With 15 major championships and 82 PGA Tour victories on his resume, Tiger Woods’ competitive prowess is already the stuff of legends. But that all-encompassing drive to win wasn’t just limited to recorded tournaments. As two-time Super Bowl champion and Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning recently explained to GOLF’s Michael Bamberger, Woods’ burning desire to beat his opponents extended to pro-ams too.
Manning sat down to chat with Bamberger over Zoom to talk about the tournament he’s chaired for six years but which has existed for 34: the Smith Cole, which is held at Cherry Hills Country Club and attracts pro-member teams from clubs like Cypress Point, Seminole, Augusta National and more, who are then paired with Cherry Hills pro-member teams for a three-day competition.
Over the course of their conversation, the topic turned to Woods, whom Manning has played with a number of times over the last 15 years. His favorite pro-am story with the Big Cat, though, involved quite an impressive turnaround.
“I was playing with Tiger and Stevie was his caddie, and we get on the 13th hole at Bay Hill,” Manning began. “Tiger says, ‘All right, I’m 4 down to you. I’ll play you from here on in for 100 bucks.’
“I said, easy. I’m done. This thing’s over. I had a banker from the sponsor who was my caddie, that was just there to be in the group with Tiger. He knew nothing about golf. Stevie was reading all my putts.
“We get on the 13th green. I got a 20-foot birdie putt. I said, Stevie, what do you like? I think it’s going left. Deadpan. It’s going right? Deadpan. I’m gonna hit it straight, Stevie. Deadpan.
“‘Boss says y’all got a bet, no more help.’
“Thanks a lot,” Manning continued. “I said, Banker Bob, what do you think? He’s like, I have no clue. Thank you very much.
“Who do you think won that match? Tiger Woods. If that doesn’t tell you how competitive that guy is, I don’t know a better example.”
For more from Manning, including additional details about the Smith Cole, as well as stories about Jack Nicklaus, check out the full interview below.
