It is the mental toughness that sometimes might be reflected as being seemingly aloof, self-absorbed that separates Tiger from his very few peers. As much as I like Lefty, under similar circumstances he would have packed it in, swinging for the fences and otherwise giving up on doing his best on the remaining holes. I like a lot that Tiger has done since his "troubles".
On #12, I know a mid-single digit golfer who played it three times last spring and with clubs ranging from a gap wedge to a wedge was in the bushes long, water right, and bunker long. Wind was a factor, the setting as well, but how hard can it be to flight something low toward the back bunker. Weiskopf, now Tiger, and numerous others might have some opinions.
I am surprised that the hole is not copied more often. Unlike the Redan which is very difficult for most golfers, #12 is one that should be readily playable for the club golfer and relatively easy to build. We have a poor example at my home course and though the green is much larger and more perpendicular to the tee, I only hit it on regulation 60% of the time, typically with a wedge or 9-iron. Carrying a water hazard impacts golfers differently, but this one is not of the severity of the TPC's #17, yet even DJ mentioned it as a hole that was in his mind as he was playing his round.