Yeah, yeah, we get it: Time flies and all that. But how has it been 25 years since heralded rookie Tiger Woods beat Davis Love III in a playoff to win his first PGA Tour event on Oct. 6, 1996, at the 1996 Las Vegas Invitational?
The opening victory at TPC Summerlin came just six weeks after Woods won his third-consecutive U.S. Amateur, mounting a comeback to topple Steve Scott. Woods has won 82 times on the PGA Tour since his “Hello, world” moment after that U.S. Amateur victory, and Scott is now the director of instruction for Golfweek. (Check out his latest video.)
Woods – who was 20 years, 9 months and 6 days old – shot a closing 64 in the 90-hole tournament to earn a spot in a playoff against Love, who was using a wooden-headed driver. Love used that chunk of lumber to drive the 341-yard, par-4 14th green and made eagle, but the now-Hall-of-Famer missed birdie putts on 17 and 18 that would have locked up the victory.
But when it came to distance, Woods was in a different class. He averaged 322.6 yards off the tee that week, which Justin Ray reports for the the PGA Tour was a record for an event winner by almost 10 yards. He also hit 80 percent of the greens that week.
The event that week was played at a mix of courses over five rounds: Las Vegas Hilton Country Club, TPC Summerlin and Desert Inn. Woods opened with a 70, but he followed that with 63-68-67-64.
In the playoff, Woods won with a two-putt par on the first extra hole when Love failed to get up and down from a greenside bunker. Woods’ beating Love was no small feat, as Love had won 10 times on Tour to that point and would go on to win the 1997 PGA Championship, his lone major title. Love has 21 PGA Tour victories in all, the last coming in 2015.
Tiger Wood hits an approach shot on the final day of the 1996 Las Vegas Invitational. (J.D. Cuban/Allsport)
“It’s been an unbelievable experience. It’s just like winning the Amateur, though,” Woods said at the time. “I really can’t say what it means until I think about it more.”
Love was more prophetic. “As disappointed as I am, I’m that much happy for him. He’s a great, great player, and he’s great for the Tour,” Love said after his playoff loss, speaking of a player who would go on to win 15 majors and become the face of the game for many fans around the world.
Twenty-five years later, Woods is rehabbing dramatic leg injuries suffered in a car crash this year, and it’s unclear what his future holds as far as competitive golf. But 25 years ago, on the day he was first introduced as a Tour winner, the future was golden.
Take a look at some of the photos from that week and final round in Las Vegas.