Golf great Fred Couples has been candid in dubbing Tiger Woods the best player of all time. And he’s not the only superstar of the sport who shares that opinion.
There are a handful of names who tend to challenge for the unofficial honour of golf’s best-ever talent. Woods is a popular choice, while 18-time major-winner Jack Nicklaus is the old school pick and Scottie Scheffler is quickly building his case as the current generation’s candidate. However, 1992 Masters champion Couples is in no doubt when it comes to whom gets his pick as the greatest to ever do it. And ‘Boom Boom’ paid tribute to his fellow American when Woods was handed a spot in the sport’s Hall of Fame back in 2022.
“I’m so excited to tune in and see Tiger Woods inducted into the Hall of Fame by his daughter Sam tomorrow,” wrote Couples in response. “Just another accolade for the best I’ve ever seen.”
Although Woods’ tally of 15 majors is three short of record-holder Nicklaus, that total might be higher were it not for the former’s sustained absences over the years. Woods, 49, won 14 of his major gongs between 1997 and 2008 before injuries and personal problems got in the way of his on-course performances.
In a way, that makes his 2019 Masters triumph the most significant of the lot. Ending an 11-year major drought at arguably his most iconic course, the golf legend was awarded a green jacket for the fifth time and reminded the world of his prestige in the process.
The numbers speak for themselves. Woods has won a joint-record 82 PGA Tour events, boasts the lowest career scoring average in the competition’s history and is the youngest player to achieve the career Grand Slam, doing so at just 24 years of age.
He is also the only player in history to have won all four majors consecutively, having achieved that feat across the 2000 and 2001 seasons. And that doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of the records he holds in the sport.
Woods’ legacy evidently spans generations, too, as close friend Rory McIlroy has repeatedly put the veteran top of the list in his G.O.A.T. discussion. He lauded Woods’ quality in 2017 when the American took some time away from golf to recover from a back injury.
“He has been the greatest that I’ve ever seen,” said the Northern Irishman, who also recalled staying up into the wee hours to watch Woods’ 1997 Masters triumph. “I didn’t see Jack Nicklaus play. I know he has a better record, but I don’t know if he played better golf.
“I don’t think there’s been a single figure who’s done more in terms of bringing different groups into the game – different ethnicities and different age groups. He made golf cool when it really needed an injection of something.”
Woods recently dropped to his lowest ranking after plummeting to 2,084th in the world amid his latest absence. Golf fans are still yearning to see the legend return in any capacity possible despite his injuries, and Couples will inevitably be one of them.
