Tiger Woods gets a helping hand from Arnold Palmer in 2001. (AP Photo)

2001: Woods claims duel with Lefty

When Tiger Woods arrived at Bay Hill in March of 2001, he hadn’t won in five starts. The golf media world was abuzz with talk about a “Tiger Slump.” Well, if Woods was a in slump, he found his cure on the spacious fairways of the Bay Hill Club and Lodge. Woods held off Phil Mickelson by one in one of their many great duels in the early 2000s. Woods began the say in a battle with Sergio Garcia, but it soon turned into a tussle with Mickelson. Lefty led after Woods made bogey on the 11th. Woods would tie on 16, before he caught a huge break to win it on the 72nd hole. Woods hit a spectator with his drive. That prevented the ball from going out of bounds. He took an old-school drop from the cart path and rifled a 5-iron to 15 feet before making the birdie putt. “I got an ‘Arnold Palmer’ break,” Woods said. “I was able to get some wonderful breaks down the stretch. It was not a pretty round of golf but I got the ball in the hole. It’s always nice to win.”