Disasters Part 7Gary Moran recalls Tiger Woods' last game as an amateur and how a grinning girlfriend got him fired-up

Butch Harmon tells a story about the final of the 1996 US Amateur Championship in which Tiger Woods, then a pupil of Harmon's, beat Steve Scott at the 38th hole. "Tiger was five down after 18. His posture was messed up. We fixed that and I was thinking to myself 'okay, I've got to tell him something. I know he's ticked off.'

"So I put my arm around him and said, 'Have you noticed that every time Steve Scott wins a hole, that cute little girlfriend of his is laughing at you?' Tiger turned to me and said, 'You noticed that, too?' I knew that was all I had to say. I remember after he made that (birdie) putt on the 35th hole, he sprinted past me going to the 18th tee. He slapped me on the butt and said 'She ain't smilin' now!' He never missed a step."

In fact, after his lunchtime lesson with Harmon, Woods barely missed a shot going around the Witch Hollow course at Pumpkin Ridge in 65 strokes to force the match into extra holes and eventually win an unprecedented third consecutive US Amateur.

Scott's game hardly fell apart but, having acknowledged that he was 'attempting to stop history', losing a five-hole lead with 16 to play ranked as a fairly disastrous outcome.

Over 15,000 turned up to watch the final, many anticipating it would be Woods' last match as an amateur and almost all expecting to see him triumph. They were made to think again as Scott fired six birdies to leave an out-of-sorts Woods five down at half way.

Woods spent lunch on the range and got back in the groove. He birdied the 21st and 22nd from inside three feet and had the deficit down to one by the turn.

When Scott holed a lob wedge from a near impossible lie to win the 28th, Woods replied in typical fashion. He crushed a 357-yard drive down the 29th, hit a five-iron to 45 feet and holed for eagle. "I was feeling a little heated. I took it out on the golf ball," he said.

Still Scott didn't lie down and helped by a four-foot miss from Woods, the underdog got to two up with three to play. Woods birdied the 34th with a six-footer and drained a 30-footer downhill to level the match at the 35th. They halved the 36th with tense pars before Scott missed a 15-footer for the match at the first extra hole and then failed to find the green at the 194-yard 38th and lost out to Woods' par.

"Given the circumstances, this has got to be my best round," reflected Woods. "You'd think five up would be enough, but against Tiger no lead is secure," said Scott.

Within 48 hours, Woods, who had a year left to go at Stanford University, released a statement saying he had turned professional. Within seven days he had earned $2,544 for finishing tied 60th at the Greater Milwaukee Open. Within two months he had two Tour victories and full playing rights. Nearly nine years later he has won nine majors and almost $50 million.

Scott remained in college and didn't turn professional until 1999, having played in two Walker Cups. He has never had full playing rights on the PGA Tour but has had two wins on the Canadian Tour. Putting woes have seen him switch to the broomhandle.

The best successes we can find for him this year are on the Minor League Golf Tour. In January he won their PGA Challenge and collected $320. Former Luton Town footballer Roy Wegerle tied for third and took home $55. Scott also won the Gopher-Birdie Open in February. Top prize $220.

The cute little girlfriend, whose sniggering may have fired up Tiger was also Scott's caddy at Pumpkin Ridge. She is now an LPGA-qualified instructor. Her name was Kristi Hommel. She is now Mrs Steve Scott.