When Tiger Woods hit that incredible, helicopter-finish bunker shot around a tree at the par-4 ninth hole at the 2019 WGC–Mexico Championship, it felt like a real turning point in the event. It happened to be his final hole of the day, and a birdie would have given him a six-under 65. It was surely going to be a vintage Tiger finish to a vintage Tiger round.
But Woods missed the putt, settling for a 66 and a momentum-killing par. On Saturday three bogeys and a double kept him out of serious contention, and he wound up finishing 13 shots behind winner Dustin Johnson, rendering the Friday bunker magic somewhat irrelevant.
Apparently that doesn’t make the shot any less memorable, or less deserving of a commemorative plaque, which Club de Golf Chapultepec has already installed for this year’s WGC–Mexico Championship. Check out the photo captured by the European Tour:
✅ #WGCMexico https://t.co/eOqVL7Lqup pic.twitter.com/SLdVNa3vfu
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) February 18, 2020
As you can see, the tweet is in response to England’s Matt Wallace, who demanded a plaque be put directly in the bunker after seeing the shot last year. He’ll have to settled for it being in the fairway next to it. Let’s watch the shot again, shall we?
Watch and learn, folks 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/08TfSZPRSH
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) February 22, 2019
Naturally, there were cries on social media for this plaque being both too soon and too much, mainly because of where Woods eventually finished in the event. Ben Hogan’s 1-iron at Merion in the 1950 US Open, this was not. But it’s not an unprecedented move, especially when it involves Tiger Woods, the man who earned a plaque at TPC Scottsdale because a bunch of fans helped him move a boulder in the 1999 Phoenix Open. For those wondering, Woods finished third that week.
Unfortunately, Woods won’t be able to see his new plaque in person, as he’s skipping the WGC–Mexico after his 68th place finish in last week’s Genesis Invitational.
