SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — It’s one of the most iconic shots in PGA Tour history, not as much for the feat itself but for the celebration that ensued.
After Tiger Woods‘ hole-in-one on the par-3 16th hole on the Saturday of the 1997 Phoenix Open, there were the missed high-fives, beer showering the tee box, the raise-the-roof by Woods as he walked from tee to green and the wall of noise that lasted from the moment he hit his shot until after he picked his ball out of the cup.
That iconic ace turns 25 years this year. As the PGA Tour returns to the site, for what is now called the WM Phoenix Open (Thursday, ESPN+), we talked to more than 20 players, fans, journalists and Thunderbirds from the charitable organization that helps run the event about their memories. Together, they re-created the moments leading up to Woods’ shot, the shot itself and the celebration.
