis Strange, where he opened up about his goal for the tournament. But Curtis was shocked and infuriated by Woods’ ambitious remarks and lashed out at him publicly.

Woods was playing at the Greater Milwaukee Open, debuting as a pro at 21. Back then, despite his skill, no one could have foreseen that the 15-time major winner would go on to become synonymous with the world of golf.

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Strange fires shots at Tiger Woods for his outrageous claims

After the first round of his debut, Woods sat down with Curtis Strange for an interview. There, Strange asked him what his expectations were from the event, and Woods responded with two goals. Firstly, he said, “We’re off to a good start today. If I can do that for three more days, then I’ll be very happy.”

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But it was Woods’ second goal that bothered the 2-time major winner. Woods had stated that he would have loved to get a “victory” too. Having played on the Tour himself, and knowing its competitive nature, Strange blew his top. He said, “To me, that comes off as a little cocky or brash.”

He went on to talk about “the other guys in the tour” and how they had been playing for years and that Woods came along as a rookie and said he wanted to win. But the golf legend’s resolve was immovable. He looked Strange right in the eye and said, “Why go to a tournament if you’re not going there to try and win?”

Woods has the last laugh

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The 82-time PGA Tour winner explained and said, “Second sucks, and third is even worse.” And he added, “I want to win; that’s just my nature.” Strange, on the other hand, was already irritated with the newly minted pro and said, “You’ll learn.”

26 years down the line, Woods has sure stuck to his nature. The golf champion has now become the most legendary player to ever walk the course. He sure did make Strange eat his own words. As per Golfweek in 2016, Strange even said, “Maybe I was wrong and you were right. Or maybe we were both right.’” He certainly couldn’t deny that Woods had proven him wrong.

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Do you think Woods would ever be content with placing second? Or will his “nature” never change? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by:

Sheldon is a golf writer at EssentiallySports. He is a Business graduate from Christ University, with a degree in Finance and Accounting. He also has an experience as a Senior Audit Associate at an MNC, but his love for writing made him follow his dream and switch careers.

Edited by:

Manaal Siddiqui

A 2x Major Winner Had the Most ‘Cocky’ Reply to Tiger Woods’ ‘I Want To Win’ Nature in 1996

Strange fires shots at Tiger Woods for his outrageous claims

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Woods has the last laugh