One shot. From a bunker. Over water. With the tournament on the line.
And of course — Tiger pulled it off.
On September 10, 2000, at Glen Abbey’s 18th hole, Tiger Woods stood in wet sand, staring down 218 yards of trouble. What happened next became the stuff of golf legend — a swing that defined his fearlessness, precision, and championship mindset at the peak of his powers.
The Setup: History Within Reach
Tiger arrived at the 2000 Canadian Open with eight wins already that season. He’d taken the U.S. Open at Pebble. Dominated The Open at St. Andrews. Edged out Bob May in a playoff at Valhalla for the PGA.
Only Lee Trevino had ever completed golf’s unofficial “Triple Crown” — winning the U.S., British, and Canadian Opens in the same year. Tiger was one win away from joining him.
By Sunday, it was down to two men: Tiger Woods and Grant Waite. They were tied entering the final round. By the time they reached the 72nd hole, Tiger had a one-shot lead.
And then he hit his drive into a fairway bunker.
The Shot: 218 Yards of Trouble
Conditions were far from ideal. The rain had started. The sand was wet. And Woods had no clean view of the pin — trees blocked the right side of the green.
Meanwhile, Waite had found the fairway and safely landed a 5-iron on the fat of the green. It was a safe birdie look. Tiger had to match — or beat — it.
From the bunker, 218 yards out, with water short and a tucked pin to the back right, Woods grabbed a 6-iron. Not a layup club. A “go for it” club.
Steve Williams, his caddie, didn’t even suggest laying up.
“Knowing how he thinks, there was no doubt in my mind he was going to try and knock it on the green.”
The Execution: A Rip Heard Across Canada
Woods set up. Couldn’t see the flag. Trees were in the way. He picked a line left of the pin, stepped in, and ripped it.
Everyone held their breath.
Sandra Post, standing nearby, later said:
“I remember the sound. You could hear the speed. The crispness. Then everyone just… watched.”
The ball soared. Started right. Too far right?
Waite thought it was wet.
But it wasn’t.
It carried the water. Cleared the bunker. Landed on the fringe. Rolled out — and stopped just off the back collar of the green.
The gallery lost it.
“When the ball landed,” reporter Bob Weeks wrote, “the roar shook the ground.”
The Finish: Closing It Out
Tiger chipped to inside 3 feet. Tapped in for birdie.
Waite two-putted for birdie too — but it wasn’t enough.
Tiger shot a final-round 65. Finished at 22-under par. Won by one. Completed the Triple Crown.
And he did it with what Steve Williams still calls:
“The greatest shot I ever saw him hit… under pressure, from wet sand, 218 yards, water short — he had to hit every bit of that 6-iron.”
Reactions: Everyone Knew
🗣 Tiger Woods
Deadpan, post-round:
“I didn’t hit the green… hit it over the green, so it wasn’t really that good.”
🗣 Grant Waite
“One grain of sand between the clubface and the ball could have changed my life for sure, but it didn’t… Tiger, at that time, couldn’t do anything wrong.”
He later admitted Tiger had pushed the shot a bit:
“At the time, he said no. But I’ve talked to him since — he said, ‘Yeah, I pushed it a little.’”
🗣 Scott Verplank
“Greatest shot I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Legacy: The Shot That Can’t Be Recreated
Since that day, the bushes behind the 18th at Glen Abbey have grown in. The exact shot isn’t even possible anymore. It belongs to history — and to Tiger.
It wasn’t flashy. No club twirl. No scream. Just a cold-blooded rip from the sand that clinched a record, sealed a crown, and added another chapter to a season already overflowing with greatness.
“218 yards from wet sand, water short, tournament on the line — and he didn’t flinch.” — Steve Williams
