Only two players in golf history have won 80 or more tournaments on the PGA Tour. Sam Snead won 82, most all-time; but now Tiger Woods is back.
“I looked around and the tournament was over because I’d already put the bunker shot on the green, and I’d won 80,” said Tiger. “Eighty is a big number. I’ve been sitting on 79 for about five years now, and to get 80 is a pretty good feeling.”
Tiger has come a long way from personal tragedy, divorce, scandal, and four back surgeries. After five years 1,876 days, this is one of the greatest achievements in sports history.
The great Ben Hogan came back from a serious auto accident many years ago to win again on the PGA tour. However, this is different. A year ago, after his back had been fused, Tiger said he did not know what the future would be.
He worked his way back, went through chipping and pitching woes. However, for the first time he was pain free.
In February of this year, my son Larry Jr. and I spent some time with Tiger in Jupiter, Florida at the Medalist Golf Club. Woods and Larry are NIKE athletes. Tiger shot 65-68-65-71 to win by two shots over Billy Horschel.
Tiger finished second in the Fed-Ex Cup. He was very close to winning for the third time. Justin Rose, the new world number-one player, won the $10 million Fed-Ex Cup. He beat Tiger by 41 points.
Once I saw Tiger play nine holes with my own eyes, I believed he would win again. He started the year ranked 1,166th in the world. Today, after his third career Tour Championship win to beat the top 30 players on the PGA Tour, Tiger is now 13th in the world.
Tiger got a check for $1,620,000.00, plus nearly $4 million for runner-up in the FED-Ex Cup playoffs. Tiger winning again is a huge boon for golf.
Tiger has won 14 Major Championships and is listed the favorite to win the Masters in April. He’s the second-highest-paid athlete in career earnings all-time at $1.7 billion.
It’s been a remarkable year for Tiger. He finished second in the PGA Championship, sixth in the British Open, second in the FED-EX Cup playoffs, and won the Tour Championship. The record crowds at the Tour Championship in Atlanta were so supportive cheering and rooting for Tiger. The TV ratings were the best in 15 years at the Tour Championship.
Somebody said nobody could move the meter like Tiger Woods. NBC course analyst Roger Maltbie said, “Tiger is the meter.” This week, Tiger leads the American team to France for battle vs. Europe for the Ryder Cup.
Larry Fitzgerald can be heard weekday mornings on KMOJ Radio 89.9 FM at 8:25 am, on WDGY-AM 740 Monday and Friday at 9:10 am, and at www.Gamedaygold.com. He also commentates on sports 7-8 pm on Almanac (TPT channel 2). Follow him on Twitter at FitzBeatSr. Larry welcomes reader responses to info@larry-fitzgerald.com, or visit www.Larry-Fitzgerald.com.