Although we're well-removed from the peak of Tiger Woods' dominance on the golf world, he still holds a grip over the game. As speculation continues to swirl around whether he'll tee off at The Masters on Thursday, it's easy to wonder if his impending return is being overhyped.
Those who watched Woods in the late 90s to the mid 2000s have no such wonderances.
Woods in his prime was a force of golf, and along the way he set a myriad of records. While golf is often a sport of longevity, Woods packed an entire career into a decade, not to mention his resurgence in 2019.
Here's a look at the records Woods currently holds, and others he's close to.
Most official PGA Tour events won: 82 (tied)
Woods has won a whopping 82 PGA Tour events, tied with Sam Snead for the most in golfing history. His 82 victories are nine more than Jack Nicklaus, who won 73 events. Woods is looking for one more win to pass Snead and became the sole record holder.
Lowest scoring average in a year: 68.17 (2000)
In Woods' illustrious career, 2000 was one of the most dominant seasons to date. He won the PGA Championship, U.S. Open, and The Open Championship in 2000, a precursor to his unprecedented "Tiger Slam," which he completed when he won The Masters in 2001. Woods became the first player to hold all four titles at the same time, though he didn't win the Grand Slam in one year.
Youngest player to achieve a career Grand Slam: 24 years old
Only five players have achieved the career Grand Slam of The Masters, the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open, and The Open Championship. Woods was just 24 years old when he won The Open Championship in his first attempt in 2000, joining Gene Sarazan, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, and Nicklaus.
Consecutive PGA Tour cuts made: 142
One of Woods' most impressive accomplishments, he made an astounding 142 consecutive cuts from 1998 to 2005. The previous record was 113 set by Byron Nelson, whereas Nicklaus sat at 105 as his career-best. For context on how ridiculous this achievement is, Justin Thomas holds the longest active streak at 17. Woods lost his streak on May 13, 2005 at -- ironically -- the EDS Byron Nelson Championship.
PGA Tour winning percentage: 22.9 percent
Woods has won 82 of his 359 starts on the PGA Tour, by far a record. The best way to show how impressive that number is is visually:
Tiger's win percent is "pretty good"... 😀
— Lou Stagner (Golf Stat Pro) (@LouStagner) November 27, 2021
Second in Major wins: 15 (Three behind Jack Nicklaus)
Never say never, of course, but the most prestigious record Woods is still chasing is Major victories. Jack Nicklaus holds the record at 18, which he won between 1963 and 1986. Woods has won 15 career majors, including 14 from 1997 to 2008. He won The Masters again in 2019, adding to his personal total. As The Masters approaches on Thursday, it's becoming more apparent he will try to go for number 16 at Augusta.
