Rory McIlroy was caught up in one of the most iconic Tiger Woods moments of all time.
And he could only muster up two words in response: ‘Holy s***’
With the Tour Championship upon us, there will be endless replays of Woods’ comeback victory in 2018.
It is considered one of the most enduring scenes in sport history – as an all-time icon walked among thousands of fans to pull off something nobody thought was possible.
The golf legend had not won on the PGA Tour for five years due to numerous injuries that doctors thought would end his career.
His stunning triumph at East Lake in 2018 was treated like a second coming – and preceded his remarkable Masters victory in 2019.
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An interesting sub-plot to Woods’ Tour Championship victory was the presence of McIlroy.
The Northern Irishman, who grew up idolising Woods, was paired with the great man heading into the final round.
At three shots back, McIlroy found himself in a horrible position, knowing victory would ruin a story that all golf fans were rooting for.
Luckily for the history books, Woods never faltered, and after successfully finding a greenside bunker with his second shot at the par-five 18th, it was game over.
As McIlroy and Woods, the game’s two most famous players, strolled up the fairway, fans broke contain.
Thousands of them flooded the 18th fairway to be part of the historic moment.
McIlroy and Woods, who have grown close over the years, can be seen aiming a few nervous smiles towards each other as security tried to keep fans at bay.
In the end, McIlroy ran ahead and vacated the scene, leaving Woods to look as though he was marching an army into battle.
It created a breathtaking scene which quickly went viral on social media – and McIlroy was almost left speechless.
He congratulated Woods during an emotional embrace on the 18th green, and as he walked towards the scoring tent, he turned to a TV camera and said: “Holy s***”.
Meanwhile, Woods said: “I was having a hard time not crying on that last hole.
“I just can’t believe I’ve pulled this off.”
The 15-time major winner and 81-time PGA Tour winner had dropped to 1,199 in the world rankings less than a year before the victory, having undergone spinal fusion surgery.
He added: “It’s been tough. I’ve had a not-so-easy last couple of years.
“I’ve worked my way back. I couldn’t have done it without the help of all the people around me.
“Some of the other players knew what I was struggling with. It was really special to see them at the green on 18.
“It’s just hard to believe I won the Tour Championship.”
Woods’ progress would be dented by a near-fatal car accident in 2021 and the 48-year-old will not be competing at this year’s Tour Championship.
These days, his only competitive outings come in the majors and a small handful of PGA Tour events.
Despite ongoing struggles with injuries and questions over his continuing efforts to compete, Woods still believes he can win at the highest level.
Speaking to talkSPORT.com at The Open in July, he said: “I’ll play as long as I can play and I feel like I can win the event.”
When pressed on whether that belief has wavered amid a number of poor finishes in recent years, he simply replied: “No.”
