At the 1994 US Amateur, played at TPC Sawgrass, Trip Kuehne held as much as a six-hole lead over the then 18-year-old player, but Woods responded and ended up winning the title, the first of his three consecutive victories in the tournament.

More than three decades later, Kuehne recalled that match and acknowledged that there were three mistakes of his own that he still remembers. The most striking came between the two rounds of the final: after prevailing with seven birdies in his first 13 holes, he fell asleep in the locker room before the second part of the duel.

Kuehne had the match under control

Tiger Woods came very close to losing one of the most memorable finals of his amateur career. The US Amateur final was played over 36 holes, and Kuehne began the second round with a considerable lead. The American, who was 22 years old, knew Woods and his family well: Earl Woods had accompanied his son on trips during which they also stayed with the Kuehnes.

The match took a dramatic turn at the start of the day’s second round. As Kuehne himself recounted, a brief nap in the locker room during the break between rounds allowed him to return to the course completely refreshed, but with a different kind of energy.

However, he also recalled two crucial mistakes that made things easier for Woods to close the gap: first, a mistake in club selection after consulting with his father; second, a poor lay-up on the 9th hole (a par 5) that sent the ball straight into a bunker and cost him another bogey.

Woods's comeback was not immediate, but the lead Kuehne had built began to disappear. The young Tiger ended up prevailing in the duel and won the first of the three consecutive US Amateurs he would claim between 1994 and 1996.

Kuehne recalled that match on GOLF's Subpar podcast and said he has never watched the full broadcast again. He doesn't need to remember what happened: he still retains the details of that day in his memory, including the nap he took between rounds.

The defeat did not prevent Kuehne from building an outstanding career as an amateur. He never turned professional, played in three Walker Cups, and in 2007 won the U.S. Mid-Amateur at Bandon Dunes, a result that earned him a spot in the 2008 Masters.

The relationship between Woods and Kuehne did not end that day either. Before facing each other in the final, the two already knew each other well and had shared amateur competitions. In fact, Kuehne said that Woods even served as his caddie at the Canon Cup, something he described with humor: “I was probably the only person in the world he caddied for.”

That match ended up becoming another milestone in Woods's amateur years. For Kuehne, on the other hand, it became one of those unforgettable defeats that can be reconstructed shot by shot: a six-hole lead that vanished, an ill-timed nap, two unfortunate decisions, and the historic comeback of a rival who, shortly afterward, would dominate world golf before making the leap to professionalism.