Woody Austin wanted so desperately to be at Royal Montreal Golf Club this week for the 2024 Presidents Cup that he begged U.S. captain Jim Furyk continuously for more than a year to add him to his roster of captain’s assistants.

Glutton for punishment? Not at all. To provide entertainment value? Well, you be the judge.

“I think it would have been fun,” Austin said.

Appearing in his only Presidents Cup, Austin was the most memorable actor at Royal Montreal in 2007, and even most casual golf fans likely know why. During the second-day four-ball session, Austin attempted to hit his ball from a submerged lie in a greenside pond at the 14th hole. He lost his balance on the follow through and fell face-first into the water. His head was submerged for a few seconds. The guy made eight birdies that afternoon, carrying his partner, David Toms, to a tie against Trevor Immelman and Rory Sabbatini, but blooper-reel material always was going to overshadow his quality of play. The PGA Tour even refers to it as one of “the most iconic moments” in Presidents Cup history.

Then he went from laughingstock to legend on Sunday when he donned a pair of scuba goggles as he walked off the 14th tee.

Aquaman was born.

“The goggles weren’t my idea,” Austin said by telephone from his home in Kansas. “That was a little collaboration between Barbara Nicklaus and my caddie, Brent Henley. He pulled them out of the bag on the tee, and said, ‘We think it would be really cool if you wore these.’ I said, ‘Well you little sh*t.’ But, yeah, obviously it turned out to be pretty good. People have responded to that in cool way.”

A story of how Woody Austin became Aquaman 🥽💧

At the same place as this week’s @PresidentsCup, the 43-year-old became a legend in 2007 after falling in the water during the closing stretch at Royal Montreal.#TOURVault pic.twitter.com/0YcSNrFQfg

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) September 21, 2024

That’s largely because Austin has been cool about the incident, taking it in stride even as his play that week rarely gets mentioned. He scored 2½ points with his 1-1-3 record, his only win coming in a 5-and-4 foursomes victory with Phil Mickelson over Retief Goosen and Stuart Appleby. Pretty good for a 43-year-old rookie, as the U.S. beat the International team, 19½-14½, in what was Jack Nicklaus’ final year at the helm.

Winner of four tournaments each on the PGA Tour and the PGA Tour Champions, Austin, 60, said that his lone Presidents Cup appearance was certainly among the highlights of his career. Even if no one else remembers how he played, the Florida native knows that he brought a quality golf game to Quebec.

“I wouldn’t say it was the most fun I’ve had on a golf course because I wasn’t there to have fun,” Austin said. “At that point in my career, I mean, heck, I was 43 years old. It was my first one, and I just wanted to prove that I belonged there. I think I did all right, especially considering I was Phil’s partner twice.

“But it was a great experience, a wonderful experience, and that’s why I would have loved to have gone back there.”

Austin found the humor of it all when he came out during Sunday singles on the 14th tee wearing a swim mask.

Scott Halleran

Nevertheless, Austin’s presence is still felt. Of course, a replay of his spill has been shown on television, and Golf Channel’s Johnson Wagner even attempted to recreate the shot. Then there’s the 1Password 30-second commercial that has been airing this week that is a sendup of Austin’s travails.

“This has Woody Austin written all over it,” says a female golfer as she watches one of her playing partners attempting to hit a shot out of a water hazard. Naturally, the man falls into the water after trying the shot, and the actor executes a fairly decent recreation of Austin’s tumble. Three different versions of the commercial have aired, with one showing the actor wearing goggles at the end.

1Password, which signed on as a global presenting partner for the Presidents Cup, contacted Austin through his former agent to get permission to use his name. Austin didn’t think twice about it. And he earned a little coin for doing so.

“I only saw it once, but I thought it was good, though they didn’t quite get the situation right. I didn’t have both feet in the water, which is why I fell back after the swing and lost my balance,” Austin said. “It’s a funny commercial, but you know what? That whole thing was funny when it happened. How can you not laugh at that? It’s funny, so people remember it.”

Austin remembers it often, too, though in a fond way. He still has the goggles, and they are displayed in his house. Every member of the U.S. team signed it, including captain Nicklaus.

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This article was originally published on golfdigest.com