It Was Beyond Words, but Here Are a Few

“This is obviously an incredible thing. You know, the year that Jack [Nicklaus] shot the 271 here, the year that [Ben] Hogan shot the 274, this is what the rest of the field must have felt like when they were watching that.”

--Tom Kite (212), tied for fourth place, 11 strokes behind the Masters leader

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“It’s a shame Bob Jones isn’t here. He could have saved the words he used for me in 1963 for this young man, because he is certainly playing a game we’re not familiar with.”

--Jack Nicklaus (221), 20 shots back

“I look up, and it’s: ‘Oh, he made another birdie.’ ‘Oh, he made another birdie.’ ”

--Paul Stankowski (211), third place, 10 shots back

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“Listen, if the guy shoots 25 under par, and everybody else shoots six under par, the guy is just that much better than everybody else. Do the comparisons. Apples to apples. Cigars to cigars.”

--Tom Watson (212), tied for fourth place, 11 shots back

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“I appreciated that he hit the ball long and straight, and I appreciated that his iron shots were very accurate. I did not appreciate how he putted. When you add it all together, he’s nine shots clear. And I’m quite sure that will be higher tomorrow.”

--Colin Montgomerie (213), tied for sixth place, 12 shots back

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“I wish he would have stayed in school and got his PhD. He’s fabulous.”

--Jeff Sluman (213), tied for sixth place

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“He hits the ball, it goes so far!”

--Costantino Rocca (210), second place, nine strokes back

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“I’ve never seen anybody who hits so many wedges for second shots.”

--Ken Venturi (Masters runner-up, 1956, 1960)

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“Tiger has turned this into a driver-wedge course. Maybe I shouldn’t say this, but if Greg Norman had Tiger’s wedge game, he would have won three Masters.”

--Tom Lehman (1996 British Open champion)

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“This kid is the most fundamentally sound golfer I’ve ever seen, at almost any age. And he’s a nice kid. He’s got great composure. You know, he handles himself very, very well. Hits the ball nine million miles, and without a swing that looks like he’s trying to.”

--Jack Nicklaus (Masters champion, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1975, 1986)

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“You know, I used to hit the ball a zillion miles like he does. Probably not as far as he does.”

--Greg Norman (British Open champion, 1986, 1993)

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“When he hit his drive on No. 2 [Friday], I said, ‘Wow!’ ”

--Paul Azinger (1993 PGA champion)

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“I guess Tiger’s proving true what everybody says about him.

“He’s making us look smart.”

--Phil Knight, chairman, Nike

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“On the golf course, he’s much older than 21 years old.”

--Tom Kite (1992 U.S. Open champion)

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“What’s age got to do with your swing? If that’s the case, we’re all in trouble.”

--Scott Hoch (220), 19 strokes back

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“Before he turned pro, I thought this fellow couldn’t be for real. I didn’t believe he’d broken 80 when he was 5, or whatever. He had a great amateur record, but he wasn’t really playing against grown-ups. But what he’s done is extraordinary. Extraordinary.”

--Peter Alliss, ABC-TV commentator

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“I remember playing with Tiger when he was 16 years old. His mind-set was way beyond 16 years old.”

--Greg Norman

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“When I first heard about him, he was about 8. I don’t get scared of 8-year-olds. But they do grow up.”

--Tom Kite

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“He may win 10 Masters, like Jack Nicklaus said he might. He may be the type of player that only comes around in a millennium.”

--Tom Watson (Masters champion, 1977, 1981)

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“I’m not surprised about Tiger. He’s fantastic. It looks like this will be his first major win as a pro.”

--Fred Couples (Masters champion, 1992)

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“If I can make five, six seven birdies tomorrow early--like on the first three holes--maybe then I could put some heat on him.”

--Paul Stankowski

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“There is no chance. There’s no chance humanly possible that Tiger is going to lose this tournament. No way.”

--Colin Montgomerie

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“Tiger’s got the heart of a lion.”

--Tom Watson

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“Words are failing me. I’ve never seen such courage, never seen such daring play, never seen such smart play, as well. What must be going through this young man’s mind tonight?”

--Ben Crenshaw (Masters champion, 1984, 1995)

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Reporting live from the Tiger Woods Classic,

Augusta, Ga.

April 12, 1997