Tiger Woods has revealed a second round 66 that help secured him the ‘Low Amateur’ medal at the 1996 Open Championship was the catalysist for him turning professional.

Woods qualified for the 1996 Open as then the two-time winning U.S. Amateur before making it three in succession a short time later.

Tiger Woods in happy mood during his pre-Open press conference. (Photo - Fran Caffrey/www.golffile.ie)

And after his strong showing on the Lancashire links gem, Woods admitted that rather than go back to college he mind was made up to turn professional, and he did that in September later that year.

“Yeah, I remember I got hot in that second round here in ’96,” he said.

“I think I made seven birdies on an 11‑hole stretch or 12‑hole stretch there.  I think I posted 66 that day.

“At the time I tied Ian Pyman’s record for low am.  And I thought that was a pretty great accomplishment.

“And from ‑‑ I think that ‑‑ The Open Championship that year basically I thought pushed me towards turning pro versus going back to college.

“I was still kind of iffy about whether I should turn pro or not.  But that gave me so much confidence that I could do it at a high level, I could shoot those scores and I could play against the top players in the world on a very difficult track.

“And later that summer I ended up winning the (U.S.) Amateur.”

Woods made his Open Championship debut a year earlier in 1995 at St. Andrews and played all four rounds in finishing in a share of 68th place.

A year later, he tied England’s Iain Pyman for the lowest-ever round by an amateur on route to sharing 22nd place.

Four years later, in 2000, Woods returned to the Home of Golf to lift the Claret Jug for a first time.