Tiger Woods: Ranking All of Tiger's Major Victories

Tiger Woods' Saturday and Sunday fall from atop the U.S. Open leaderboard to the pack of non-factors was stunning. This is a guy who simply has not let the opportunity to win a major slip through his fingers; you don't win a major 14 times without seizing opportunities.

Tiger's major dominance is so impressive that even his peers have a hard time understanding it. After talking about the intensity of the pressure and not being able to feel his legs during the final round of the U.S. Open, Webb Simpson, golf's newest major champion, marveled at Tiger's accomplishment in this quote from Cameron Morfit of Golf Magazine: "I don't know how Tiger has won 14 of these things."

Well, he's done it in all kinds of ways and while dealing with a wide variety of circumstances. Tiger has won some majors so dominantly that the final round was merely a victory lap, and he has won others in playoffs. 

With all of this in mind, here is how his major wins stack up against each other. 

No. 14: 2007 PGA Championship

Tiger roared out to a three-stroke, 54-hole lead. At this point in his career, we all knew what would happen next: He would win another major. Tiger simply does not blow leads on Sunday at a major. 

Well, he almost blew this one. He missed a four-footer on the 14th hole for par, and his lead shrunk to one stroke over Austin and Ernie Els. 

While that bogey opened the door for his two challengers, Woods quickly slammed it shut with a birdie on 15. He parred the last three holes to finish off a two-stroke victory and claim his 13th major. 

No. 13: 2002 U.S. Open

The 2002 U.S. Open was Tiger's seventh win in the previous 11 majors. It was also the end of the most impressive stretch of golf the sport had ever seen. He did not win another major until 2005.

Tiger didn't leave much suspense in this one. He had a four-shot lead after 54 and only needed a two-over 72 to win by three shots over Phil Mickelson. Tiger finished at three under. He was the only player under par for the tournament. 

No. 12: 2006 PGA Championship

This was a vintage Tiger win. He was tied for the lead after 54 holes and then played rock-steady golf as those around him crumbled trying to keep up. 

As Tiger rose to greatness, the sheer force of his reputation seemed to destroy players, and that is what happened here. Tiger turned the 54-hole co-leader status into a five-stroke victory. 

The other part about this that was vintage Tiger was that he played the par-fives at nine under on the week. This was the longest course ever played in a major, and Tiger took every advantage of that. 

No. 11: 2002 Masters

Tiger claimed his second consecutive Masters by going 12 under par to give him a three-stroke lead over Retief Goosen. This was the first time since 1990 that a player had won back-to-back Masters.

Tiger trailed Goosen and the other leaders for the majority of three rounds, but a fantastic 66 on Saturday moved Tiger into a first-place tie with Goosen heading to the final round. 

It was all Tiger from there as Goosen shot a 74, easily his worst round of the tournament, while paired with Tiger. 

No. 10: 2005 British Open

After going two years without winning a major championship, Tiger won his second of 2005 at the British. 

This was Tiger's second major win on the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland, and he left little doubt as to who the best golfer on the course was. 

He took a two-stroke lead into the final day of play and stretched that by shooting a 70 on Sunday to beat Colin Montgomerie by five strokes. 

This tournament didn't have any classic jaw-dropping Tiger moments, but it didn't need them; he played consistent and smart golf. Woods is one of the all-time great course managers, and this was him at the peak of those abilities. 

No. 9: 2000 British Open

This was the middle of Tiger's three major wins in 2000 and completed his career grand slam.

There was never any doubt in this tournament. He dominated the Old Course at St. Andrews with a four-round score of 269, which was good for 19 under par. These are both the low marks for Tiger at majors. 

To get a feel for just how dominant Woods was at this time, the world's No. 2 golfer David Duval played about as well as he could and finished second—eight shots behind Tiger. 

No. 8: 2005 Masters

While the 2005 British Open lacked a memorable Tiger shot, he gave us all plenty to remember earlier in the Masters of that year. 

This Masters was interrupted several times by rain, and they had to conclude the third round on Sunday. 

When third-round play was halted on Saturday, Tiger was through nine holes and four shots behind leader Chris DiMarco. By the time the third concluded, Tiger was at 11 under and had a two-shot lead. 

It seemed like Woods would run away with the tournament at that point, but he struggled while DiMarco battled back. 

The amazing chip in the above video came on No. 16 and gave Woods a two-shot lead. However, Woods missed a par putt on 18, and they went to sudden death, where Tiger won with a birdie on the first hole. This is Tiger's last win at the Masters. 

No. 7: 1999 PGA Championship

The 1999 PGA Championship had the feel of an event that was marking the beginning of something special. Sergio Garcia, then just 19, rocketed to the lead with an opening-round six-under. 

The long-hitting and charismatic Garcia was bursting onto the scene just in time to become a rival for Woods. The two battled the entire tournament, and Tiger pulled out a one-shot victory. 

Woods had to withstand some bad shots on the back nine and a furious comeback by Sergio to hold onto the victory. He also needed a downhill slider of an eight-foot putt to save par on 17.

This was Woods' second major. He was just 23. It seemed at the time that this tournament would be the start of golf's greatest rivalry. However, Sergio couldn't keep up his end of the bargain. He has had a nice career, but has never won a major.

Meanwhile, this win was just a whisper of the dominance Tiger was about to unleash on the golf world. 

No. 6: 2000 PGA Championship

After completely dominating the last two majors leading up to this one, it was almost a forgone conclusion that Woods would win. 

As it turned out, those conclusions were a little presumptuous. After 72 holes, the victor of this event was still undecided. 

Woods and Bob May set a PGA Championship record by finishing 18 under par. The two finished a full five shots ahead of the next-closest golfer. 

It was shocking that May could hang with Tiger. This is the only time he would ever contend in a major. Any other year in the history of the sport, May would have walked away with this title. 

Tiger drilled a birdie on the first playoff hole to give him a one-shot lead, and the pair played even on the last two holes—giving Woods the victory. 

No. 5: 2006 British Open

You don't get very far into the history of Tiger Woods without also learning about his father, Earl. The two were very close. There are countless photos of Tiger embracing his father as he came off an 18th green that saw him winning a major tournament. 

Less than three months prior to this major, Earl passed away after a brutal bout with cancer, and the emotion was clearly still with Tiger as he turned a one-stroke, 54-hole lead into a two-stroke victory; he did that by firing a solid 67. 

The Associated Press shared this post-tournament quote from Woods (via ESPN):

"

I'm kind of the one who bottles things up a little bit and moves on. But at that moment, it just came pouring out. And of all the things that my father has meant to me and the game of golf, I just wish he would have seen it one more time.

"

We aren't likely to ever see Tiger as emotional as he was after sinking his final putt in this tournament. 

No. 4: 2001 Masters

The Tiger Slam: I know what it is, you probably know what it is and that is because of this tournament. 

Tiger won this Masters to become the first person to ever hold the title of all four current majors at the same time. 

Woods began the final round with a one-stroke lead over Phil Mickelson. 

It was not Lefty that would give Woods his biggest challenge, though. David Duval briefly tied Woods on Sunday when he birdied the 15th, but he bogeyed the next hole and was doomed. 

Woods shot a solid 68 on Sunday and ended up at 16 under for the tournament, which was two shots better than Duval, who finished in second. 

No. 3: 2008 U.S. Open

To get a feel for just how amazing Woods career has been, this is No. 3 on this list. 

Facing the most daunting task in golf, the U.S. Open, Woods hobbled around the course with two stress fractures in his tibia and a knee that was so damaged he needed surgery the following week—and he won. 

It wasn't easy, but that is part of what made it so great. Tiger carried a one-shot lead into Sunday, but he struggled by shooting a 73. Meanwhile, Rocco Mediate was putting the pressure on, and he would have won had Tiger not sank a remarkable putt on 18 to force a playoff. 

The U.S. Open plays a full 18 holes for their playoff, which is less than ideal for a golfer with those kinds of injuries. Again, Tiger had to sink another putt on 18 to force a playoff, and this sent them to sudden death, where Woods finally won on the last hole. 

As far as tournament drama goes, it doesn't get any better than this. 

No. 2: 1997 Masters

This is the tournament that made Tiger Woods a household name. Tiger made a joke of the field and the course while winning his first major. 

He needed just 270 strokes to finish 18 under (both tournament records) and won by 12 shots. 

This was not just a victory; it was a coronation and the dawn of a new era in golf. It also carried social significance, as Woods became the first non-white golfer to win the Masters, and he was an instant mega-celebrity. This turned countless people on to the sport. 

It also led to Agusta making the course longer to avoid the assault of another 18-under score. 

No. 1: 2000 U.S. Open

The single most dominant display in the history of golf came from Tiger Woods at the 2000 U.S. Open. 

Woods won this event by a whopping 15 strokes, and as eye-catching as that number is, it does not tell the whole story. 

Tiger was 12 under. That means the next-closest guy was three over par. It's like Woods wasn't even playing on the same course as these guys. Here are the best players in the world doing everything they can to not drop strokes, and there is Tiger cruising along like he is playing from the white tees at your local municipal course.

It was a sight to behold, and this kind of dominance will never be seen again.