A Tiger Woods scoring record is in danger at this week’s … Korn Ferry Tour Championship?
We don’t blame you for being confused. This is one of those read-the-fine-print stats. Let’s explain.
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As golf fans are aware, the 15-time major champ never played on the PGA Tour’s developmental circuit. Tiger turned pro after winning a third consecutive U.S. Amateur in 1996 and quickly earned his PGA Tour card through sponsor’s exemptions, picking up his first win in only his fifth start as a pro. And he never looked back.
Woods would win a record-tying 82 times (and possibly still counting) on the PGA Tour, breaking many other records along the way. One of those was the tour’s single-season scoring record, which he set during his storied 2000 campaign with a 67.79 stroke average. Incredibly, Woods matched that number in 2007 and it has stood the test of time, even during Scottie Scheffler’s scorching seasons the past few years.
But now Johnny Keefer has a chance to beat it this week. Sort of.
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Ahead of the developmental tour’s season finale, Korn Ferry Tour media officials noted that Keefer, the tour’s No. 1 player this year and a guy headed to the PGA Tour next year, has an identical 67.79 scoring average for the season. So he’s in position to possibly break that record—if it’s considered the record across both tours.
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Keefer was asked about the record during a practice round earlier this week. Here’s what he said:
“I didn’t even know that, but that’s really cool,” Keefer says in the clip. “Tiger’s obviously a guy that we all look up to, so having any stat even near Tiger is a good thing.”
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Keep in mind, Keefer wasn’t even born when Tiger had that historic 2000 season. Which is both a reminder of how old we’re all getting—and also just how good that year was that the mark hasn’t been broken. Not even on the Korn Ferry Tour.
That being said, Keefer will have his work cut out for him this week to beat. Last year, no one averaged that low at the difficult Pete Dye Course at French Lick Resort with Braden Thornberry winning the event at nine under.
So, there’s a good chance Tiger’s record is safe. And if Johnny happens to break it, well, Woods will still have the PGA Tour mark.
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