Tiger Woods' 'Better Than Most' Putt
Tiger Woods' "better than most" putt is one of the most famous putts in golf history, and also one of the most famous calls of a putt by a broadcaster.
We know it as the "better than most" putt because that's the phrase NBC Sports broadcaster (and former PGA Tour player) Gary Koch used three times to describe the putt as the ball made its way toward the hole, his voice rising each time with dramatic effect.
The putt happened at the 2001 Players Championship, on the famous "island green" No. 17 hole at TPC Sawgrass. Woods was at 9-under par before the putt, tied for second place with Vijay Singh, three shots behind the leader Jerry Kelly.
Many fans believe the putt happened in the final round and propelled Woods to victory. But it didn't. The putt was in the third round. (For that reason, we probably can't call the "better than most" putt one of the greatest in golf history, "only" one of the most famous.)
The putt is usually described as 60 feet in length. However, the PGA Tour recordbook long listed the longest putt made on the 17th hole as 59 feet, 9 inches, by Bernhard Langer in 2008. Woods' "better than most" putt started from the fringe; because it was off the putting surface, it doesn't technically qualify to be counted as a putt under the tour's official stat-keeping methods. (In 2019, Jhonattan Vegas established a new record for longest made putt on the hole, sinking a 70-footer during the final round.)
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