'I think he understands now' - Tiger Woods delivered brutal revenge after Stephen Ames trash talk at
Like turning water to wine, the greatest athletes in history have an almost-biblical ability to transform doubt into fuel.
Basketball legend Michael Jordan became a full-on meme for all the times he took things personally.
Think Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus, telling taunting Atletico Madrid fans that he'll see them in the second leg, then hitting a hat-trick to dump them out of the 2019 Champions League.
Only five people in history have earned more than a billion dollars from playing sport: Jordan and Ronaldo are two of them.
Another is Tiger Woods. And that's because for all of them, winning is personal.
They don't need a reason. So God help anybody who gives them one.
Little-known golfer Stephen Ames learned the hard way at the Dell Technologies Match Play event in 2006.
Once a year on the PGA Tour, Ryder Cup fans get the format they love, as golfers compete one-v-one in a round-robin style tournament.
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Rory McIlroy grabbed headlines at this year's event after his spectacular drive on Thursday.
As we enter the knockout stage, the excitement has left many confused by the decision to scrap this tournament moving forward - and it has always thrown up high drama.
Sixteen years ago, Ames and Woods were drawn together in round one, representing a clash between a one-time Tour winner and arguably the greatest golfer of all time at the peak of his powers.
Woods already had two victories that year, despite a wayward driver, but he hadn't teed it up since withdrawing from the Nissan Open with flu.
There was understandable uncertainty about the state of his game. But Ames made the unforgivable mistake of saying it out loud.
When asked about the match-up, Ames said: "Anything can happen. Especially where he's hitting it."
It wasn't the first time Ames had trash-talked Woods, either.
Back in 2000, when Tiger was in the middle of the greatest golf year in history, Ames said: “He doesn’t look like he has enough respect for other players. Tiger’s coming across as bigger than the game.
“He’s a spoiled 24-year-old. If I was in his position I’d be more considerate. If I was beating the spit out of [other players], I wouldn’t have to beat them in that way too. He made $11million [in 1999], endorsed more than $50m – what’s he got to be unhappy about?”
And just like MJ, Tiger took that personally.
The biggest possible margin of victory in a golf match is 10 & 8, winning all ten holes and rendering the remaining eight pointless.
Woods beat Ames 9 & 8, winning every hole on the front nine and squaring the tenth to end it.
In an utterly ridiculous display of golf, Woods made seven birdies and two pars through his nine-hole stretch, consigning Ames to an early bath.
He almost drove the green on the par-four sixth and produced a flamboyant club twirl which all-but said: 'Have some of that'.
Speaking afterwards, Woods was asked if there was any added motivation for the match. He said: "Oh yeah. There certainly was. Stephen provided it.
"I think I did alright today. I think he understands now."
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In other words: when you come at the king, you best not miss.
talkSPORT2's coverage of the World Golf Championship Dell Technologies Match Play resumes on Saturday at 5pm and continues through the weekend!
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