Unfortunately for golf fans everywhere, Tiger Woods is not at the 2026 Players Championship in person. While he could return to action next month at the Masters, Tiger will be at TPC Sawgrass in spirit during Saturday’s third round, thanks to a special tribute planned by the PGA Tour.
The tribute has two parts and is designed to commemorate Tiger’s greatest moment at the Players Championship, and, perhaps, the most indelible Players shot in history. And it’s hidden underground at the Stadium Course’s most iconic hole: the island-green 17th.
Here’s what you need to know.
Saturday marks 25th anniversary of Tiger’s ‘Better than most’ putt
Saturday at this year’s Players is the 25th anniversary of one of Tiger’s most-watched moments. It happened at the 2001 Players Championship.
That week, Woods was in the middle of arguably the most dominant stretch of golf ever played. He’d won the last three majors in 2000 (by wide margins at Pebble Beach and St. Andrews, no less), and one month later he’d complete the “Tiger Slam” with his 2001 Masters win.
At that point, the 25-year-old Tiger was the youngest career Grand Slam winner in history, but he hadn’t won a Players Championship. That was about to change.
Woods overcame a two-shot deficit with a final-round 67 to claim his first Players title by one shot.
But that win may never have come to be if it wasn’t for some heroics toward the end of Woods’ third round that year.
At the island-green, par-3 17th hole on Saturday, Woods’ tee shot sailed too long, ending up on the back collar. Fortunately, it was dry. Unfortunately, his ball sat some 60 feet from the hole, with multiple downhill breaks between it and the cup.
Before Woods attempted his putt, NBC’s Gary Koch told fellow TV analyst Johnny Miller, “Johnny, I’ve seen a number of players putt from the back part of this green, and the results have not been good.”
The broadcasters’ next exchange will live forever in golf fans’ memories.
As Tiger’s ball began trundling its way toward the hole, Miller said, “Gary, how’s that look?”
To which Koch responded, “Johnny, that’s better than most.”
“How about in?” Miller shouted as Tiger’s ball broke hard directly toward the cup.
And then as Woods’ ball dropped in for an incredible, tournament-changing birdie, Koch repeated,
“Better than most, better than most!”
Players Championship 2-part Tiger Woods tribute on Saturday
It’s that moment organizers for this year’s Players Championship are planning to commemorate, as repored by Golf Channel on their social media accounts. And there are two aspects to that commemoration.
First, the pin on the 17th green will be the same pin position that Woods putted to back in the third round of the 2001 Players. It’s a difficult one that should draw a lot of water balls out of competitors: five paces from the front and five paces from the left.
But that’s not all. Hidden underground at the 17th green will be a second Tiger tribute.
The bottom of the cup on the island green will read “TIGER WOODS 2001” with a second quote pulled from Koch’s call also engraved: “BETTER THAN MOST”
You can see a sneak peek at the 17th hole Tiger tribute below, via Golf Channel.
