Eighty-two wins.
Only two years ago it seemed possible that Tiger Woods would never play again, let alone return to the winner’s circle. Since then he’s won three times, with the latest being a three-shot win in Japan at the Zozo Championship today (actually Monday in Japan). The win, his 82nd, ties him with Sam Snead for the most wins in PGA Tour history, a mark he’ll almost surely better. The wire-to-wire victory saw Woods finish at 19-under, three shots better than Hideki Matsuyama.
Canadian Corey Conners finished in a tie for 6th, while fellow countryman Adam Hadwin finished in tie for 41st. The two are both battling to impress Presidents Cup captain Ernie Els and earn a spot on the team that will compete in South Africa.
Woods, who started on the 12th hole after a weather delay pushed the golf tournament by a day, won in his first start since having arthroscopic knee surgery in August. Snead won for his final time on the PGA Tour when he was 52; Woods is 43.
Matsuyama closed to within two on the final hole, but Woods rallied, going for the green on the par-5 in two, and getting up-and-down for a birdie finish.
“This is big,” Woods said after the round. “Hideki made it tight. It was a lot closer than people maybe thought. It is just crazy. It is a lot. I have been able to be consistent most of my career and have put myself up there with a chance to win on a number of occasions, there was plenty of times I didn’t but today was one of those days where I was able to pull it out. It was definitely stressful.”
The victory earned the praise of PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan. “On behalf of the PGA Tour, I would like to congratulate Tiger Woods for tying Sam Snead’s all-time PGA Tour victories record of 82 at the inaugural ZOZO Championship,” said Monahan in a statement. “Today, we celebrate both Tiger and Sam Snead as they share a record that, given how difficult it is to win just once on the PGA TOUR, should sit squarely alongside the greatest accomplishments in sporting history. Tiger has inspired us throughout his career with his talent, passion and the ability to shine in big moments, and he continues to defy even the most outsized expectations with performances like we saw this week.”
What’s in the bag
Driver: TaylorMade M5 460 9.5 degrees
3-wood: TaylorMade M5 13 degrees
5-wood: TaylorMade M5 19 degrees
Irons: (3-PW) TaylorMade P7TW
Wedges: TaylorMade Milled Grind 56 and 60 degrees
Putter: Scotty Cameron Newport 2
Ball: Bridgestone Tour B XS