If cats have nine lives, Tiger Woods is on 8 ½. By PGA Tour standards, Eldrick is both old and broken. He is 49 – one year short of Champions Tour eligibility, egads! – with the body of an aging sports reporter. Ahem.
Much of the wear and tear on Woods’ legs, back and now Achilles tendon has been self-inflicted, either by training with Navy SEALS, swinging a golf club at Herculean speeds or by driving vehicles nearly as fast and much more erratically.
Woods announced Tuesday that he ruptured his Achilles “as I began to ramp up my own training and practice at home (for the Masters in April).” El Tigre has never done anything halfway, which while commendable also has come at a cost to his physical well-being. The Achilles injury sounds like the latest case of overdoing things, but it also could be that the most famous golfer in the world is past the point of doing anything overly strenuous without suffering injury. (Welcome to the club, dude).
Woods likely will miss all of the 2025 season and perhaps much of 2026. It is a shame for TV networks, who count on him to bump ratings during the limited events he plays, but most golf fans have given up on expecting him to win again.
There always is an outside chance he can contend in the Masters for another decade. He last won it in 2019 at age 43, the second oldest to do so behind Jack Nicklaus, who was 46 when he won his sixth green jacket in 1986. The Golden Bear also tied for sixth at Augusta 12 years later. But realistically? Woods’ victory march across the back nine of Augusta in 2019 is the last PGA Tour win we will ever see from the 15-time major champion.
Woods has become an ambassador for the sport, but is loath to be portrayed as a ceremonial golfer. I would not put him in that category just yet, but his body may be begging for it.
Given that he is closer to his competitive end than not, now is as good a time as any to compare his greatness to that of Nicklaus.
A few numbers to help make the call:
Tour victories: Woods 82 (22.9 winning percentage), Nicklaus 73 (12.5%). Wins in majors: Nicklaus 18 (17.3%), Woods 15 (17.6%); runner-up finishes in majors: Nicklaus 19, Woods 7; Missed cuts: Nicklaus six, Woods 12.
There is a lot more statistical info where that came from, but you get the idea. Both golfers rank as the best of their eras. I always like to say Jack is golf’s greatest champion, based on his majors, and Tiger is the best at a single given point, in his case 2000, when he won nine times, including the U.S. Open by an amazing 15 strokes.
I would take Nicklaus off the tee and with long irons. Woods gets the nods on the greens, although Jack is close, and with a wedge in his hands. The Bear gets bonus points for longevity, Woods for competing against deeper fields, though it could be argued Nicklaus faced better top talent.
What say you? Jack or Tiger?
Cavaliers strut stuff even without Donovan Mitchell
Don’t sleep on Cleveland as a potential NBA champion. The Cavs own the league’s best record at 55-10 and can beat you a number of different ways, even without their best player on the floor.
Donovan Mitchell leads the team in scoring with 24.2 points a game, good for 17th in the league, which means Cleveland had to find those points when Mitchell sat out Tuesday’s 109-104 win against Brooklyn. The victory completed the team’s second 15-game winning streak of the season.
No Mitchell, no problem. Darius Garland scored 18 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter, Jarrett Allen had 23 points and 13 rebounds and Evan Mobley added 21 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
None other than Boston Celtics fan Bill Simmons thinks Cleveland is the team to beat in the East, saying on his podcast that the Cavs would win a Game 7 at home against the Celtics. That’s high praise coming from the king of Boston sports homers.
The Cavs are fun to watch because they have so many different ways they can win. Small ball. Go big. Mitchell lighting it up. Mobley burying 3s. Coach Kenny Atkinson has done a marvelous job.
Listening in
“That wasn’t a basketball player confronting me. That was a parent, that was a father. I can’t sit here and be angry or feel slighted by LeBron James in any way in that regard.” – ESPN talking head Stephen A. Smith on his heated courtside conversation with LeBron James, who according to Smith was not happy with comments Smith made about James’ son, Bronny.
Off-topic
It’s about that time of year when my wife and I drive up to Amish country to check out beautiful wooden furniture, enjoy the gorgeous rolling hills of northeastern Ohio and catch lunch at Mrs. Yoder’s Kitchen in Mount Hope. Do yourself a favor and try the fried chicken. You can thank me later.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus: Who deserves to be called the No. 1 golfer?
