"I will treasure that forever"- Verne Lundquist on his interaction with Tiger Woods at the Masters 2024
Verne Lundquist's iconic handshake with Tiger Woods at the Masters 2024 went viral on the internet. During the final round of the Major last week, the legendary golfer approached Lundquist on the 16th hole to shake hands as the commentator was retiring from his coverage.
Lundquist recently appeared on an episode of The Stream Room podcast, where he discussed the sweet moment he shared with Woods at the Masters. Speaking about the golfer, Lundquist revealed that when Woods approached him on the 16th, they talked for a while, shook hands, and then walked away.
However, it was not the only thing. Later, when Woods continued to play on the 17th, he looked over at Verne Lundquist and gave him a thumbs-up. In the interview with Ernie Johnson and Charles Barkley on the podcast, Lundquist confessed that he would treasure the moment "forever."
Speaking about the sweet interaction, Verne Lundquist said (via Golf Digest):
“I ventured down to 16 and he was playing 14 at the time and he was having a horrible day. Five over and wound up dead last in the tournament. But even though he was five over, he walked off the green at 16 and as he approached, I just said, ‘Tiger, thank you.’
"He reached over and shook my hand and we chatted. In all candor, I can’t remember what we said, except I thanked him for the kind words that he had, and he said, ‘We’re gonna be tied at the hip forever’ because of that shot and because of what I said.”
"The thing I most treasure about it. He went over and teed off at 17, I was still standing under the tree. And as he walked down the 17th fairway, he just looked over and gave me a thumbs up. I will treasure that forever," he added.
It is important to note that a picture of Tiger Woods and Verne Lundquist went viral on the internet, taken at an angle that showed Woods appearing to shake hands with the giant Oak tree. Fans dubbed it the "meme of the year" picture.
When will Tiger Woods play next?
Tiger Woods' recent outing at the Masters 2024 was a rollercoaster ride. He started off quite well and made the cut after 36 holes, becoming the only golfer in the history of the Masters to have the most consecutive cuts.
However, the disappointing third round, during which he shot 82, resulted in a significant drop on the leaderboard. He shot 77 in the final round and walked out of Augusta National, settling in 60th place on the leaderboard, which sadly marked one of his worst outings at the Major.
Tiger Woods will likely tee off at the PGA Championship next month. The second Major of the year is scheduled to take place from May 16 to 19 at the Valhalla Golf Course, returning to the venue since 2014 when Rory McIlroy won the Major.
Notably, Tiger Woods also won the PGA Championship at the Valhalla Golf Course in 2000. He had tasted victory at the venue before, and it will be interesting to see if he can do so again in 2024.