OK, Tiger, that's impressive

It would seem, at this point in time, that Tiger Woods' pursuit of 18 major golf championships -- tying him with Jack Nicklaus -- might seem a bit far beyond possibility.   Now, given the number of great golfers in the world now compared to when Nicklaus was playing, and the fact that when Nicklaus showed up his combination of distance off the tee and skill on the greens gave him a BIG advantage that took the rest of the world awhile to catch up, I don't think it's fair to compare what Nicklaus did to what Tiger has done to determine the "greatest golfer ever".  So much has changed -- and remember that just generally, because equipment made it possible to hit the ball further, many golf courses had to lengthen their holes just to keep up -- that comparisons are quite difficult.  Suffice it to say that Tiger has been the best of the post-Nicklaus era, by far.

But still, Tiger would probably like to be the number one golfer for something, and this week he got closer to being number one in terms of the number of PGA events won in a career.  That number is 82, and he tied that number, held solely by Sam Snead until then.  And considering again how many great golfers there are now, compared to when Snead was playing, it's an amazing accomplishment, both in terms of winning and longevity (and Tiger had to take a break for his extramarital adventures and his injuries both).

Tiger accomplished this feat, tying him with Slammin' Sammy, at PGA tour event in Japan. And though not everybody on the tour made the trip, it's not like he beat a group consisting entirely of no-names;  Hideki Matsuyama was second and Rory McIlroy was a couple of strokes back, too.

So, though you might not need the additional recognition that tying the PGA win mark brings, and I know you don't need the money, congratulations on hitting that mark anyway.  And now I wish for you to win at least one more, so you'll be all alone on the pinnacle.  This particular pinnacle, at least.


EIGHTY TWO WINS! Tiger Woods seals another incredible comeback and pulls level with Sam Snead's all-time record of PGA Tour victories by claiming Zozo Championship in Japan... and he's come a long way since meeting 'The Slammer' as a kid!