THIS DAY IN GOLF HISTORY / OCTOBER 29
Nine extra holes—and comebacks that refused to quit
October 29 has repeatedly asked champions to keep going: from Phil Mickelson chasing down Tiger Woods to Justin Rose erasing an eight-shot deficit and Céline Boutier playing nine extra holes for a trophy.
2000
Phil Mickelson ends Tiger Woods’s 54-hole-lead streak
Mickelson began the final round of the Tour Championship one shot behind Woods and Vijay Singh, then shot 66 at East Lake to win at 13 under. Woods closed with 69 and finished two strokes back. [PGA Tour]
It was the first time since Woods’s 1996 rookie season that he failed to win after holding at least a share of the 54-hole lead. Mickelson’s victory was his fourth of 2000.
2006
K.J. Choi wins again at Innisbrook
Choi closed with a 67 to win the Chrysler Championship at 13-under 271, four strokes ahead of Brett Wetterich and Paul Goydos. The victory was his fourth PGA Tour title and his second at Innisbrook after also winning there in 2002. [PGA Tour]
2017
Justin Rose comes back from eight shots down
Rose began Sunday eight behind world No. 1 Dustin Johnson at the WGC-HSBC Champions. He shot 67—including a back-nine 31—to finish at 14-under 274 and win by two. [PGA Tour]
Johnson, who started with a six-stroke lead over the field, shot 77 without a birdie. Rose birdied Nos. 16 and 17 to complete one of the largest final-round comebacks in PGA Tour history.
2017
Cristie Kerr holes the final putt for win No. 20
Kerr made a long birdie putt on the final hole to win the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia by one stroke at 15-under 269. It was the 20th LPGA title of her career, and at age 40 she became the Tour’s first winner over 40 since 2011. [LPGA]
2023
Céline Boutier wins on the ninth playoff hole
Boutier shot a bogey-free 64 to reach 21 under at the Maybank Championship, then matched Atthaya Thitikul through eight extra holes—and a 90-minute weather delay. On the ninth playoff hole, Boutier made a three-foot birdie putt to claim her sixth LPGA title and fourth win of the season. [LPGA]
The nine-hole sudden-death finish tied the second-longest playoff in LPGA Tour history. Boutier and Thitikul alternated between the 15th and 18th holes until the final birdie ended it.
FROM THE ARCHIVE TO YOUR NEXT ROUND / FOX BANDIT VIEW
Make the routine durable.
Boutier’s playoff lasted nine holes and included a long weather delay. Rose had to recognize that a tournament he thought was over had suddenly opened. Neither situation rewards a perfect feeling. Both reward a routine that survives waiting, uncertainty and pressure.
End your next range session with nine pressure shots. Change clubs or targets after every ball. Step away between shots, name the target and run the same rehearsal each time.
Score the decision and the start line—not whether every ball is perfect. A durable routine is the part of your game that should still be there on the ninth extra hole.
Use the practice checklist ↗