Valhalla Golf Club defined over years by Tiger Woods, playoffs, drama in signature events

When the words "Valhalla Golf Club" are mentioned, the first image that likely comes to mind is Tiger Woods pointing at the ball and walking after it as the ball rolled toward the cup on the 16th green in the middle of a playoff with Bob May. That iconic moment — among the many Woods has conjured up during his illustrious career — occurred during the 2000 PGA Championship.

It's far from the only memorable instance at the course.

And far from the only notable tournament the course has held.

Here's a look at previous high-profile events Valhalla has hosted:

1996 PGA Championship

Ten years after Valhalla opened — thanks to the vision of the Gahms, the course's founding family — it finally had its first signature tournament. And what remains the signature win of Mark Brooks' golfing career.

But it nearly was a storybook ending for the course, and the Bluegrass State: Kenny Perry, a Kentuckian, shot a 4-under-par 68 to end at 11 under for 72 holes. That earned him a spot in a sudden-death playoff with Brooks. On the first playoff hole, however, Perry's tee shot went into the rough.

Brooks, who had birdied the 18th hole to force the playoff with Perry, birdied the 18th again to ruin Perry's dreams — and likely those of many in attendance that August day — of winning a major in his home state.

It was the only major victory for Brooks, who won seven times on the PGA Tour and is a member of the Texas Golf Hall of Fame.

Perry, an Elizabethtown native who played at Western Kentucky, had 14 wins on the PGA Tour — but a major wasn't among them. He had two other top fives in addition to the 1996 PGA playoff loss; Perry had a share of the 54-hole lead at the 2009 Masters but fell in a sudden-death playoff to Ángel Cabrera.

Since joining the Champions Tour, Perry has won four major championships on the senior circuit.

2000 PGA Championship

Woods entered the 2000 PGA as the undisputed No. 1 player in golf.

May had never won a PGA Tour event.

Their vastly different résumés meant nothing during the final round of what then still was known as "Glory's Last Shot." Woods, who already had the U.S. Open and Open Championship titles to his name that year (winning those two by a combined 23 strokes), had to birdie his final two holes in regulation to force a playoff with May.

The three-hole aggregate playoff — the first year of the format, switching from sudden death — delivered drama in spades.

It started with the aforementioned birdie putt from Woods on the 16th.

The pair each made par on the next hole, the 17th. On the final hole, No. 18, May's birdie putt barely slid by the cup. Woods was able to save par after hitting into a greenside bunker, becoming the first player since Ben Hogan in 1953 with three major victories in a calendar year.

Woods went on to capture the 2001 Masters to complete the "Tiger Slam" and become the first player in the professional era of golf (beginning with the formation of the Masters in 1934) to hold all four major championships at once.

2004 Senior PGA Championship

In a rain-delayed Senior PGA Championship that ended on a Monday, Hale Irwin birdied the 18th hole to beat Jay Haas by one stroke. It was Irwin's fourth Senior PGA Championship; only the legendary Sam Snead (six) won more. It also was Irwin's 40th win on the senior tour, becoming the first player to reach that figure. (His 45 victories on the senior tour remained the standard until last year, when Bernhard Langer bagged No. 46).

Irwin, who led after each round of the 2004 Senior PGA, was 58 at the time of his win, making him the oldest victor of the event since 61-year-old Pete Cooper in 1976.

2008 Ryder Cup

Things couldn't have been much bleaker for the U.S. team entering the 2008 Ryder Cup. For the first time in the history of the biennial event, Team Europe had brought home the cup three consecutive meetings. And the Americans were without the world's top player, Woods, who sat out while recovering from knee surgery.

But thanks to U.S. captain Paul Azinger, the Americans didn't taste defeat a fourth straight time.

Unlike previous men in his position, Azinger had four captain's picks at his disposal instead of two. And he created a pod system for his team, with the 12 players divided into groups of three based on style of play and personality.

Azinger's unconventional approach paid off: The U.S. ended the morning session of the opening day ahead 3-1 and up 5 ½ to 2 ½ when the afternoon matches wrapped up. By the close of Day 2, the U.S. led 9-7.

The red, white and blue ended Europe's run of success in the event on the third and final day, taking a 16 ½ to 11 ½ victory on their home soil. Perry and fellow Kentuckian J.B. Holmes were members of the triumphant squad.

Jim Furyk's 2 & 1 win over Miguel Ángel Jiménez provided the clinching point for the U.S. team.

2011 Senior PGA Championship

In yet another tournament at Valhalla decided after 72 holes were in the books, all-time great Tom Watson birdied the first playoff hole to edge David Eger. Both players had opportunities to win in regulation, but neither could sink their respective birdie putts on the 18th.

The lead swapped hands throughout the final day, with four players — Eger, Irwin, Watson and Kiyoshi Murota, who had a share of the lead after each of the first three rounds and placed solo third, just one shot out of the playoff — taking turns at the top.

With the victory, Watson set a (since-broken) record as the oldest player (61) to win a major since the senior tour was founded in 1980.

2014 PGA Championship

At the time Rory McIlroy tapped in his putt on the 72nd hole of the 2014 PGA Championship, it appeared the golf world had its most dominant player since Woods in his prime. It was McIlroy's third win in as many starts, which also included the Open Championshipanda World Golf Championship. His Valhalla conquest was his second PGA Championship in three years, giving McIlroy four major titles at just 25 years old; the only others who had accomplished that feat were three of the game's biggest names in Woods, Bobby Jones and Jack Nicklaus.

But since that victory, despite oh-so-many close calls, McIlroy has yet to win another major championship.

And on that day nearly a decade ago, as he raced to beat the darkness, McIlroy had to earn it.

McIlroy held off charges from Phil Mickelson (who shot a final-round 66, two strokes better than McIlroy) and Rickie Fowler (who tied for fifth or better in all four majors that year without a win). Those three, as well as Henrik Stenson, had at least a share of the lead on the back nine during the final round.

A 10-foot birdie putt on 17 extended McIlroy's lead to two shots with one hole to play, but then controversy ensued: He hit his tee shot on the 18th while the pairing ahead, Fowler and Mickelson, still were in the fairway. Neither Fowler nor Mickelson could match McIlroy at 16 under.

As dusk set in, the Northern Irishman cemented his status as the world's top-ranked golfer.

"I think I showed a lot of guts out there to get the job done," McIlroy said after the win. "Today wasn't easy. The guys came at me pretty quickly. I was waiting for something to click."

Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: PGA Championship, Tiger Woods part of Valhalla Golf Club top moments