Golfers love their history.
So occasionally when something historic happens in a tournament, at some point down the road the details of the event are etched on a plaque, which is then placed in the ground or set into a giant boulder, preserving the story and re-telling it for years to come.
Jack Nicklaus has a few of these commemorative plaques. So does Arnold Palmer, Ben Hogan, Bobby Jones and, of course, Tiger Woods, who has one at Torrey Pines among other places. Rory McIlroy has a new one as well in Scotland.
Some plaques pay homage to once-in-a-lifetime shots by golfers who will always be remembered for that one shining moment. Here’s a closer look at a collection of plaques at golf courses around the world.
2-iron into 40 MPH wind
Pete Dye at Sawgrass
At the first round of the 2020 Players Championship – a tournament that would end after just one day due to coronavirus – TPC Sawgrass unveiled a new plaque to honor Pete Dye, who built the course as well as countless others around the world during his legendary career. This plaque is just off the first tee.
The Ben Hogan bridge at ANGC
The bridge, which takes golfers across Rae’s Creek to the 12th green at Augusta National Golf Club, was dedicated on April 2, 1958 in honor of Ben Hogan’s 1953 Masters tournament victory. The plaque predicted Hogan’s score of 274 might never be broken, but it was, 12 years later, when Jack Nicklaus posted 271 in 1965.
Ben Hogan's 1953 Open win
Tiger Woods at Torrey
Two days before the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, the City of San Diego and the U.S. Golf Association commemorated one of Tiger Woods’ most iconic shots, the putt he made on Sunday on the 72nd hole of the 2008 U.S. Open to force a Monday playoff with Rocco Mediate.
Tiger Woods in Mexico
Tiger Woods pulled off a spectacular bunker shot at the 2019 WGC-Mexico Championship. From 134 yards out, Woods carved a shot around a tree that then spun hard sideways on the green, briefly giving fans the idea that it might actually go in.
Jack Nicklaus' famed 1-iron
Jack Nicklaus struck his 1-iron to 22 feet on the 18th hole in 1967, setting up a birdie that sealed a four-shot win over Arnold Palmer. But the real objective for Nicklaus going for the green was to break the U.S. Open record of Ben Hogan, which he did, by one stroke.
Robert Gamez's Bay Hill eagle
Old Tom Morris
The commemorative plaque for Old Tom Morris in St Andrews at the Old Course in St Andrews, Scotland. (Photo: Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)
The Tiger Woods 'loose impediment'
A plaque at the TPC Scottsdale commemorates a memorable moment during the final round of the 1999 Phoenix Open:
On January 31, during the fourth round, Tiger Woods’ tee shot came to rest in close proximity to this 1-ton boulder. After being ruled a “loose impediment”, a group of spectators moved the boulder, allowing Woods to birdie the hole.
Arnold Palmer's Firestone bridge
Back-to-back aces
Four aces in one U.S. Open
Bobby Jones' East Lake ace
First-ever hole in one on a par-4 hole
Player's plaque
Hogan's Alley
Spot-on 7-iron
There’s a plaque in the rough on the 18th hole which commemorates the 7-iron that Shaun Micheel struck from 175 yards out. The ball was tracking toward the hole and stopped about three inches away, sealing the victory in the 2003 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York. It was the only victory in Micheel’s career.
Brooke's spot at KPMG
Tiger's first tee shot in Cabo
Gary Player's PGA 9-iron
Dave Stockton's 3-wood at L.A. Open
First-ever Skins Game
1926 Open Championship
