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114 golfdigest.com | may 2019
bracket 1
ben hogan
b. koepka
b. langer
b. nelson
billy casper
a. palmer
mickey wright
bobby locke
jimmy demaret
p. mickelson
walter hagen
c. middlecoff
nick faldo
greg norman
tiger woods
j. miller
bracket 2jack nicklaus
harry vardonrory mcilroy
gene sarazenjordan spieth
bobby jonesgary player
ernie elss. ballesteros
hale irwinlee trevino
r. floydd. johnson
sam sneadp. thomson
tom watsonfollow the match play at golfdigest.com/go/goatwoods vs nicklausballesterosnicklauswoodspalmerwoods nicklauswatsonsneadtrevinoballesterosplayerjonesmcilroynicklauswoodsnormanhagenmickelsonwrightpalmernelsonhogansneadballesterosjonesnicklauswoodsmickelsonpalmerhogan2 and 1 2 and 11 up3 and 21 up2 up4 and 31 up1 up3 and 11 up2 and 13 and 12 and 11 up2 and 11 up1 up3 and 14 and 21 up2 and 12 and 12 up2 and 12 up3 and 11 up2 and 12 and 1goat!match-play results leading to the finalpatting him on the back after
his many victories, but when
Arnie’s Army greeted him with a
thunderous ovation on the first
tee, his competitiveness came
out. “I hope you brought your
‘A’ game today,” he said, “even
if these people are hoping you
bring something less.”
“I’m humbled, Arnold,”
Tiger said. “Let’s show them
what we can do.”
At the par-5 sixth, Tiger car-
ried the menacing lake, then
hit his approach to five feet for
an eagle that gave him a 1-up
lead. At the par-5 12th, Arnold
threaded a low 3-wood onto the
green, 20 feet from the hole. He
rammed the eagle putt home
with his rear-shafted blade put-
ter to even the match, drawing a
roar from his supporters.
Tiger, unfazed, knifed a
wedge to three feet at the
par-4 13th. There, a disruption
occurred.
As Tiger stood over the bird-
ie putt, a fan’s camera clicked
audibly. Tiger’s caddie, Steve
Williams, who was filling in for
an injured Joe LaCava, seized
the device and hurled it into the
water near the green. Arnold
frowned at the act, and so did
Tiger. But Woods recovered,
made the putt, and was back
to 1 up.
Woods went 2 up with an-
other birdie at the par-3 14th.
The King had a 10-foot birdie
putt for a win at the 15th and a
20-footer for eagle and a win
at the par-5 16th, but neither
putt fell. Arnold buckled at the
knees in anguish after both
misses. When Tiger hit a 4-iron
to 25 feet at the 17th and ex-
ecuted a routine two-putt for a
halve, the 2-and-1 victory sent
Tiger to The GOAT final.JACK NICKLAUS
vs. SEVE BALLESTEROS
st. andrews (old)
scotland▶ when jack appeared on the
tee wearing a replica of the
argyle sweater he wore during
his 1978 Open Championship
victory at St. Andrews, cheers
erupted from the gallery and
the florid-faced denizens inside
the R&A clubhouse. Seve, mak-
ing his plea for special mojo
from the golf deities, arrived
in the same navy-blue, V-necksweater he’d worn when he
won the Open at the Old Course
in 1984. Such a din was un-
usual at the Home of Golf, and
starter Ivor Robson had to raise
his voice so the introductions
could be heard.
Seve took a 2-up lead with
a birdie at the first and a chip-
in for birdie at the difficult
fourth. Ballesteros sustained
the margin through nine holes,
his ball-striking far better than
many anticipated. “He’s out-
Nicklausing Nicklaus!” said
TV commentator Henry Long-
hurst, briefly setting down his
martini.
Nicklaus bludgeoned a
driver to the heart of the green
at the par-4 10th, then evened
the match with another birdie
at the par-3 11th. Jack took his
first lead at the 14th when Seve
found Hell Bunker—his first
serious tactical miscue—and
took four to reach the green.
That gave Nicklaus a 1-up lead
going to the par-4 17th, the
famous—and infamous—Road
Hole. With Nicklaus on the
green, Seve played a low, run-
ning hook that drew too much.
His ball didn’t merely find theRoad Hole Bunker, it nestled
close against its sod face.
Seve’s most lofted wedge was
56 degrees, and not even his
imagination and gifted hands
could save him. When Seve
failed to escape on his second
try, he emerged from the bun-
ker and offered a congratula-
tory handshake to Jack. The
St. Andrews townsfolk, awed
by the drama of the match,
hoisted both players on their
shoulders, as they had Bobby
Jones at the 1927 Open Cham-
pionship at the Old Course.
They carried them all the way
to the clubhouse.▶WHO DO YOU WANT TO WIN?
What would happen if Tiger
Woods played Jack Nicklaus in
their prime? Mark Frost will cre-
ate the mythical final at Pebble
Beach in the June issue and on
April 4 at golfdigest.com. If you
don’t get the winner you prefer,
not to worry: The first 1,000
respondents emailing us at
[email protected] will get the
“right” winner of the print edi-
tion mailed to them, or you can
email us at that address to get
the digital version.