Editor’s note: This was orginally published on April 9. To watch Tiger Woods’ 1999 PGA Championship victory, tune in to ESPN2 at 7 p.m. ET.
Go ahead, take your shots. Denigrate, denounce, decry. It’s all fair. Then try to figure out how to rank each of Tiger Woods‘ 82 PGA Tour victories in order, from top to bottom, without regard for major championships, World Golf Championships or regular events.
Good luck.
Tiger more or less said that to me when I ran the idea by him, chuckling at the task at hand. And it was a monumental endeavor.
Think about it: 15 major championships, two Players Championships, 18 World Golf Championships. That’s 35 wins right there — or a number alone that would put him 14th on the all-time PGA Tour win list, one ahead of Vijay Singh, who won 34 in his own Hall of Fame career.
How do you put anything above those wins?
Well, what about the eight victories at Arnold Palmer‘s Bay Hill, including a couple of incredible walk-offs? Or the five at Jack Nicklaus‘ Memorial Tournament, including one where he hit every single fairway for the tournament? Or that thrilling duel with Phil Mickelson at Doral? The seven-stroke final-nine comeback to win at Pebble Beach? Or his first win at Las Vegas in 1996 in a 90-hole tournament that went to a playoff? Or the Tour Championship victory in 2018 at East Lake, his first since spinal fusion surgery. Or his last win at the Zozo last fall, in Japan of all places?
Remember when Woods waxed the field at East Lake, to capture the Tour Championship, in the first year of the first FedEx Cup? He opened 64-63-64 in a ridiculous performance and won by eight. “What year was that?” Woods said. Told it was 2007 — and that it was the first year of the FedEx Cup — Woods shook his head. “I would have never got that.” But he remembered how good that win was, and so it got a higher spot on the list than maybe I would have otherwise thought.
One thing that stood out to him was the “Tiger Slam” of 2000-01 when he won all four major championships in a row. Included in that stretch was some incredible golf away from the biggest tournaments.
Sure, it’s tough for even Woods to remember them all. “But I’ve got those 15 down,” he quipped, referring to the major championships.
With that in mind, here’s the ranking, with plenty of room for debate:
1. The Masters (2019)
81st PGA Tour win
Argue all you want, but this tops them all. Woods was no longer the superpower 21-year-old nor the guy whom everyone feared. He was almost two years removed from serious spinal fusion surgery, and he believed his career was likely over. Quality of life trumped competitive golf. And yet he won his first Masters in 14 years. His first major championship in 11 years. He beat back players nearly 20 years younger, including Brooks Koepka and Xander Schauffele. And he came from behind to win a major for the first time. The celebration afterward, with Tiger hugging his kids as he had hugged his own father in nearly the exact same spot behind the 18th green after winning in 1997 … it just doesn’t get any better. It was an unreal scene and an incredible victory.
Relive Tiger’s 2019 win at The Masters
2. The Masters (1997)
Fourth PGA Tour win
The first major remains some of Tiger’s finest work. Woods was just 21. He went to Augusta National with tremendous fanfare. And then, playing the first round with defending champion Nick Faldo, he went out in 40 strokes to seemingly throw away his chances. He then came back in 30, shot 70, took the second-round lead and never looked back. He trounced Colin Montgomerie in a third-round pairing that saw him increase his lead to 9 shots, setting up a Sunday coronation that the world tuned into in droves, despite the inevitable outcome. And he set or tied 27 tournament records, including youngest champion and lowest 72-hole score of 270 at 18 under par — since tied by Jordan Spieth. He won by 12 shots over Tom Kite.
How to watch Tiger’s 1997 win on ESPN
3. U.S. Open (2000)
20th PGA Tour win
In one of the game’s all-time remarkable performances, Woods won by 15 shots and was the only player to shoot under par at Pebble Beach. Even a triple-bogey during the third round could not stop Woods, who won his third major championship. Not only did Woods annihilate the field, but he beat the course — and the game. And he left a world of golfers deflated.
4. The Open (2000)
21st PGA Tour win
Picking up where he left off a month earlier at the U.S. Open, Woods again posted a large-margin major championship win, completing the career Grand Slam at the Home of Golf in an 8-shot rout over Ernie Els and Thomas Bjorn. Woods was never in a bunker over 72 holes at the Old Course at St. Andrews in a performance that would have been heralded with far more fanfare had he not won by 15 a month earlier at Pebble Beach.
5. U.S. Open (2008)
65th PGA Tour win
This could easily be No. 1. Woods had no business winning this tournament, given his physical state, his lack of competition and — frankly — the number of mistakes he made at Torrey Pines. Woods, we later learned, was playing with two fractured bones in his left leg. He had not played a tournament since the Masters due to a knee procedure. And three times, he double-bogeyed the first hole. After all that, he needed to make a 12-footer for birdie on the 72nd hole as the last man on the course — the only one with a chance to tie Rocco Mediate. The putt dropped, and the Southern California earth shook. Woods then defeated Mediate in an 18-hole playoff that needed an extra hole. A few days later, Woods had his ACL repaired and didn’t play for the rest of the year. His 2008 tally: four wins, in six starts, with a tie for fifth his worst.
6. The Masters (2001)
27th PGA Tour win
Woods had nearly eight months to think about the unthinkable — winning four consecutive majors, something never done in the modern game and only accomplished once prior, by amateur Bob Jones in 1930. Jones won the British Amateur, U.S. Amateur, The Open and the U.S. Open. Woods trailed by 5 strokes after a first-round 70, but a second-round 66 pulled him into a tie with Phil Mickelson, just 2 strokes back. Woods led by one over Mickelson heading to the final round. David Duval briefly tied Woods with a birdie at the 15th hole but gave it back with a bogey at 16, and Woods birdied the 18th for a 2-shot win — his fourth consecutive major and sixth overall. It also was his 27th PGA Tour victory.
7. Players Championship (2001)
26th PGA Tour win
The first non-major to make the list. This Players victory came in the midst of the “Tiger Slam” that saw him win four consecutive major championships. It’s amazing to think he threw in a Players victory as well — just two weeks prior to winning the Masters. And this was at a TPC Sawgrass Stadium course that mostly frustrated him. This is the tournament where Woods made the “better than most” putt — as called by NBC’s Gary Koch during the broadcast — on the 17th green during the third round. He was playing alongside Phil Mickelson, no less. A final-round 67 meant a 1-stroke victory over David Duval.
8. WGC-NEC Invitational (2000)
23rd PGA Tour win
Winning three straight majors wasn’t enough for Woods. A week after capturing the PGA Championship, he went to Firestone and cruised to another victory, opening with a 64 and winning by 11 strokes, hitting the final shots in darkness as lights flickered in the distance.
9. PGA Championship (2000)
22nd PGA Tour win
Woods had to work hard for a third consecutive major championship, outlasting Bob May in a thrilling final-day duel that went to a three-hole aggregate playoff at Valhalla. May — once a Southern California phenom who never won on the PGA Tour — shot 66 to Woods’ 67 before Woods finally prevailed, producing that iconic scene in the playoff where he walked in a birdie putt and pointed at it as the ball dropped into the cup. Woods became the first player since Ben Hogan in 1953 to win three major championships in the same year.
10. Ford Championship at Doral (2005)
42nd PGA Tour win
The first regular PGA Tour event to make the list, this is a personal favorite. It was a rare duel with Phil Mickelson, and it was epic. Both players traded blows over a thrilling back nine at Doral. Mickelson had won twice earlier in the year and Woods once. It was less than six months since their ill-fated pairing as teammates at the Ryder Cup — they lost both matches together. Woods trailed going into the final round, then overtook Mickelson, but he saw Lefty nearly hole a chip shot at 18 to force a playoff. For a non-major tournament, this was as good as it gets.
11. PGA Championship (1999)
11th PGA Tour win
Woods was feeling the pressure of not having had won a major since his 1997 Masters triumph. Ten majors had passed, and there were questions about Woods’ ability to rack up a slew of major titles. And he won just once in 1998. Woods got a big scare from 19-year-old Sergio Garcia down the stretch at Medinah before prevailing by a shot with a final-round 72.
12. The Masters (2005)
43rd PGA Tour win
Woods had gone nearly three years between major wins when he prevailed at Augusta National in a playoff with Chris DiMarco. And Woods was coming off a bleak year that saw him win just once, as he had made swing changes under new instructor Hank Haney. His victory came in dramatic fashion, as he had the remarkable chip-in for birdie from behind the 16th green, then gave it away with consecutive bogeys to drop into a tie with DiMarco. Woods birdied the first extra hole for his ninth major title.
13. AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am (2000)
17th PGA Tour win
Somewhat lost amid all of his greatness, in part due to a Monday finish — which was tape-delayed on the West Coast. Woods trailed Matt Gogel by 7 strokes with just nine holes to play but holed a shot for an eagle at the 15th, birdied the 16th and birdied the 18th for a final-round 64 at Pebble Beach to win by 2 strokes. It also was his sixth straight victory on the PGA Tour.
14. The Open (2006)
49th PGA Tour win
A rare emotional display followed Woods’ victory at Royal Liverpool, where he won his first major title since the death of his father, Earl, two months prior. Playing the baked-out Hoylake course, Woods famously hit just one driver during the tournament, electing to use irons off tees and rely on a precision approach game. For the second time in consecutive years, Woods had to hold off Chris DiMarco and won by 2 shots for his 11th major championship title — tying him with Walter Hagen for second all time behind Jack Nicklaus.
15. The Open (2005)
44th PGA Tour win
Woods won his second major of the year and his second Open at the Home of Golf, opening with rounds of 66 and 67 at the Old Course in St. Andrews. Woods led by just two after three rounds but cruised to a 5-stroke victory over Colin Montgomerie to capture his 10th major. Jack Nicklaus played his final major championship, and Woods competed a unique slam of sorts — having won each of the four majors in which Nicklaus played for the last time (2000 U.S. Open and PGA; 2005 Masters and Open).
16. Masters (2002)
31st PGA Tour win
Woods became just the third player and first since Nick Faldo in 1990 to defend his Masters title. A third-round 66 moved him into a tie with Retief Goosen, 2 shots ahead of 2000 Masters champion Vijay Singh and four ahead of Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia. Woods shot a final-round 71 and was never really threatened, as Goosen fell back with a 74 and nobody else challenged.
17. U.S. Open (2002)
32nd PGA Tour win
Woods grabbed the first-round lead at brutal Bethpage Black, and despite shooting higher scores each day, he won by 3 strokes over Phil Mickelson. In the process, Woods became the first player since Jack Nicklaus in 1972 to win the Masters and U.S. Open in the same year, a feat that has occurred just seven times, with Jordan Spieth being the last to do so in 2015.
18. Motorola Western Open (1997)
Sixth PGA Tour win
The victory at Cog Hill Country Club outside of Chicago was significant, as it was the fourth of an amazing first full year on the PGA Tour and saw Woods play the 18th hole with fans swarming behind him as the ropes were dropped. He beat Frank Nobilo by 3 strokes and went on to be No. 1 — less than a year into his professional career — for the first time, surpassing Greg Norman. Woods has been No. 1 for a total of 683 weeks in his career.
19. PGA Championship (2007)
59th PGA Tour win
In sweltering conditions that topped 100 degrees throughout the tournament at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Woods nearly became the first player to shoot 62 in a major championship, narrowly missing a birdie putt in the second round on the 18th and settling for 63. He went on to win by 2 shots over Woody Austin for his 13th major title.
20. Arnold Palmer Invitational (2009)
66th PGA Tour win
In just his third tournament back after nearly eight months away while recovering from ACL surgery, Woods overcame a 5-shot, final-round deficit and stunned Sean O’Hair by making a 15-foot birdie putt on the final hole to shoot 67 for the victory.
21. PGA Championship (2006)
51st PGA Tour win
What had been an otherwise dreary year with the death of his father and his first missed cut in a major championship as a pro became exceptional in a matter of weeks, as Woods followed his victory at The Open with another at the PGA Championship. He forged a third-round tie with Luke Donald at Medinah, then shot a final-round 68 to win by 5 strokes over Shaun Micheel for his 12th major title, tying Billy Casper with 51 wins.
22. Players Championship (2013)
78th PGA Tour win
Woods won eight times in 2012-13, and this was the biggest — a win at what had typically been a frustrating TPC Sawgrass. A third-round spat with Sergio Garcia only heightened the drama. So did a final-round tee shot in the water at the par-4 14th hole, about which conspiracy theorists to this day debate whether he took a proper drop that still led to a double-bogey 6. Woods prevailed by 2 shots after a final-round 70 for his second Players Championship title.
23. WGC-Bridgestone Invitational (2013)
79th PGA Tour win
Woods matched his career-low score with a second-round 61, which had him well on his way to a 7-shot victory — his fifth of 2013, his eighth at Firestone and his 18th World Golf Championship. It would be his last win for more than five years.
24. WGC-Bridgestone Invitational (2009)
70th PGA Tour win
Woods overcame Padraig Harrington in a heated back-nine duel in which the three-time major championship winner Harrington fell apart after both he and Woods received a slow-play warning — in the final twosome — over the closing holes at Firestone. Woods later criticized the warning and believed it hurt Harrington. Woods shot a final-round 65 to win by four. Some interesting context: The week prior, Woods won the Buick Open and the week after, he blew a 54-hole lead for the only time in a major championship when he finished second to Y.E. Yang at the PGA Championship.
25. Memorial Tournament (2009)
67th PGA Tour win
Woods hit every fairway — that’s right, 56 fairways — at Muirfield Village and overcame a 4-shot final-round deficit, birdieing the last two holes to break a four-way tie for the lead and beat Jim Furyk by a stroke. It was his fourth victory at Jack Nicklaus’ tournament and his second in 2009 in his return from knee surgery.
26. Bell Canadian Open (2000)
24th PGA Tour win
Woods capped an incredible year by hitting a 6-iron second shot from a fairway bunker 218 yards on the par-5 final hole at Glen Abbey to set up a two-putt birdie and a 1-shot victory over Grant Waite. It was his ninth victory of the season.
27. Arnold Palmer Invitational (2013)
77th PGA Tour win
Woods moved back to No. 1 in the world — after falling as low as No. 58 — for the first time since October 2010 with a 2-shot victory over Justin Rose. It was his eighth victory at Bay Hill, matching a 48-year-old PGA Tour record. A Monday finish landed Woods a hearty congratulations from tournament host Arnold Palmer, a scene in which both were laughing hysterically. Woods later said Palmer needled him with an expletive for laying up on his second shot on the final hole, leading to their shared moment of joy.
28. Deutsche Bank Championship (2006)
53rd PGA Tour win
Despite having won two majors and a WGC in the previous four weeks, Woods was not done winning. He shot a final-round 63 to beat Vijay Singh by 2 strokes at TPC-Boston.
29. WGC-NEC Invitational (2001)
29th PGA Tour win
Woods went into a bit of a lull after completing the Tiger Slam earlier in the year at the Masters but managed to capture his third straight WGC victory at Firestone. But this took a lot of extra work. After shooting a final-round 69 to tie Jim Furyk, Woods needed seven extra holes before defeating him in a sudden-death playoff.
30. Las Vegas Invitational (1996)
First PGA Tour win
It had to start somewhere, and for Woods, it all began in Las Vegas. In just his fifth start as a pro, Woods shot a final-round 64 in what was then a five-round, 90-hole event to tie Davis Love III. He then beat Love in a sudden-death playoff. Would a Love victory have changed anything? Probably not, but winning in that fashion only bolstered Woods’ confidence.
31. Tour Championship (2018)
80th PGA Tour win
Woods had seemingly been trending toward his first victory following spinal fusion surgery in 2017, but he had to handle the likes of Rickie Fowler, Justin Rose and Rory McIlroy as playing partners over the final three rounds at East Lake. A third-round 65 put him in position, and the final-hole coronation of spectators enveloping the 18th hole behind him as he walked to the final green will long be a highlight of one of his most impressive victories.
32. WGC-NEC Invitational (1999)
12th PGA Tour win
The first of three straight victories at Firestone in Akron, Ohio, in what was the first year of the World Golf Championship events. Woods led by 5 strokes after a third-round 62, and Phil Mickelson, who was seven back and tied for fourth, made it interesting with a closing 65 to pull within one.
33. WGC-American Express Championship (1999)
15th PGA Tour win
The WGC event that is now called the Mexico Championship moved to various locations in its early years and was played in Spain in 1999 at Valderrama — site of the 1997 Ryder Cup, where Woods played that event for the first time. This event was the week following Woods’ win at the Tour Championship — the same week Payne Stewart died in a plane crash. Woods was a shot back to begin the final round, shot 68 to tie Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez and won on the first extra hole of sudden death. It was the third victory in three weeks and eighth of the year for Woods.
34. Mercedes Championship (2000)
16th PGA Tour win
In what turned out to be a riveting duel with Ernie Els to start the year, Woods prevailed in a two-hole, sudden-death playoff at Kapalua to kick off a remarkable season. Both players eagled the 18th hole in regulation, then both birdied it on the first extra hole. Woods then won with a 40-foot birdie putt on the second extra hole, his fifth straight victory dating to 1999. Woods would go on to win three majors, and Els was the long-distance runner up in two of them.
35. WGC-American Express Championship (2002)
34th PGA Tour win
Playing the WGC event in Ireland a week prior to the Ryder Cup, Woods famously quipped that he could think of a million reasons (first place: $1 million) he’d rather win this tournament than the following week’s Ryder Cup (which the U.S. lost in England) before winning by a stroke over Retief Goosen. That comment led to conjecture that Woods didn’t care about the Ryder Cup.
36. Bay Hill Invitational (2001)
25th PGA Tour win
Woods had played six worldwide events without a victory, hence he was declared to be in a “slump” prior to his win at Bay Hill. A final-round 69 was punctuated by an 18th-hole birdie to beat Phil Mickelson and relegate Lefty to his first runner-up finish against Woods.
37. Memorial Tournament (2012)
73rd PGA Tour win
Woods was 4 strokes behind to begin the final round at Muirfield Village and holed a flop shot on the par-3 16th hole with playing partner Rickie Fowler as a witness. He shot 5-under-par 67 to win by two. When he greeted tournament host Jack Nicklaus just behind the 18th green, the two men were tied at 73 victories on the PGA Tour, second all time to Sam Snead.
38. Tour Championship (2007)
61st PGA Tour win
Woods had no trouble capturing the first FedEx Cup title, winning the Tour Championship at East Lake in a rout: He started 64-63-64 and went on to win by 8 strokes. It was his seventh victory of 2007.
39. WGC-American Express Championship (2005)
46th PGA Tour win
A fourth victory at a fourth different venue in this event, this time at Harding Park in San Francisco. Woods shot a final-round 67 to tie John Daly, who missed a short putt in a sudden-death playoff. It was Woods’ sixth victory of the year. Side note: Daly wrote in his autobiography that he headed straight to Las Vegas after the defeat (for which he won $750,000) and promptly blew more than $1 million playing $5,000 slot machines.
40. Buick Invitational (1999)
Eighth PGA Tour win
A 62-65 weekend at Torrey Pines was the start of considerable success at one of Woods’ favorite tour venues. He beat Billy Ray Brown by 2 strokes.
41. WGC-American Express Championship (2006)
54th PGA Tour win
Woods didn’t care where they played the event, he would win it anyway. He capped an eight-victory season with an 8-stroke victory to win the Amex for the fifth time — all at different venues. This one was played at The Grove in England, a week following a U.S. Ryder Cup defeat in Ireland.
42. AT&T National (2009)
68th PGA Tour win
A name from the past was involved in this one: Anthony Kim. The golfer-gone-into-hiding shot a first-round 62 at Congressional Country Club and had an early final-round lead before falling back. Woods shot a final-round 67 to win by a stroke over Hunter Mahan.
43. Arnold Palmer Invitational (2012)
72nd PGA Tour win
This was Woods’ first official victory following the infidelity scandal, a period of some 2½ years. He did it at a familiar place, winning for the seventh time at Bay Hill. He shot a final-round 70 to pull away from Graeme McDowell and win by five.
44. AT&T National (2012)
74th PGA Tour win
The third round at Congressional Country Club was played without spectators due to a storm that left the course in shambles and dangerous for big crowds. Woods got some help from Bo Van Pelt, who bogeyed his final three holes while Tiger shot a final-round 69 to win by two. The victory moved Woods past Jack Nicklaus and into second place on the all-time PGA Tour victory list, eight wins behind Sam Snead.
45. WGC-Cadillac Championship (2013)
76th PGA Tour victory
A 66-65-67 start gave Woods a 4-shot lead through 54 holes, and he cruised to a 2-shot win over Steve Stricker for his seventh title in this tournament. It also was the fourth time Woods won a tournament at the Doral Resort in Miami.
46. GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic (1997)
Fifth PGA Tour win
In his first start after his Masters victory, Woods did not let up, opening the tournament with a pair of 64s on his way to a 2-shot victory over Larry Rinker.
47. Tour Championship (1999)
14th PGA Tour win
During a week marred by the death of Payne Stewart, Woods cruised to a 4-shot victory over Davis Love III at Champions in Houston. The tournament was postponed for a day during the event so players could attend Stewart’s funeral, with 27 holes scheduled on Thursday and Saturday.
48. Bay Hill Invitational (2003)
37th PGA Tour win
A rainy, miserable final round was accentuated by Woods’ illness. He had food poisoning and at times became physically ill on the course. But he still managed a final-round 68 — to win by 11 shots. It was his fourth straight victory at Arnold Palmer’s tournament.
49. WGC-American Express Championship (2003)
39th PGA Tour win
With a 67-66 start at Capital City Club in Woodstock, Georgia, Woods jumped to a 5-stroke 36-hole lead and eventually won by 2 strokes for his third win at this event.
50. Zozo Championship (2019)
82nd PGA Tour win
An impressive win for many reasons, including that it was Woods’ first tournament appearance in nine weeks, following a rough summer of sporadic play and August knee surgery. Then, after bogeying the first three holes at the first-ever Japanese PGA Tour event, Woods played the remaining 15 in 9 under to shoot 64, then added another 64 to take a 2-shot 36-hole lead. The first and second rounds were sandwiched around a typhoon that wiped out play on Friday. Woods had a 3-shot advantage through 54 holes and went on to win for the 82nd time, tying Sam Snead’s all-time PGA Tour record that dates to 1965.
51. WGC-NEC Invitational (2005)
45th PGA Tour win
Woods kept making it look easy in WGC events and at Firestone. This time, he shot a final-round 71 to hold off Chris DiMarco by a shot to claim his ninth WGC title and fourth at Firestone.
52. WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship (2008)
63rd PGA Tour win
The randomness of match play makes it more difficult to rank these wins higher, but this came at a time of great success for Woods. He was 3-for-3 in tournament wins that year, including a victory a few weeks earlier at the Dubai Desert Classic on the European Tour. At the time, the Match Play had a 36-hole final, and Woods won in a rout, 8 and 7 over Stewart Cink.
53. WGC-Bridgestone Invitational (2006)
52nd PGA Tour win
This was Woods’ fourth victory in five weeks and followed his win at the PGA Championship. It was his fifth victory at Firestone and 11th WGC title. Still, he needed a playoff to defeat Stewart Cink. He tied Byron Nelson, who would pass away a month later, with 52 wins.
54. Arnold Palmer Invitational (2008)
64th PGA Tour victory
Woods made a 25-footer for birdie on the 18th hole at Bay Hill to edge Bart Bryant by a shot, marking the first time in seven years that he won a tournament with a 72nd-hole birdie. It was his third victory of the year and his fifth straight on tour. It also was his fifth victory at Bay Hill — and first with Palmer’s name in the title. The win tied him with Ben Hogan for the third-most victories in PGA Tour history.
55. BMW Championship (2009)
71st PGA Tour win
This was Woods’ first win since blowing the PGA Championship to Y.E Yang — the first time Woods had ever squandered a 54-hole lead in a major. The 8-shot victory was Woods’ fifth at Cog Hill in suburban Chicago (three Western Opens) and second in what had become a FedEx Cup playoff event.
56. WGC-Bridgestone Invitational (2007)
58th PGA Tour win
This was another rout at Firestone, as Woods prevailed in the World Golf Championship event for the sixth time, shooting a final-round 65 to win by eight. The tournament moved to the week prior to the PGA Championship for the first time.
57. BMW Championship (2007)
60th PGA Tour win
After a history dating to 1899, the Western Golf Association was renamed the BMW Championship and became part of the FedEx Cup playoffs. And what better way for the event to begin its new history than to have Woods fire a final-round 63 at Cog Hill to win by 2 shots, giving him four victories at the Western/BMW.
58. Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic (1996)
Second PGA Tour win
Tiger’s second tour victory came amid the torrent start to his career that saw him qualify for the Tour Championship despite playing just seven events. Woods shot a final-round 66 at Disney’s Magnolia course to edge Payne Stewart by a stroke. Through just seven events, Woods was already ranked 37th in the world.
59. Memorial Tournament (2001)
28th PGA Tour win
This was Tiger’s third straight victory at Muirfield Village, as he cruised to a 7-shot win by shooting all four rounds in the 60s. At age 25, he passed Lee Trevino‘s career PGA Tour victory total.
60. Buick Invitational (2007)
55th PGA Tour win
Woods’ fifth win at Torrey Pines came with some luck — or bad luck for Charles Howell III, whose approach to the 18th green hit the flagstick and rolled back into the water. It was Woods’ seventh consecutive stroke-play victory on the PGA Tour and included a final-round 66.
61. Farmers Insurance Open (2013)
75th PGA Tour victory
For the seventh time (and eighth including the U.S. Open), Woods won at Torrey Pines, although this time it was with a shaky finish and a bizarre Monday ending. Woods at one point had an 8-shot lead, but bogeyed four of his last five holes in the fog-delayed tournament. He still won by 4 shots.
62. WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship (2004)
40th PGA Tour win
Woods defended his Match Play title at LaCosta, defeating Davis Love III in the championship match 3 and 2 to surpass Tom Watson on the PGA Tour victory list. It was also Woods’ only victory of the year — and the first time since 1998 that he won just once — as he worked through a swing change that would eventually lead to him working with Hank Haney.
63. Memorial Tournament (1999)
Ninth PGA Tour win
Woods’ first victory at Jack Nicklaus’ tournament came after a hot first two rounds at Muirfield Village. A Sunday 69 was enough to defeat Vijay Singh by 2 strokes.
64. Buick Open (2006)
50th PGA Tour win
Woods’ second victory at Warwick Hills in Grand Blanc, Michigan, came by way of shooting 66 in all four rounds. He finished 3 strokes ahead of Jim Furyk. It was his second victory in the event, and he became just the seventh player to win 50 PGA Tour events.
65. WGC-CA Championship (2007)
56th PGA Tour win
Not as compelling as his previous two victories in Miami, nonetheless it was Woods’ third straight at Doral, the first in the new format as a World Golf Championship event, meaning it was his sixth WGC title in what had before been called the American Express Invitational. He defeated Brett Wetterich by 2 shots.
66. Buick Invitational (2008)
62nd PGA Tour win
For the fourth straight year, Woods began his season with a victory at Torrey Pines, this time by 8 shots over Ryuji Imada, needing just a score of 71 in the final round to cruise to victory. It was his sixth PGA Tour victory at Torrey. And it tied him with Arnold Palmer at 62 PGA Tour victories.
67. Ford Championship at Doral (2006)
48th PGA Tour win
A year after a final-round duel with Phil Mickelson at Doral, Woods opened with a 64 and had enough of a cushion to bogey the final two holes and win a by a shot over David Tomas and Camilo Villegas. It was the last time Doral served as a venue for a full-field PGA Tour event.
68. Buick Invitational (2005)
41st PGA Tour win
His first victory in nearly a year, Woods returned to familiar territory for his third win at Torrey Pines. He had to come from behind to overtake Tom Lehman, who bogeyed the final two holes and finished 3 shots back along with Luke Donald and Charles Howell III.
69. 100th Western Open (2003)
38th PGA Tour win
Woods won the Western for the third time as he led wire-to-wire, cruising to a 5-shot victory over Rich Beem at Cog Hill by shooting a final-round 69.
70. Buick Invitational (2003)
35th PGA Tour win
With weekend rounds at Torrey Pines of 68-68, Woods won by 4 shots over Carl Pettersson to earn his second victory in the tournament.
71. Bay Hill Invitational (2002)
30th PGA Tour win
It was apparent that Bay Hill, Firestone, Torrey Pines and Muirfield Village were becoming Woods favorites. Despite a third-round 74, he cruised to his 30th PGA Tour victory by 4 strokes.
72. WGC-Accenture Match Play (2003)
36th PGA Tour win
The winner of six consecutive USGA match-play titles (three U.S. Juniors, three U.S. Amateurs), Woods took his match-play prowess to the pro game, where he won the title for the first time with a 2 and 1 victory over David Toms in the final.
73. Bay Hill Invitational (2000)
18th PGA Tour win
The first of eight victories at Arnold Palmer’s tournament, Woods shot a final-round 70 and cruised to a 4-shot win over Davis Love III.
74. Memorial Tournament (2000)
19th PGA Tour win
The weather-marred tournament finished on a Monday and Woods had built a 6-shot advantage through 54 holes, cruising with a final-round 70 that assured a 2-stroke win, his fourth of the year and a defense of his Memorial title over Ernie Els and Justin Leonard.
75. Wachovia Championship (2007)
57th PGA Tour win
Woods overcame a double-bogey on the back nine to overtake third-round leader Rory Sabbatini and win by 2 strokes over Steve Stricker at Quail Hollow in Charlotte.
76. Buick Open (2002)
33rd PGA Tour win
Woods cruised to a 4-stroke victory at the Michigan event after opening the tournament 67-63.
77. Motorola Western Open (1999)
10th PGA Tour win
This became the first tournament that Woods won more than once as a final-round 71 was good for a 3-stroke victory over Mike Weir and an indicator of further success in Chicago. He won the PGA Championship at Medinah a month later.
78. BellSouth Classic (1998)
Seventh PGA Tour win
An odd tournament for Woods, as it was his only victory of a frustrating year when he was undergoing swing changes with coach Butch Harmon. A final-round 72 was good for a 1-shot victory over Jay Don Blake. Woods did not defend his title — and never returned to the event — as the following year the tournament was moved to the week prior to the Masters.
79. Buick Open (2009)
69th PGA Tour win
We will always wonder if this victory cost Woods a shot at the PGA Championship two weeks later. He added the event late as longtime Woods sponsor Buick was ending its relationship with the tournament. Woods won by 3, and then won the following week at the WGC-Bridgestone. The third week in a row? The PGA at Hazeltine, where Woods blew a final-round lead to Y.E. Yang.
80. Buick Invitational (2006)
47th PGA Tour win
A final-round 72 landed Woods in a tie with Nathan Green and Jose Maria Olazabal and he needed a final-hole birdie on Torrey Pines’ par-5 18th to do it. Woods then won on the second extra hole when Olazabal missed a 4-foot putt.
81. National Car Rental Golf Classic at Disney (1999)
13th PGA Tour win
In what became a typical occurrence, Woods built a lead, then did what he had to do to win. After three straight rounds of 66 at Disney’s Magnolia course, he shot 73 to beat Ernie Els by a shot.
82. Mercedes Championship (1997)
Third PGA Tour win
Something had to go last, and this is the only tournament Woods won that went less than 72 holes. Then the season-opening tournament on the PGA Tour, the Tournament of Champions as it has been known, was played at LaCosta near San Diego. With weather washing out the final round, Woods and Tom Lehman played a sudden-death playoff in the rain on a saturated course — and Lehman did Woods the favor of knocking his tee shot into a hazard on the par-3.