“Let’s see you hit it closer than that.” – thought an elated Omar Uresti, Tiger Woods’s playing partner at his 1997 Phoenix Open appearance, just after he hit first at the 16th hole and put his ball 3 feet behind the pin. Uresti realized the grave mistake he made in thinking so, as the 21-year-old pro carded a hole-in-one in the tournament soon after. However, time wasn’t too soft on the young athlete.

Well, 18 years down the lane, the epic moment seemed to be part of just an era gone by as he became a shell of the young prodigy who made the incredible shot. Coming back again at the WM Phoenix Open, he went ahead to dish out his career’s second-worst round ever, all the while missing out on the cut at the 2015 event!

The Tiger Woods nightmare at TPC Scottsdale

The WM Phoenix Open in 2015 was the 82-time PGA Tour champ’s first start of the season following a miserable 2014. The pro just had a single top-10 finish during the year and his chance at redemption didn’t fare better at all as he went to hit an 11-over-par 82, owing to his yips, in the second round, leading to him missing the cut as well. How? The golfer went ahead to hit a total of six bogeys, two double bogeys, and a triple bogeys while carding just two birdies over the 18 holes he played that day.

Thursday’s score of 2-over 73 was just a bit better but it still remains “piggish” as per Arron Oberholser, a commentator for Golf Channel. Even Brandel Chamblee, Phil Mickelson’s arch-rival, was very expressive of the round as he dubbed it “the worst I’ve(sic) ever seen a tour pro around the greens.”

What did Woods have to say? “It was not a very good day from the very start until the end,” admitted the 15-time major champ. However, he didn’t make it too hard on himself, as he found solace in mentioning how he has always taken “good with the bad” in the sport of golf. Adding on, the legend said, “Even on bad days like this, just keep fighting because, on the good days, you got to keep fighting as well,” to dust himself off and keep moving forward.

Just like the records he raked in, the failed round of 2015 sure did leave a mark on his long professional career of 27 years. But even so, it is still held in contrast with the phenomenal ace he made at the same course a year after he turned pro.

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Woods’s second PGAT ace at the WM Phoenix Open

It was his WM Phoenix Open debut. More importantly, it was a once-in-a-lifetime shot at the TPC Scottsdale in which he used a 9-iron on the 152-yard hole to drive the ball. The spheroid bounced two times, after which it fell into the hole, leading to the Arizona crowd erupting in cheers for the young golfer. Although he could only finish at T18 at the end of the event, it did indubitably give the world a peek at what was yet to come in his career.

What about the other two hole-in-ones? The first of the three came in 1996 during the Greater Milwaukee Open at the 202-yard 14th hole using a 6-iron. The last one and final ace he carded at the final round of the Spirit International in 1998 on the seventh hole, which boasted 185 yards using an 8-iron.

Well, these are the only hole-in-ones he made on the PGA Tour. However, it isn’t as if they are the only ones he made throughout his career. The golfer has reportedly hit a total of 20 aces as a golfer. It’s no wonder he is dubbed a legend on the greens!

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