I was there: Tiger's win at the 2003 Bay Hill Invitational

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Tiger Woods
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Tiger Woods not only dealt with the rain during the 2003 Bay Hill Invitational, but also food poisoning. And yet he still won.
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Apr. 6, 2009
By T.J. Auclair, PGATOUR.COM Interactive Producer

What's it like to be there in person when Tiger Woods win a PGA TOUR event? As part of our Tiger Woods Victory Room, we asked several members of our PGATOUR.COM team to give us their thoughts on a Tiger win they attended in person. Have you seen a Tiger victory up close? Just click here to e-mail us and we'll post the best ones.

I've had the pleasure of attending several of Tiger's 66 wins over the course of my career. Each one was unique, but if there's one that I found particularly special, it would have to be his win at the 2003 Bay Hill Invitational presented by Cooper Tires.

On the surface, that victory -- which was an 11-shot romp -- appears to be another blowout win, the type we've come to expect from Tiger. And, it is.

However, what made this one all the more impressive is the fact that Tiger played the final round while visibly suffering through the effects of food poisoning.

If you've ever had the extreme displeasure of experiencing food poisoning, you surely know that the golf course -- typically a place of peaceful refuge -- isn't exactly at the top of the list of desired places to be. In fact, there's probably no other place you'd rather be than home.

But Tiger, somehow, someway, not only managed to play through the illness, but fired a 2-under 68 in the final round. He looked like a zombie out there as the rain poured down on Bay Hill, which was fitting weather for a man playing while under the weather.

Every player on the PGA TOUR has a story about playing while sick. But few, if any, have been able to suck it up and perform at the level in which Tiger was able to muster at Bay Hill in 2003.

It was an incredible display of perseverance and another reason why we all know that Tiger is a little different than the rest of his competition.

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