Mark O’Meara‘s 1998 season was beautiful. The golfer made his first major win in 56 starts at the Masters and then followed it with a British Open win. But besides that, he remembers one strange moment shared with the G.O.A.T. The two first met at the Masters and again at the 1998 Cisco World Match Play Championship. O’Meara turned the tide after Woods shockingly three-putted from just 10 feet on the 34th hole (a rare slip). This handed O’Meara the edge, and he never looked back, defeating Tiger Woods in the final. So, rivals on the greens? Yes. But, what went down?

Recently, Mark O’Meara sat down for a discussion on Golf’s Subpar podcast about his Masters moment. The golfer recalled a little moment shared with Tiger Woods during the winning ceremony. “And I stand up, and Tiger stands up behind me. You know, he has the green jacket. And he’s standing behind me, but he’s a little taller than I am, right? So, I’m trying to get my arm into the green jacket, and he’s got it up so freaking high, I can’t get my arm in there. I am, like, trying. I’m kind of swinging. Finally, I look back. I’m, like, ‘Hey, bud.” And he’s like, ‘What?’ I said, ‘You got to lower the jacket.’ He lowers the jacket, and I kind of get my right arm, my left arm in. And, you know, he gives me a hug.”

Interestingly, in 2023, the former Masters champion shared the same with GOLF.com. However, what happened after that is funnier! O’Meara turns to Woods and asks him, “What was that all about?” Woods awkwardly replied, “I’ve never put a sport coat or jacket on anybody. How the hell would I know how to do that?” The hosts, Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz, and O’Meara laugh. The host suggests Woods might have done that joke around. O’Meara smiles and replies, “Yeah, I mean you know him. He’s a practical joker.” 

Mark O’Meara and Tiger Woods have shared a long-standing friendship that began when a young Woods moved next door to O’Meara in Orlando’s exclusive Isleworth enclave. It was then that O’Meara started calling Woods “little brother.” O’Meara, more than a decade Woods’ senior, naturally stepped into a mentor role as their friendship blossomed. The two often sharpened their skills on the practice range, motivating each other to raise their game. That bond came to life in 1999, when they teamed up to represent the U.S. at the World Cup—and crushed it, claiming the team title with undeniable chemistry and class.

O’Meara won 34 tournaments and was inducted into the Golf Hall of Fame in 2015, before retiring in 2024. However, Augusta National witnessed another awkward green jacket moment 18 years after the O’Meara-Woods encounter. Here’s a look at it.

Awkwardness at the 2016 Masters green jacket ceremony

You’d think sinking clutch putts and holding off the best golfers on the planet would be the stressful part of winning the Masters, right? Well, it’s also the big ceremony. According to Jon Rahm, the real nerves kicked in during the green jacket rehearsal. “They have you try a few jackets on and all that, and then it’s like this is how you do this… The one rule that I had to remember is not to shake Scottie’s hands first. To go to the chairman first and then to him,” the 2023 champion stated. Despite his anxiety, everything went smoothly.

The green jacket moment sure means a lot, and creates enough pressure post-matchplay. Like the 2023 Masters Champion and Mark O’Meara, other golfers have also sweated it out during the ceremony. So, in 2016, the defending champion, Jordan Spieth, was playing pretty well at the 2016 Masters Tournament. At least until he wasn’t. So, what went wrong for Spieth? Starting the back nine on Masters Sunday with a five-shot lead, 22-year-old Spieth seemed poised to win his second green jacket. However, he suffered a major six-shot drop over three holes, including a quadruple bogey at the 12th. The consequences of these mistakes? England’s Danny Willett secured his first Major title with an impressive 67. Spieth was heartbroken, as any other golfer would be.

After the loss, a visibly disappointed Jordan Spieth requested privacy from the cameras while signing his scorecard. However, he soon reappeared and decided to give the interview. And it was then that the golfer accepted how hard the loss felt to him. “It was a very tough 30 minutes for me. I hope I never experience it again,” Spieth said during the 2016 post-round Masters interview. However, another awkward moment came during the green jacket ceremony.

In any other sporting event, Jordan Spieth could have left the course to drink away his sorrow, but due to Masters tradition, he was required to present Danny Willett with the green jacket. The 2015 Masters champion appeared out of place and near tears throughout the ceremony, adding to the peculiar moment, especially since he had to present Willett with the jacket twice—first in Butler Cabin and then again for the crowd at the course. Spieth did not look happy about Willett’s win. Well, at least Mark O’Meara‘s win was slightly better! But the question is: Will we see something like these moments again?