The only appearance Tiger Woods made at Augusta National last month was to attend the past champions dinner during Masters week, which seemed appropriate, sadly so, because tour players are beginning to talk about him in the past tense.
Some of the young stars talked about growing up idolizing Tiger, about the great shots they saw him hit and the big tournaments he won, about the records he set, about what he meant to the game.
Ouch. If you’re Tiger, that has to hurt, because he’s 40 and just missed his second Masters in three years because of back problems that necessitated three surgeries. Intended or not, it sounds as if some players no longer expect Woods to be a contender, even though he is a 79-time PGA Tour winner preparing to return to competition this season.
There are many, inside and outside the ropes, who doubt Tiger will win again – understandably so because he’s winless since August 2013. Of course, there were also skeptics (I plead guilty) who had similar doubts after Tiger went winless in 2010 and 2011. We were all wrong because he snapped a 30-month drought to win twice in 2012 and five times in 2013 to regain the top spot in the world rankings.
That, however, seems like eons ago. This 23-event winless streak is different because he has had three surgical procedures on his back since April 2014, missed the cut in the final three majors a year ago – a career first – and a month ago had plummeted to 476th in the world rankings.
But if Tiger doesn’t win again, he’ll not have to worry about his legacy. No one in our lifetime will dominate the PGA Tour the way he did for nearly two decades, on the way to winning 105 tournaments around the world and 14 major championships. “The Big 3” of Jordan Spieth, Jason Day and Rory McIlroy are being trumpeted as the future of professional golf. But do any of them have a chance to accomplish what Woods has in his career? Let’s consider a few numbers:
Spieth is only 22 years old, has won two majors and, were it not for that disastrous quadruple-bogey on the par-3 12th hole in the final round of the Masters, likely would have become the youngest three-time major winner since Gene Sarazen in 1923. It’s conceivable that he could catch and perhaps pass Woods’ total of 14 majors, but forget about his – or anyone else’s – chances of chasing down Woods and Sam Snead (82) in all-time wins.
Spieth, Day and McIlroy don’t measure up to Tiger in winning percentage, individually or collectively. Tiger has won 79 of 327 PGA Tour events (24.1 percent). Through the Masters, Spieth had won seven of 84 (8.3 percent); McIlroy, 26, 11 of 106 (10.4 percent); and Day, 28, nine of 178 (5.1 percent). All told, the Big 3 combined for 27 PGA Tour victories in their first 368 career starts. Tiger won 28 events in his first 100 tour starts; 26 in his next 100; and 24 in the 100 after that.
Spieth’s best career stretch so far is five wins in a span of 16 events. Day’s best stretch is six wins in 13 events, including back-to-back victories going into the Masters. McIlroy’s best stretch was winning three of four in 2012, including the PGA Championship and two FedEx Cup playoff events. Tiger’s best stretches? There are many. An unprecedented four majors in a row over two seasons; a 54-tournament stretch over four years highlighted by 25 wins and eight second-place finishes – a hot streak that included seven wins in a row, nine wins in 12 events and 17 wins in 29 events from the end of 2006 through his 2008 U.S. Open victory at Torrey Pines on one good leg.
Other notable Tiger feats are making 142 consecutive cuts, 52 consecutive rounds of par or better and 683 total weeks (13-plus years) at No. 1 in the official world golf rankings, including 281 consecutive weeks, both records. So far, McIlroy has been ranked No. 1 for 95 weeks, Spieth for 26 weeks and Day for seven weeks.
In 2015, Spieth and Day became the third and fourth players in the past 20 years to win at least five times in a season. Tiger has won five or more tournament titles in 10 different seasons and eight or more four times.
OK, you get the point. Tiger’s legacy and place in history are secure.
