How does a defending champion, on the most famous back nine, card a score more suited to a weekend amateur? For Tiger Woods, it unfolded at the fall 2020 Masters with a single swing at the 12th, landing in the water.

“He was fighting for a top-20 on Sunday. But then disaster struck,” recalled Golf Magazine‘s Dylan Dethier. “He made a 10 at number 12. The worst score of his career.”

Unwillingly, Woods took a drop. His third shot landed in the green, but then it made a backward spin and fell into Rae’s Creek again. The 15x major winner hit three balls in the water. Finally, after missing his putt, he tapped in for a septuple-bogey 10.

As per the 15-time major champ, his mistake was committing to the wrong wind direction. While that can psychologically destroy any player, Woods battled through it. Within 45 minutes of carding his worst hole ever, Woods finished 38th and delivered what Dethier called his “best Masters finish ever.” Woods demolished the next 6 holes, as he made birdies on 13, 15, 16, 17, and 18. But the one hole that particularly stands out is the Redbud, the 16th—a shot Dylan Dethier, or any one of us, will always remember.

On an almost empty course, Tiger Woods hit a tee shot to two feet. The replica of the previous year, which gave him his 5th Masters. The shot that saw Brooks Koepka backing off his tee shot at 17 and Michael Phelps celebrating jubilantly in the gallery. The shot that saw the crowd roaring in a deafening echo a year ago was met with complete silence. You could even hear the CBS producer in the tower, relaying club selections. The only people present were a few volunteers, Woods’s manager Rob McNamara, his then-girlfriend Erica Herman, and his caddie Joe LaCava.

“Only three people clapped…very literally three people…I was one of them,” Dethier wrote later.

Yet, those who were present had the honor of witnessing the extraordinary. Among them were Shane Lowry and Scottie Scheffler, who were playing with Woods for the first time.

“I’ve only played one round of tournament golf with Tiger Woods,” Scheffler said later in the press conference. “…It completely changed the way I play tournaments… I just admired the intensity he brought to each round.”

For Shane Lowry, the observation was the same. Lowry knew that Woods had no chance of winning this Masters, yet he “tries his n-ts off.” When the 12th-hole disaster struck, Lowry was present, birdieing his own 12 as he watched the 82x Tour winner struggle. Eventually, Dustin Johnson, the ultimate leader on the scoreboard, won.

Woods, who had entered the tournament with a #6 rank, plummeted to #41 by the end of the year. This Masters was indeed a bad omen. Months later, in January, Woods underwent his fifth back surgery, and then in February, his life changed forever when on the 23rd, he suffered a near-fatal car crash in Rolling Hills Estates. With multiple fractures, injuries, surgeries, and whatnot, his physical capabilities fundamentally changed after that day.

“That was the last round Tiger played before his car crash. We don’t know how much more he had in the tank,” Dylan Dethier ponders.

Perhaps that’s why the shot on 12 feels different now. For someone aiming for coronation, Woods was shown the ultimate reality that young blood dominates the field. Yet, Woods kept proving in silence, not just on the 12th and the 16th, but throughout the match.

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The full shape of Tiger Woods’s 2020 Masters

Despite a terrible week and failure to defend his title, Tiger Woods’s score on Thursday—a 68 with 4-under par—was his career-best opening round in any Masters. The context makes this entire instance significant.

Woods shot a 33 on his opening nine holes. He had eight consecutive pars to close. What’s notable is that the entire course condition had brutally softened due to a nearly three-hour rain delay. Yet, he played with beautiful swings, perfect posture, and strong shots. It was the last time Tiger Woods looked unambiguously healthy.

In the following days, Woods faltered. He stood at 5-under par after 36 holes. But he was just four shots behind the leaders, including Dustin Johnson. It really meant that Woods had a genuine chance of crawling back up. However, Saturday afternoon changed the entire story.

Due to a rain delay, Woods had to complete his second round’s final eight holes and his complete third round—all in the same day! For a 43-year-old man, this was a textbook definition of physical strain. And you could clearly see it. He was wincing after tee shots, finding it difficult to bend and pick up his tee, and looked visibly uncomfortable.

Woods’ rounds of 68-71-72-76 mirrored his entire 2020 season in four numbers. The fluctuating graph led to one last catastrophe before sidelining him completely. As he turns 50 today, that T38 at the 2020 Masters might haunt him, but it is as significant a chapter in his career as his 2019 win.

So, happy 50th birthday, Tiger. Thanks for the moments, and thanks for the inspiration!