Tiger Woods’ Greatest Putt You’ve Probably Never Seen

You know the one — “Better than most.”
The putt that echoed through golf history at Sawgrass.
But this? This wasn’t that.

This was something quieter. Slower.
So subtle that if you blinked during the 2019 Masters broadcast, you might’ve missed it.
But if you truly love golf — not just the highlights, but the craft — you’ll understand why this was one of Tiger Woods’ most important putts ever.

The 70-Foot Augusta Lag That Changed Everything

Final round. Sunday at Augusta.
Tiger’s trailing Francesco Molinari. The front nine’s in full grind mode. And then… the 9th hole happens.

Woods pulls his approach shot left — and finds himself with a 70-foot nightmare on one of the fastest, cruelest greens in golf.

You can’t overstate the risk here. The pin’s up front. The green’s slick. Go too far, and your ball might end up in Macon. Leave it short, and you risk a momentum-killing three-putt. All while trying to chase down your first major in 11 years.

But what happens next? It’s not just a lag putt.
It’s artistry.

Tiger maps out a winding triple-breaker that travels across Augusta like it’s following GPS. It rolls and breaks and slows down… and cozies up to the hole like it was always meant to stop there.

Tap-in par. Massive exhale.

“That’s just one of the best putts he’s ever hit,” said the broadcast team.
The internet lit up. One fan dubbed it “the lag of the century.” Others called it “putting wizardry.”

And yet — most people don’t even remember it.

Because a few holes later, Tiger started his famous back-nine charge. Because we remember fist pumps more than finesse. But ask any serious player, and they’ll tell you: that putt on 9 was everything.

Related Article: Master the Art of Lag Putting: Drills That Actually Work

Why This Putt Gets Overlooked (And Why It Shouldn’t)

This wasn’t a bomb to win a major.
It wasn’t a playoff clincher.
It was a par save.

But that’s what makes it special. Because par saves? They keep rounds alive. They’re the quiet heroes of scorecards. And in this case, this par — this calm, confident, perfectly-weighted putt — was the moment Tiger’s comeback stayed alive.

He could’ve crumbled.
Instead, he steadied.

One small swing. One massive momentum shift.

Visualizing Greatness: Tiger’s Putting Imagination

Let’s talk about what it really takes to hit that kind of putt:
Feel. Vision. Trust. And a whole lot of experience getting burned by bad reads.

Broadcasters even pointed out earlier that week how Tiger had been leaning on mental visualization. That “good mental roll,” as they called it, was in full display here.

It’s not just technical ability.
It’s having the guts to trust your instincts when the pressure is suffocating.

If you’ve ever stared down a 40-footer on your muni’s bumpiest green, you might get it.
Now imagine doing it on Augusta’s glass-like surface — with millions watching and history on the line.

Not His Only Hidden Gem

Of course, this wasn’t the first time Tiger dropped jaws with an underrated putt.
During the 2008 U.S. Open, third round, Torrey Pines. 13th hole. Woods drains a 65-foot eagle from the back of the green, just after Johnny Miller says it could “change the whole championship.”

Spoiler alert: It did. That putt sparked the comeback that led to his legendary playoff win over Rocco Mediate — with a broken leg, no less.

Another classic example? His two-putt on the infamous par-3 12th during that same 2019 Masters round. While others were rinsing shots in Rae’s Creek, Tiger coolly took his medicine and walked off with a textbook par.

A Final Thought from a Fellow Weekend Golfer

It’s easy to idolize the highlight reel moments — the roars, the fist pumps, the chip-ins. But as any golfer knows, the shots that don’t make the headlines are often the ones that matter most.

So next time you save par from 50 feet and no one’s watching?
Take a second.
Smile.
You just pulled a Tiger.