78 golf digest | issue 4. 2020
j.d. cuban
six guys just don’t hit it in the
water because of pressure.
The wind switched completely
on us. I actually backed off
because the wind kind of went
down, and I should have hit it,
because it would have gone to
the middle of the green....
The wind can kind of make
you look stupid on that hole.
frank nobilo: That breeze
is sometimes like a brick wall.
I’m not trying to give him a
pass here, either. It just stood
up in the breeze. Wow, that
happens. I’ve seen it where
guys airmail the whole green
because you hit it a little bit
farther left or something like
that and the wind doesn’t
touch it, and you’re up in
the weeds in the back, up by
those pines. Also, the guys hit
it a little higher with the way
the ball and equipment work.
I don’t know another place
where you have to hit that sort
of shot. I thought Koepka hit
the 9-iron pretty solid. But
yeah, it was a mistake.
joe lacava: Then Molinari
gets up there, and he didn’t
quite catch it. I tell people this
all the time, regardless if he
caught it or not: It’s hard to
watch a guy hit it in the water
with one less club than you
plan on hitting, and you’ve
got to follow it.
francesco molinari:
Bad execution. We picked
the right shot and didn’t hit
it hard enough, as simple
as that. I was trying to hit a
chippy 8-iron. It was probably
a 9-iron yardage, but I didn’t
want the wind to gust and to
get the ball too much. Just
pushed it a bit, and necked it
a bit. If it’s one yard farther
left, it probably goes in the
bunker.
padraig harrington:
I didn’t see Frankie making
such a colossal error on the
12th. When you’re leading the
tournament, you don’t hit
right of the bunker. It doesn’t
matter how confident you are.
frank nobilo: It was probably
the worst swing Molinari made
in, I don’t know, 18 months.
jack nicklaus (who was
watching from Belize, where
he had been fishing): The guys
started filling up Rae’s Creek
on the 12th hole. I’m watching
them one after another hit
the ball right of the bunker,
and I said, “Really?” You just
can’t hit the ball right of the
bunker. How many times have
you seen the tournament lost
because they hit it right of the
bunker?
tony finau: Frankie didn’t
make a mistake all day until
12, and when he did that,
it was time for me and Tiger
to capitalize. Tiger did, and
I didn’t.
graeme mcdowell: It was
interesting how they all
made mistakes. It might be
overstating things a bit, but
Tiger’s presence was probably
part of that. He was relentless.
ken brown: Ruthlessly
professional.
nick faldo: Obviously, 12,
everybody was twitched up,
and Tiger was nervy. I’m
screaming, “Just do what Jack
did, over the middle,” and he
did that.
frank nobilo: Woods got up
there, and he didn’t take the
bait, just pushed it another
hole. You never take the shot
on until you really have to.
tiger woods: My whole game
plan was to put it over the
tongue of the bunker on 12.
I was committed to hitting it
on my spot. I just happened to
draw it up against that wind a
little bit more than I wanted
to, so I thought it was going to
probably be six or eight feet
past to where it was, and it
basically just got on the green.
And so I said, Ah, that’s why
Brooks and Poults ended up
short. There’s a little more
wind into you than there is
more cross. And then Tony
hit a good shot. You could
see it get killed at the end.
It stalled out. That’s all it
takes, and it ended up short,
in the water.
tony finau: I hit a 9-iron 165
yards, perfect club in there, a
little chip/cut 9. The number,
I think, was right in between
all of our clubs.
joe lacava: I hear Tiger
talk about this: Whatever
you’re going to hit, commit
to it, and just try to hit it
solid—you’re better off
versus trying to fit something
in there. And Tiger’s went
enough to basically get that
thing 35 feet left. [After the
drop], Molinari’s got like a
14-footer [for bogey], and
Tiger had about a five- or
six-footer [for par]. In my
mind, Molinari’s going to
make this and we’re going
to miss and have the same
fricking score? Come on.
But Molinari misses.
frank nobilo: Tiger’s six-
footer was amazing. It’s the
slowest putt; if it lacks pace,
it turns quickly, and invariably
people miss it on the bottom
edge. So the six-footer was
hit with the right pace. It was
vintage Woods. There was
nothing timid about it.
joe lacava: Last group, the
greens aren’t chopped up, but
they’re not smooth. It’s a left-
to-righter. You know, it’s not
as crusty as it’s been in years
past, but it’s not much fun.
But that’s part of what playing
in the last group is.
jim nantz: It’s impossible
to believe you could have
that many guys at peak form
contending for the green
jacket who would make the
same mistake. I began to
think, This is going to be
Tiger’s day.
graeme mcdowell: The way
Tiger played 12 summed up
how he won 15 majors: He does
what you’re supposed to do.
He was just so unbelievably
disciplined. He just waited
and let everyone else make
mistakes.
more drama at 12
▶ “It was time for me and Tiger
to capitalize,” said Tony Finau.
“Tiger did, and I didn’t.”
“THE WAY TIGER PLAYED
12 SUMMED UP HOW HE
WON 15 MAJORS....
HE WAS JUST
SO UNBELIEVABLY
DISCIPLINED.”
