[Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images]
Tiger Woods is the same age as me, which is where all comparisons between us end. It means, however, that I have lived and worked throughout the entire ‘Tiger Era’ that either ended circa-2019 or still continues in some fashion to this day, depending on your viewpoint.
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During the period when Tiger dominated the sport, a few contenders to his throne emerged, each with differing degrees of impact and longevity. David Duval was perhaps the first and even removed the world No.1 mantle from Woods. But Duval collected just a single major during his attempted overthrow and quickly disappeared from the battlefield.
Vijay Singh arguably authored the strongest rivalry. The towering Fijian blossomed most prolifically in 2004, at precisely the time of one of Woods’ rare dips in form (he won just once all season and ‘plummeted’ to fourth on the PGA Tour moneylist). Singh brought a combination of talent, drive and an insatiable work ethic that was a level up from most challengers to Woods’ empire.
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I always felt Ernie Els was the one who could stick it to Tiger with the greatest effect. I recall a conversation with the late, great Jack Newton in the early 2000s when he opined the same way. And on paper, Els probably did challenge Woods more than any other player. But in doing so, he also suffered the deepest wounds. When you come so close so many times only to fall short, it leaves a scar. Woods even famously quipped to caddie Steve Williams ahead of one final-round pairing with Els, “If we can break him just one more time, he might go away,” or words to that effect.
Phil Mickelson was perhaps the only other genuine threat. The pair offered such a study in contrasts, but Phil gave Tiger too much of a head start on the majors front and never assumed world No.1. He lasted the longest, sure, but rarely squeezed past his fellow Californian when it mattered most.
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Since that foursome, Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka and Scottie Scheffler have been the only names with enough clout to be considered contenders, although the latter two have enjoyed far shorter overlaps with Woods’ playing career. (That is a salient point in these discussions now, as this exercise moves further towards being a post-Tiger conversation.)
Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and even our own Adam Scott and Jason Day have made it to No.1 in the world, but without the sustained dominance of Tiger and the primary contenders.
McIlroy’s late majors push (to reach six), along with Koepka’s five and Scheffler’s four have seen them as the only players to push past the three-majors barrier that Spieth and Padraig Harrington reached.
Scheffler at age 30 (McIlroy is 37, Koepka is 36) is far better positioned to challenge Tiger on the numerical front. In that space, weeks spent ranked world No.1 and majors won reign. Scheffler has now sat atop golf’s world ranking for 205 weeks, although he still trails Tiger by 478, or nearly a decade. And Scheffler is still 11 majors in arrears (and 14 behind Jack Nicklaus).
Both mountains appear taller than Everest within the golf realm, yet no climber has reached base camp with as much oxygen left in their tank.
