Tiger Woods' history at St. Andrews: Here's his record at Old Course, last Open Championship win & more

Zac Al-Khateeb

Tiger Woods' history at St. Andrews: Here's his record at Old Course, last Open Championship win & more image

For the first time since 2015, Tiger Woods will play the Open Championship at the legendary Old Course at St. Andrews.

The course is a personal favorite of Woods. He has claimed in interviews that his personal 2021-22 PGA Tour calendar centers on the event. The golf legend even skipped the 2022 U.S. Open in Brookline, Mass., to ensure he would be ready physically to handle the potential four days of the tournament.

It was especially important for Tiger to play this tournament, at St. Andrews, this year. The golfer wanted to have at least one more opportunity to win the Open Championship at his favorite course, considering it typically hosts the event once every five years.

"This may be my last chance to — I'll be playing at St. Andrews with a chance to compete at the highest level," Woods, 46, said Tuesday. "If it comes around in, what, five, six, seven, eight years' time? Well, whatever the timeframe is, who knows if I will be playing the game of golf at this level? I don't know. So I appreciate every single moment, especially coming back here."

MORE: Watch the Open Championship live with fuboTV (free trial)

Whatever the timeline for the Open Championship's return, one thing is immutable: Tiger has been anticipating this event for some time and wasn't going to miss it for anything.

"I am looking forward to St. Andrews," he said in April. "That is something that is near and dear to my heart and I've won two Opens there, it's the home of golf. It's my favorite golf course in the world, so I will be there for that one."

Whether Tiger can add another Claret Jug to his collection this week remains to be seen. Regardless, his appearance alone makes the 2022 Open Championship appointment viewing. With that, here's everything you need to now about Woods' history at St. Andrews and the Open Championship:

When did Tiger Woods last win Open Championship?

Tiger's last win at the Open Championship came in 2006. It was his 51st PGA Tour victory.

He has a 16-year drought in the event — his longest time between wins in a single major event. He experienced a drought of 14 years at the Masters from 2005 through his 2019 victory in Augusta and is in the midst of 14- and 15-year droughts at the U.S. Open and PGA Championship, respectively.

Woods has 31 PGA Tour victories since his last Open Championship win, including four wins in golf's three other majors (the 2006 and '07 PGA Championships, the 2008 U.S. Open and the 2019 Masters Tournament).

MORE: Woods addresses his future, potential last romp at St. Andrews

How many Open Championships has Tiger Woods won?

Woods has three Open Championship victories.

While any golfer would love to win any of golf's top events — let alone multiple times — the Open Championship represents one of Tiger's "least successful" majors. It ties the U.S. Open for the golf major Tiger has won the fewest times; he has four victories at the PGA Championship and five at the Masters.

Woods is tied with nine other players for the 11th-most victories in Open Championship history. Where he ranks among the Open Championship's most successful golfers:

Golfer Titles Years won
Harry Vardon 6 1896, 1898, 1899, 1903, 1911, 1914
James Braid 5 1901, 1905, 1906, 1908, 1910
John Henry Taylor 5 1894, 1895, 1900, 1909, 1913
Peter Thomson 5 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1965
Tom Watson 5 1975, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1983
Tom Morris Sr. 4 1861, 1862, 1864, 1867
Tom Morris Jr. 4 1868, 1869, 1870, 1872
Willie Park Sr. 4 1860, 1863, 1866, 1875
Walter Haugen 4 1922, 1924, 1928, 1929
Bobby Locke 4 1949, 1950, 1952, 1957
Tiger Woods 3 2000, 2005, 2006
Jamie Anderson 3 1877, 1878, 1879
Bob Ferguson 3 1880, 1881, 1882
Bobby Jones 3 1926, 1927, 1930
Henry Cotton 3 1934, 1937, 1948
Gary Player 3 1959, 1968, 1974
Jack Nicklaus 3 1966, 1970, 1978
Seve Ballesteros 3 1979, 1984, 1988
Nick Faldo 3 1987, 1990, 1992

MORE: Woods focused on what might be last chance to play Open Championship at St. Andrews

How many times has Tiger Woods won at St. Andrews?

Tiger has a special love for St. Andrews, where he has experienced his greatest success in the Open Championship.

He made his debut in the major at St. Andrews in 1995 and first won the event in 2000, a year in which St. Andrews hosted (it typically hosts every five years). His victory at the time marked his fourth major championship, following the 1997 Masters, 1999 PGA Championship and 2000 U.S. Open. It gave him a win in each of golf's majors.

He won with a score of 19-under 269 on the par-72 course that year — eight strokes ahead of second-place finishers Thomas Bjørn and Ernie Els. Here is his round-by-round finish at the 2000 Open Championship:

Round Score To par Leaderboard position
1 67 (5 under) 5 under T-2nd
2 66 (6 under) 11 under 1st
3 67 (5 under) 16 under 1st
4 69 (3 under) 19 under 1st

Tiger's second victory at the Open Championship also came at St. Andrews, five years later. He didn't have as good a score as he did in 2000, but he still finished at 14-under 274, five strokes ahead of second-place finisher Colin Montgomerie. Unlike his 2000 victory, he led after each round of play:

Round Score To par Leaderboard position
1 66 (6 under) 5 under 1st
2 67 (5 under) 11 under 1st
3 71 (1 under) 12 -under 1st
4 69 (3 under) 14 under 1st

MORE: The most decorated golfers in Open Championship history

Tiger Woods' Open Championship finish by year

Woods has played the Open Championship 21 times, starting with his debut in 1995. To date, he has three wins and 10 top-10 finishes in the event. He has finished under par 10 times, at even par twice and over par six times. He has missed the cut three times: in 2009, 2015 and 2019.

Below are his results at the Open Championship, including to-par score and final finish atop the leaderboard:

Year Score (to par) Finish
1995 295 (7 over) T-66th
1996 281 (3 under) T-22nd
1997 284 (even) T-24th
1998 280 (1 over) 3rd
1999 294 (10 over) T-7th
2000 269 (19 under) 1st
2001 283 (1 under) T-25th
2002 284 (even) T-28th
2003 285 (1 over) T-4th
2004 281 (3 under) T-9th
2005 274 (14 under) 1st
2006 270 (18 under) 1st
2007 282 (2 under) T-12th
2008
2009 Cut T-74th
2010 285 (3 under) T-23rd
2011
2012 277 (3 under) T-3rd
2013 296 (2 over) T-6th
2014 294 (6 over) 69th
2015 Cut T-147th
2016
2017
2018 279 (5 under) T-6th
2019 Cut T-119th
2020
2021

Tiger Woods results at St. Andrews

Tiger has never missed an Open Championship at St. Andrews; the 2020 event was canceled amid the COVID-19 pandemic. With the Open Championship returning to St. Andrews in 2022, he will keep his streak going at least for another five years, when the venue is expected to host the tournament again.

Below are his results at St. Andrews, which include two first-place finishes:

Year Score (to par) Finish
1995 295 (7 over) T-66th
2000 269 (19 under) 1st
2005 274 (14 under) 1st
2010 285 (3 under) T-23rd
2015 Cut T-147th

Zac Al-Khateeb

Zac Al-Khateeb Photo

Zac Al-Khateeb has been part of The Sporting News team since 2015 after earning his Bachelor's (2013) and Master's (2014) degrees in journalism at the University of Alabama. Prior to joining TSN, he covered high school sports and general news in Alabama. A college sports specialist, Zac has been a voter for the Biletnikoff Award and Heisman Trophy since 2020.