Ranking Tiger Woods' 15 PGA Tour Major Championship Victories
Over the past decade, injuries and personal setbacks led many to wonder whether Tiger Woods would ever add to his impressive collection of major victories on the PGA Tour.
Sure, his 14 such titles were already the second-most in history. He could have retired with 14 and stayed a golf legend with an admittedly complicated career. But after he tapped in the winning putt at the 2019 Masters, Woods instead finalized a long, winding journey back to the top.
While the triumph sparked excitement about his future and the ongoing pursuit of Jack Nicklaus' record 18 majors, Tiger's improbable victory creates an ideal moment to remember his greatest major accomplishments.
The order here is subjective and considers his on-course performance with added context such as records, historical significance and personal factors.
15-13. 2002 Masters, 2006 PGA Championship, 2005 Open Championship
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15. 2002 Masters
While it marked back-to-back Masters wins for Tiger, the 2002 tournament was short on intrigue during the final round. Co-leader Retief Goosen carded three quick bogeys and dropped five shots back at the turn. Tiger's 71 resulted in a three-stroke victory.
14. 2006 PGA Championship
Similar to the 2002 Masters, Woods took control Sunday after entering tied for the lead. He played the opening nine a commanding five strokes better than co-leader Luke Donald, whose final round included zero birdies. Woods finished 18 under par at Medinah.
13. 2005 Open Championship
Tiger led wire-to-wire on the Old Course at St. Andrews, beginning his tournament by posting a six-under 66 Thursday. He ultimately shot 14 under par to win by five strokes over Colin Montgomerie. No player within five shots of Tiger following the third round managed an under-par round Sunday.
12-10. 2007 PGA Championship, 1999 PGA Championship, 2002 U.S. Open
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12. 2007 PGA Championship
Tiger started slowly with a one-over-par 71 Thursday, but he responded with a scorching seven-under 63. He never relinquished his 36-hole lead, though Woody Austin came within a stroke with just four holes remaining Sunday. However, a birdie on 15 sealed Tiger's two-shot victory.
11. 1999 PGA Championship
For a while, it seemed Tiger might obliterate the field at Medinah on Sunday. At 15 under and in possession of a five-shot advantage after the 11th hole, he was seemingly in complete control. Two bogeys and a double bogey offered a lifeline to 19-year-old Sergio Garcia, but the Spaniard couldn't take advantage and lost by one stroke.
10. 2002 U.S. Open
As usual, scoring was at a premium at Bethpage Black―the site of the 2019 PGA Championship, which will be held May 16-19. Also as usual, young Tiger was an exception to the rule. The 26-year-old carded 67-68 to open the tournament, building a three-shot edge that―despite a two-over 72 Sunday―would be the final margin over Phil Mickelson.
9-8. 2000 PGA Championship, 2006 Open Championship
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9. 2000 PGA Championship
Valhalla Golf Club featured his first playoff in a major. Through 72 holes, he was tied with playing partner Bob May at 18 under par. Woods' birdie on the opening hole stood up during the three-hole playoff, and he became the first back-to-back PGA Championship winner of the stroke-play era.
8. 2006 Open Championship
Less than three months after his father had died, Tiger controlled the Open at Royal Liverpool. He surged to the weekend lead with a 67-65 and closed out the victory with a 71-67, collapsing into tears after he sank the tournament-clinching putt.
"At that moment, it just came pouring out, all the things that my father has meant to me and the game of golf, and I just wish he could have seen it one more time," he said, per Christopher Clarey of the New York Times.
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7. 2005 Masters
4 of 10Based solely on significant moments, the 2005 Masters should be much closer to the top.
Entering Saturday, Chris DiMarco boasted a four-stroke lead over Thomas Bjorn at 10 under par and was six shots up on Woods. Then Tiger strung together seven straight birdies, tying a Masters record, while DiMarco kept dropping shots. They exited the weather-delayed round with Woods up three strokes.
Sunday's round featured Tiger's memorable birdie chip on the 16th green. However, he bogeyed the next two holes and backed into a playoff with DiMarco.
Fortunately for Woods, he ended the head-to-head matchup quickly with a birdie on the opening playoff hole. Tiger slipped on a green jacket for the fourth time in nine years―and the last for the next 13.
6. 2000 Open Championship
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Tiger completed his career Grand Slam at the home of golf, St. Andrews.
Ernie Els opened with a 66 to take Thursday's lead, but Woods headed into the weekend atop the leaderboard after shooting 67-66. His three-stroke 36-hole advantage turned into a six-shot edge entering the final round, and so the 2000 Open was as good as over.
David Toms made a notable surge with four straight birdies on the opening nine, trimming Tiger's edge to four shots. However, a couple of bogeys by Toms and three birdies from Woods created an enormous and insurmountable lead.
Tiger won by eight strokes.
5. 2001 Masters
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Woods capped the most dominant stretch of his career with the Tiger Slam, winning the 2001 Masters to claim his fourth straight major.
"We have witnessed the greatest golfing feat of our time," then-Augusta National Chairman Hootie Johnson said.
Unlike his first Masters win, Tiger didn't obliterate the field. After shooting an opening-round 70, he soared to the lead with a 66 in the second round and a 68 Saturday. Woods arrived in his trademark Sunday red with a one-shot advantage over Phil Mickelson.
David Duval added to the drama with five birdies in a six-hole stretch, and his birdie on the 15th briefly leveled him with Woods. But Duval's bogey on the following hole and Tiger's birdie on 18 secured Woods' second green jacket.
4. 2008 U.S. Open
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Although the 2008 U.S. Open was a precursor to Tiger's decline, the tournament doubled as one of his guttiest performances.
In April, he underwent left knee surgery. The procedure was supposed to repair cartilage damage but revealed a torn ACL. Later, Woods said he cracked his tibia during a photo shoot. A subsequent MRI revealed two stress fractures.
Nevertheless, the determined golfer headed to Torrey Pines two months later and gritted out a five-day, 91-hole event. Woods and Rocco Mediate headed to the U.S. Open's 18-hole playoff, which then required sudden death after both men shot even-par 71s. Mediate's bogey gave Woods the title.
"He beat everybody on one leg," Kenny Perry said.
It also marked the last time Woods would win a major―on one leg or two―for the next decade.
3. 2019 Masters
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For years, the golfing world examined every shot. We declared "he's back!" numerous times when he won a tournament, only to see another injury or setback complicate his many returns to the course.
But in 2019, he did it.
After a 70 Thursday, Tiger started climbing the leaderboard. Despite rounds of 68 and 67, he still left the course Saturday trailing by two shots. He'd never before won a major without at least a share of the lead through 54 holes.
The final seven holes shaped the tournament. Francesco Molinari―then the two-stroke leader―and Tony Finau both found Rae's Creek on No. 12. Top contender Brooks Koepka had done the same. Woods sunk a par, moving into a tie with Molinari and Xander Schauffele.
Tiger rattled off three birdies over the next four holes. Combined with Koepka's narrow birdie miss on 18, the timely surge provided a two-shot cushion entering the final hole. Woods made a strategic bogey to earn his fifth green jacket and his first major in 11 years.
Finally, he was back.
2. 1997 Masters
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Woods twice qualified for the Masters as a collegiate golfer, first making the cut in 1995 and finishing as the low amateur in a tie for 41st. The following year, the Stanford star missed the weekend.
But as a professional in 1997, Tiger announced his presence in grand fashion.
After an opening-round 70, he carded a 66 and vaulted atop the leaderboard. Woods took control of the tournament Saturday, posting a bogey-free 65 to take a nine-stroke lead. Costantino Rocca (two-under 70 to move into second place) was the lone man who submitted an under-par score after entering the third round within five strokes of the lead.
Tiger cruised to his first-ever major victory, which ended with the iconic hug of his father. The 18-under score and 12-stroke margin of victory both set Masters records for the 21-year-old, who became the youngest champion in tournament history.
1. 2000 U.S. Open
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During the 2000 U.S. Open, a grand total of two players shot at least two rounds in the 60s.
Hale Irwin sandwiched a 78 and 81 between his two excellent rounds and finished the tournament 12 over par. Tiger, however, had three such scores, and his 71 Saturday was his worst round of an unforgettable week at Pebble Beach.
No wonder he won by 15 strokes.
"Tiger has raised the bar, and it seems that he's the only guy who can jump over that bar." Tom Watson said.
Watson proved prophetic, considering the 2000 U.S. Open began Woods' run toward the Tiger Slam. Including this win, he earned the victory at six of the next nine majors.
Follow Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.
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