William McGirt credits Tiger Woods with helping him re-start his golfing career.
McGirt, who shot 3-under 69 in the first round of the Masters on Thursday at Augusta National, was on the practice green at the PGA Championship in 2012.
Out walks Woods, who overhears McGirt tell someone that he regretted not looking at the scoreboard when he finished tied for second at the RBC Canadian Open the week before.
Woods strolled over and gave McGirt what sounded like an earful, asking him if he thought Kobe Bryant didn’t look at a scoreboard with a minute left in a game.
McGirt said he told Woods that he understood his point, but at the time he didn’t want to screw up.
“Finally he looks at me and says, ‘Okay. You’re an idiot.’
“I said, ‘Hey, at least we can agree on something.’ “
“But it was very helpful. He probably doesn’t realize how much he actually helped me by making that comment.”
McGirt said he has watched scoreboards since when he has a chance to win.
That finally happened last year at the Memorial Tournament, McGirt’s first win on the PGA Tour since turning pro in 2004 after playing at Wofford.
That victory at Jack Nicklaus’ tournament qualified McGirt for his first appearance in the Masters.
He set a goal to enjoy the week. He watched the opening ceremony with Nicklaus and Gary Player, almost cried when he was introduced on the first tee, and made sure to point out the leaderboard to his caddie when his name appeared at the top for a while on Thursday.
“This is a lifelong dream and it’s one of those things that when you’re going through that, you don’t know if this moment will ever happen,” he said. “There’s been years and years, even since I’ve been on Tour, that I didn’t know if this moment would ever happen.
“It’s just one of those things, I’m going to try to soak it all in and enjoy it and relish every moment here at Augusta National.”
About the Author
