Running 2024 golf thread

To me Tiger’s dominance will always be best reflected in:

Won 7 of 11 majors (2000-2002 IIRC)

That’s flat out ridiculous.

 

Tiger Slam.

 

Ok…..informal poll
GOAT:

A. Jack Nicklaus
B. Tiger Woods


A.

 

I was not trying to say Tiger was GOAT, just addressing dominance. Most majors to me means GOAT. Tiger not winning any majors between years 32-43 is hard to fathom.

 

The third-biggest story in golf after Scheffler and Korda was a 15-year old who looks 10 and is about 140 pounds with six Titleists in each pocket tying for 20th on the Korn Ferry Tour. He's playing again this week:
Miles Russell, 15, earns another Korn Ferry Tour start with top-25 finish - PGA TOUR

 

Speaking of Korn Ferry, I've been following because our State Open champ from last year got status for this year.

Anyway, Frankie Capan III is out there just destroying it today. 12-under through 15 on a par-71. His current heater started with an eagle on 9 followed by six straight birdies. Yeesh.

 

Update: Needed to hole a 7-footer for par to finish at 58. Lowest ever KFT score was 57, but that was on a par 70.

 

Similar to the LeBron-MJ stuff: Jack greatest career, Tiger the GOAT.

And between the ages of 20-37 Tiger also had the better overall career. Jack adding more majors than Tiger after each turned 38 to me is like LeBron adding on points and titles at this point. Or Kareem winning three NBA titles and adding thousands more points after the age of 38. Adds to their careers, doesn't give them GOAT crown.

That 18-year comparison when the two were in their primes is enough for me to make the choice:
Jack:
14 major wins
15 second-place finishes in majors
64 career wins

Tiger:
14 major wins
6 second-place finishes in majors
79 career wins

Tiger: Won 4 straight majors; Jack's longest streak was 2.

Tiger: 142 consecutive cuts; Jack's longest streak was 105.

Longest PGA winning streaks:
Byron Nelson famously 11 in a row, 1945. Since 1954, one person has won four or more tourneys in a row. That's Tiger, who won 7 in a row in 06-07 (second behind Nelson), 6 in a row in 1999-2000, 5 in a row from 2007-2008. Hogan is only other to twice win at least five in a row, with 6 in 1948 and and 5 in 1953. Jack's longest streak was three, which Tiger also did two other times.

Tiger: Completed career grand slam at age 24. Jack did it at age 26. They're the only two players to win the career slam multiple times and each has done it three times. Jack completed the achievement at the British Open when he was 38 years old. Tiger completed his third career grand slam at the US Open in 2008 when he was 32.

Jack won 5 or more tourneys in a season 7 times (all in that 18-year run mentioned). Tiger won 5 or more tourneys in a season 10 times (all in that 18-year run). Jack twice won seven tourneys in a season. Tiger had a 9-win season, two 8-win seasons and a 7-win season.

Since 1900, there have been two occasions when a player won a major by 10 or more strokes. Both times were by Tiger, winning by 12 at August in 1997 and 15 at the U.S. Open in 2000.

Tiger: Only player to win multiple majors in back-to-back years.

From 2000-2010 Tiger held the record for lowest 72-hole score in all four majors. Rory broke his U.S. Open record in 2011, with the others also falling since...though not by one single player. Since it would be absurd for one guy to hold all those records at the same time. And for a decade. Unless it's the GOAT.

Obviously I'm not going to argue vehemently with anyone putting Jack at No. 1. But for me it's TW. Then again, I'm horribly biased toward my fellow born-in-1975 folks so that's also affecting my choice of Tiger.