Tiger Woods showed his humility by insisting that he “didn’t really have it” in most of the golfing events that he’s won over the years.
With 82 PGA Tour event wins, 15 major championships, and a World Golf Hall of Fame award to his name, the 49-year-old Florida native will go down as one of the greatest to have ever played the game. Woods has spent a grand total of 683 weeks as the world’s number one golfer across the course of his career to date – including a whopping 281 weeks consecutive between 2005 and 2010.
Woods is a far cry from the player he was with the likes of Scottie Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau, and Xander Schauffele ruling today’s game. However, they are still some way off from ever being able to challenge the long-lasting legacy that he has left on the sport.
Despite his incredible success over the years, Woods revealed that for most of his career, he was simply not performing to the best of his capabilities.
In a candid revelation on the PGA Tour’s official YouTube channel, Woods explained: “People are probably amazed to hear this, but most of my events, I didnt really have it. Those [the events I did have it] are the ones I won by a lot. But most of them were just hanging in there – not making a double, making a key par save.
“That was most of the events that I won.” His comments highlighted the lofty standards he holds as well as his humble side and competitor in him.
Woods also explained that there were three tournaments in particular in which he was truly firing on all cylinders: the 1997 Masters, the US Open of 2000 at Pebble Beach, and the same year’s British Open at St Andrews. He explained: “There are two events that I putted really well, and that was the ’97 Masters and the 2000 US Open at Pebble.
“But the best I ever hit it was at the 2000 British Open. I felt like I had the ball on a string and I could do anything that I wanted to.” In 2025, Woods finds himself at rank 1124 by the WGR, a far cry from the untouchable top spot achieved earlier in his career. His last major win came in the form of the 2019 Masters at Augusta National, where he finished with a total score of -13 – a single stroke ahead of Schauffele, Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka.
The golfing GOAT seems to have slowed down his participation in PGA Tour events recently, only taking part in five competitions across the 2024 season, having struggled with multiple injuries. Woods was forced to withdraw from the Genesis Invitational in February after suffering flu-like symptoms before a 60th-place finish at the Masters in April.
Unfortunately, he missed the cut completely in the PGA Championship at Valhalla, the US Open at Pinehurst No. 2, and the Open at Royal Troon. It is not yet clear how much Woods will play in 2025, but the US golfing legend is expected to participate in at least a few events, provided he’s fit.
Leave a Reply