Tiger Woods made Mark O’Meara storm off the course during a practice round ahead of the 1997 Masters (Image: GETTY)
Tiger Woods once made his practice partner Mark O’Meara leave the golf course because he was having such a good round. The incident occurred in 1997, a week before the legendary player won the first of his 15 Majors at the Masters.
Woods is second only to Jack Nicklaus in the all-time Major-winning standings and stormed to victory at the 1997 Masters less than a year after turning professional.
The blockbuster star was only 21 years old at the time but recorded the largest margin of victory in the tournament’s history after winning by an incredible 12 strokes ahead of runner-up Tom Kite.
Woods was in imperious form in the build up to the tournament. And Golf Digest have shared a video to Instagram, which features the American talking about his preparations for the tournament.
“So I was playing with Mark O’Meara, this was in 1997,” he explained. “And so it’s a week prior to the Masters and we teed off on the back nine at Isleworth.
“And I par 10, birdie 11 and 12, I eagle 13, I birdied 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and one. And I have a three iron into number three, the par five – I made par. I have a five iron into number seven, the par five – and I made par. And I still shoot 59. So I had the opportunity to shoot something even really lower.”
Mark O’Meara and Tiger Woods have been friends since the early stages of the latter’s career (Image: GETTY)
Woods was then asked if the round had given him confidence going into the Masters. And the ace then exclaimed: “Well that and the next day too.
“Well we teed off on 10 again and I birdie 10 and then make a hole-in-one on 11. And then Mark left.”
The 48-year-old then revealed in the interview: “So it was a hell of a two days and I’ve never shot 60 in my life. I’ve shot 61 a bunch of times, but I’ve never shot 60. And I’ve only shot 59 once.”
Woods and O’Meara have been friends since the early stages of the former’s career. And O’Meara got the better of his pal in the final of the 1998 Cisco World Match Play Championship at the age of 41 after overcoming a deficit to win the tournament.
O’Meara recalled the event in a joint interview alongside Woods with EssentiallySports earlier this year and admitted he almost ended his association with his buddy after the 15-time Major champion made him putt from close range early in the round.
O’Meara revealed: “I looked over to him before I was going to putt it and I said, ‘Tiger, you are not going to make me putt this are you?’ And he looked over and he goes, ‘You haven’t won a hole yet have you?’
“And I was like, ‘Oh my god’ and I made it and then as I was walking off the green, I went right to him with a mean look on my face and I told him. I said, ‘Let me tell you something, if you ever make me putt a putt like that again, our friendship is over. Do you understand what I am saying?’”
