Wednesday, August 23, 2000
Woods' incredible year leaving records,
opponents shattered
By Jimmy Burch
Knight Ridder Newspapers
(KRT)
The final digits remain uncalculated in summarizing Tiger Woods'
historic 2000 season on the PGA Tour.
But the numbers that will stick with golf fans are in the history
books because the major championships are complete. And the figures
that scream loudest, in the wake of Woods' playoff victory in
the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky.,
are these:
3: Consecutive victories at major championships, matching Ben
Hogan for the most majors won in any season by a professional
golfer.
6: Consecutive victories at PGA Tour events, a streak that ended
in February and included victories in his last four starts of
the 1999 season. It marked the longest winning streak at tour
events since Hogan won six in a row in 1948.
12: Strokes under par at the U.S. Open, the lowest score in relation
to par in tournament history.
15: Consecutive rounds of par or better at major championships
after posting a 75 in the opening round of the Masters.
18: Strokes under par at the PGA Championship, matching Bob May
for the lowest score in relation to par in tournament history.
19: Strokes under par at the British Open, the lowest score in
relation to par in tournament history.
23: Combined strokes by which Woods won the U.S. Open and British
Open in consecutive starts at major championships.
24: Woods' age when he completed the career grand slam, making
him the youngest player to do so.
53: Combined strokes under par in major championships this year,
including a 49-under total during his victories.
68.4: Scoring average at this year's major championships, including
a mark of 67.7 in his final 14 rounds, when Woods posted the lowest
weekend scores at the Masters, then won the final three majors
of the season.
How good is that?
Tom Watson, 50, deems it the best year any professional golfer
has ever had.
“With the way he's played these golf courses during the major
championships, you'd have to say that,” said Watson, an eight-time
major champion. “He has raised the bar higher than anybody
has ever raised it, as far as putting distance between himself
and the rest of the field. You are seeing a phenomenon that the
game may never, ever see again.”
Woods' dominant run through the final three majors of the season
already has triggered chatter about a possible Grand Slam next
season.
Nick Faldo, a six-time major champion, identified Woods as the
only player on tour capable of winning a slam. He said he would
not be surprised if the world's top-ranked golfer gave it a strong
run in 2001. Dan Jenkins, renowned author and golf writer from
Fort Worth, said he expects Woods to complete a slam at some point
in his career, unless he gets hurt.
But that is in the future. The lingering question, at this point,
is how many more milestones Woods can cram into the remaining
weeks of the 2000 season. Some notable numbers worth tracking
between now and Nov. 12, the final day of the official earnings
season, include:
7: Victories this season, with ample opportunities remaining to
eclipse last year's mark of eight.
22: Career victories, putting Woods in position to become the
youngest player to average a victory for every year he has been
alive if he can win twice more this year.
67.86: Season scoring average, a pace that would better the mark
set by Byron Nelson in 1945 (68.33), the year he won 11 consecutive
tournaments.
75.1: Percentage of greens hit in regulation, tops among tour
players.
$6,692,821: Dollars in earnings, breaking the season record Woods
set in 1999.
“I'm too old to get shocked by too many things,” said
Mark Brooks, 39, a Fort Worth resident who won the 1996 PGA. “Death
and taxes will shock you. Great golf, as a rule, won't do it.
But what he's done is nothing short of phenomenal.”
Nick Price, 43, said he shakes his head every time he scans Woods'
statistics from the past three majors.
“I played like that once in my life,” Price said, referring
to his six-stroke victory at the 1994 PGA. “He plays like
that in every major.
It's astounding. I feel sorry for the young guys. Basically, I've
had my day. Whatever I win from here on in is a bonus. But the
young guys are taking a pounding from this guy. They'll have to
play almost perfect golf to win a major as long as Tiger's in
the field.”
Statistically, Woods ranks high in all phases of the game and
is regarded as the tour's ultimate power player. Yet Brooks said
fans might not truly appreciate Woods' power, because he ranks
second in driving distance (294.6 average), five yards behind
John Daly (299.9).
“People don't understand the advantage he truly has because
he doesn't hit driver on all the holes that are measured. And
he doesn't max out his swing,” Brooks said. “When he
really cuts loose, he's hitting it 50 yards past most people,
not 20. That's a huge bonus. Other guys don't have that extra
gear to call on when they need it.”
Watson listed other attributes as well, offering a synopsis of
why Woods is atop the golfing world.
“He has better flexibility than anybody. You hear that from
the trainers,” Watson said. “He works out harder than
anybody, hits the ball farther than anybody, putts better than
anybody, chips better than anybody. He wants to be the best player
who has ever lived. I think that pretty well explains it.”
(c) 2000, Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Visit the Star-Telegram on the World Wide Web: www.star-telegram.com.
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
Start or Join A Discussion about This Story
Send the URL (Address) of This Story
to A Friend:
|
