Major Moments

Todd Hamilton

Sonartec MD 17° Hybrid

2004

Todd Hamilton’s victory at the 2004 Open changed the way golfers looked at hybrids. With only one PGA Tour victory under his belt, the journeyman pro used his 17-degree Sonartec MD hybrid (bent to 14 degrees) in every way imaginable during his four rounds at Royal Troon. He chose to hit it off the tee instead of his 3-wood (“As a kind of a driving iron,” he’d later say) and around the green where he got up and down an astonishing 13 out of 14 times.

At the time of Hamilton’s victory, utility clubs accounted for approximately seven per cent of woods sales. Six months later that figure had risen to over 15. Today it’s more than 30 per cent. Tour players started gravitating to the clubs too. Only 46 players used hybrids at the 2004 Open. Two years later that number reached 105. Hybrids were no longer just for hackers.

Today the clubs Hamilton used in his victory are in the basement of his Westlake, Texas home. Perhaps he should bring them out of retirement. He lost his card in 2009 and currently plays on the Web.com Tour. He’s ranked 776 in the world.

Tiger Woods

Nike Forged 4-iron

2006

Typically golf commentators predict winners late on Sunday, after someone has broken away from the field and established an insurmountable lead. But not at the 2006 Open. After Tiger Woods eagled Royal Liverpool’s 14th hole on Friday to go 11-under par, former US Amateur champion Bobby Clampett uttered what everyone else was thinking, “I think the Claret Jug just fell off the table.” After just 32 holes it seemed like nobody would catch Tiger. Indeed they couldn’t. Two days later Woods hoisted the famous trophy for the third time.

The eagle, holed from 209 yards and struck with a Nike Forged 4-iron, may have been the shot of the tournament, but what most people remember about that year was an emotional Woods tapping in for par on the 72nd hole and breaking down into his caddie Steve Williams’ arms. Woods’ father, Earl, had died two and a half months earlier.

While the photos of an emotional Woods may be etched in our memories, it’s his play from that week that deserves the most ink. En route to victory he hit 86 per cent of the fairways and made 19 birdies and three eagles.

The win took place in the middle of one of Woods’ most dominant stretches. Prior to the 2006 Open, he finished in the top four in five of his last six majors, winning two. After his victory at Liverpool, he’d go on to either win or come in second in seven of his next eight majors.