AKRON, Ohio — Tiger Woods has many memorable moments throughout his career, but many think one of his greatest shots took place 25 years ago in northeast Ohio.
What You Need To Know
Tiger Woods’ “Shot in the Dark” took place 25 years ago at Firestone Country Club
Woods has a record eight wins at Firestone Country Club
Glenn Duncan has volunteered at Firestone for 32 years and calls the shot his “number one” memory
After hours of storm delays on Aug. 25, 2000, the final round of the World Golf Championships NEC Invitational at Firestone Country Club in Akron resumed play.
At 8:25 p.m., Woods was looking to clinch a victory on the 18th hole.
“It was dark,” Glenn Duncan said. “We couldn’t tell who was hitting the ball. We heard it hit, and I saw a ball roll up into what we call the first cut.”
Glenn Duncan has been a volunteer marshall at Firestone for 32 years. He was feet away from Woods that night and even helped him find his ball.
“Tiger’s walking down, he asked me if there was a ball over there because he couldn’t see it,” said Duncan.
Visibility was low at the course after the delays, which made what unfolded next memorable for Duncan and all who were in attendance.
“He goes, ‘have you been able to see the flag?’ I said, ‘Tiger, I haven’t been able to see the flag for 10 or 15 minutes,'” Duncan said. “He looked to his caddie, asked them to go ahead and get him a good yardage, and the yardage was 167. He shot it with an eight iron, and the rest is history.”
Woods took the shot in the dark and landed it within a few feet of the pin. He tapped it in for birdie to bring home the second of his record eight wins at Firestone.
Don Padgett III is the executive director of the Kaulig Companies Championship, which is being played this weekend at Firestone Country Club. He too witnessed the shot and says its something golf fans in northeast Ohio will always remember.
“I remember the lighters around the green,” Padgett said. “The lights from the CBS booth, also from the parking lot, is really the only way you could see. The irises on the camera made it look a lot more light than it was. It was an iconic moment and something people will never forget.”
After the win in 2000, Woods said he and his father used to practice in the dark when he was a child, which helped prepare him for the moment.
“Dad and I used to have probably two or three holes in pitch-black dark and you would have to call the shot,” Woods said. “That’s this feeling, and this is how I grew up playing.”
Duncan said volunteering at Firestone is something he loves, and it’s allowed him to see some unforgettable golf.
“There’s a lot of memorable moments,” said Duncan. “The people that work with me here on 18, we average about 25 years of volunteering here. We call ourselves the marshall family.”
In the three decades of volunteering, though, Duncan said the shot in the dark stands alone.
“Unbelievable, for me, it’s number one,” said Duncan.
The Kaulig Companies Championship will continue with the third and fourth rounds taking place Saturday and Sunday at Firestone.
