Rory McIlroy finding his stride at the Masters

Should there be 47 candles on the birthday cake when Tiger Woods greets the arrival of Dec. 30, we’ll assume few of us will be in attendance to see the glow. No worries, because to celebrate the golfer who has established an endless list of records and produced enough highlights to fill dozens of reels, there are countless ways to commemorate the occasion. May we suggest 47 noteworthy entries that speak to his brilliance: 1. It took Tiger just 291 days from his first round as a professional to rise to No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking, the quickest ascension to the top spot in OWGR history. 2. Tiger has been No. 1 a total of 683 weeks. Second-most is more than 350 week behind. The next four on the list combined for 669 weeks. 3. Who finished first the most in the 31 times Woods was a runner-up? That would be Phil Mickelson, five times. On three occasions it was Vijay Singh. Ernie Els, Jim Furyk, and Trevor Immelman had two each, then there were 17 players who did it once each. 4. In comparison to his 15 major titles, he has just seven runners-up in majors – three at the PGA, two in the U.S. Open, twice in the Masters – proving that he made the most of his opportunities. 5. His 82 PGA TOUR victories have been spread over seven countries – two each in England and Scotland, one each in Spain, Canada, Ireland, and Japan, and, of course, 74 in the Unites States. His domestic victories have come in 16 different states with Florida (16), California (14), and Ohio (13) his favorite playgrounds. 6. Tiger Woods was the winner of the first FedExCup, in 2007. He then became the first two-time winner of the Cup two years later. Rory McIlroy, who has a record three titles, is the only other multiple winner of the FedExCup. 7. Only once has Woods shot higher than 279 to win a major, that being the 283 he posted to win the 2008 U.S. Open. 8. Tiger Woods is a two-time winner of THE PLAYERS, and the only man to win the tournament in both March (2001) and May (2013). He also won the 1994 U.S. Amateur at TPC Sawgrass in August. 9. In his five Masters wins, Woods is just 17 under par in the first and final rounds. He’s a whopping 54 under in the middle two. His blueprint for winning at Augusta National? Start slow, finish modestly, but kick the field in the gut in Rounds 2 and 3. 10. In the stretch of 288 major championship holes that comprised the Tiger Slam, he made just one triple-bogey and one double-bogey and played four bogey-free rounds. 11. Jack Nicklaus has the higher total of major wins (18), but Woods’ average margin of victory in his 15 major wins is 4.13. Jack’s average margin of victory is 2.64. 12. If his career was just the 75 tournaments in which he played between 2005 and 2009, Woods’ 31 wins would leave him tied with Jimmy Demaret for 15th on the career list. 13. Ten times between 1997 and 2009 Tiger won the Jack Nicklaus Award for Player of the Year. 14. Tiger won the Byron Nelson Award for lowest scoring average nine times between 1999-2009. 15. Tiger won that first FedExCup in style, shooting the lowest 72-hole score of his career (257) to win the 2007 TOUR Championship by eight strokes. He shot 64-63-64 in the first three rounds, the lowest 54-hole score of his career, before closing with a 66. 16. So dominating was Woods that in three different seasons when he led the money list, he totaled more than what Nos. 2 and 3 had combined – 1999 (David Duval and Davis Love III were 2-3); 2000 (Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els); and 2007 (Mickelson and Vijay Singh). 17. One could suggest Woods won seven consecutive major championships (for his age group) – the U.S. Junior Amateur in 1991-93, the U.S. Amateur in 1994-96 and the Masters in 1997. 18. Tiger was all but unbeatable in match play in the summer of 1994, winning the Pacific Northwest Amateur, Western Amateur and U.S. Amateur. His bid to add the California Amateur that year ended in the semifinals, but that tournament was still won by another player named Woods, Steve Woods (no relation). 19. Tiger had an early taste of outplaying PGA Tour icons when he shot 77-74 to Johnny Miller’s 77-77 in a U.S. Open qualifier at Lake Merced in 1992. Neither player advanced, however. Miller was 45 years old and still had another PGA TOUR win in him, claiming the 1994 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Tiger was just 16. 20. One of the first things he said he learned upon enrolling at Stanford in 1994 was that the circle of gifted and talented students – academically and athletically – was enormous. “In high school,” he told reporters, “I set the curve. Here, I follow it.” 21. The World Golf Championships debuted in 1999, Woods’ fourth year as a pro and he promptly took ownership. He won 16 of the first 33 WGCs and has 18 victories in all. 22. Were you to only count his triumphs at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Torrey Pines, and Firestone (eight each), Tiger would equal Gary Player’s total of 24 PGA Tour wins. 23. Factor in his five wins at Augusta National, five more at Jack Nicklaus’ Muirfield Village, five at Cog Hill, and four at Doral and Woods has earned 52.4% of his 82 career wins at eight golf courses. 24. By age 6, Woods had already shared stages with three Hall of Famers. There was the well-chronicled appearance with Bob Hope (a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame) on the Mike Douglas Show in 1978; a 1981 appearance on “That’s Incredible” with host Fran Tarkenton (Pro Football Hall of Fame); and in 1982 he played two holes against Sam Snead (World Golf Hall of Fame) at the end of Snead’s outing. 25. Trips to San Diego for the Junior World Golf Championship were rather successful as Woods won five times in four different age divisions over four different courses. He won the 10-and-under division at Presidio in 1984; the 11-12 division in 1988 at Mission Bay; the 13-14 division at Balboa Park in 1989 and ’90; and the 15-17 division at Torrey Pines. 26. Tiger Woods’ win in the 2001 PLAYERS came just weeks before he won the Masters to complete the Tiger Slam, meaning he actually held golf’s five biggest titles simultaneously. 27. Away from the PGA TOUR spotlight, but truly an indicator of just what was about to be unleashed on the golf world grew out of the Johnnie Walker Classic in January of 1998. Tied for 18th and eight behind the 54-hole leader, Ernie Els, Tiger came home in 65 to tie Els (73) and then won in a playoff. 28. From the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines in early February 1998 to the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow in May of 2006, Tiger played in 142 consecutive tournaments without missing a cut. And it wasn’t like he was just sneaking under the cutline on Friday afternoon; he won 37 of those 142, or 26%. 29. In 2000, from the second round of the Byron Nelson Classic (May 12) through the end of the season, Tiger was par or better in 47 consecutive rounds. He was 185 under par during this stretch and had a scoring average of 67.51. 30. The 1999 to 2003 stretch was epic: He won 32 of 101 tournaments, a winning percentage of 31.7, and captured seven majors. He won five of six majors from the 1999 PGA to the 2001 Masters – with a fifth-place finish at Augusta in 2000 the lone non-win. He won seven of 11 majors from the 1999 PGA to the 2002 U.S. Open. Bobby Jones, Gene Sarazen, Arnold Palmer and Sam Snead won seven majors in their careers. 31. Then again, 2005-2009 wasn’t too shabby, either: 31 wins in 75 starts, a clip of 41.3%, with six majors. 32. In those 10 seasons (1999-2003; 2005-09) Tiger’s longest winless drought was seven tournaments. His longest droughts in 2000 and 2009 were three tournaments. 33. Very few people saw one of the most impressive days of Tiger’s career. It was the first day of the 1996 Pac-10 Championship at Big Canyon. Woods shot 61-65 to open up a 14-shot lead on the field (the same margin by which he won). “Everybody was shell-shocked,” said Arizona State head coach Randy Lein. Both of Woods’ rounds broke the previous course record (66). “So far I’m low amateur,” joked the player in second. The lowest score that week by a player not named Tiger was 68. 34. The answer is: Nick O’Hern. The question: Who is the other lefthander to halt an impressive winning streak. Woods had won seven tournaments in a row (last six of 2006, first one in 2007) when O’Hern, an unheralded Aussie, beat Woods in 20 holes in Round 3 of the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play at Dove Mountain outside of Tucson, Ariz. 35. Tiger is one of five players to win the career Grand Slam, but he did it more quickly (only 15 major starts as a professional) than Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, and Jack Nicklaus. 36. Only Tiger and Jack have won the career Grand Slam three times over. 37. The epic run of four straight major wins from the 2000 U.S. Open to the 2001 Masters produced these numbers: 67.7 scoring average for 16 rounds, 65 under par combined, and 15 of his 16 rounds were under par (and he was level par in the other). 38. Tiger did compile an impressive two-year collegiate resume – 11 victories in 26 tournaments and the NCAA individual championship in 1996. In that win, he was steamrolling the field so impressively that he closed with an 80 – and still won by four over Rory Sabbatini. 39. Prelude to the “Tiger Slam:” Seven down with seven holes, left, Tiger plays Nos. 12-18 in 5 under (including a hole-out eagle on the par-4 15th), shoots 31 on the back, and 64 in Round 4 to stun Matt Gogel in the 2000 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, his sixth straight win. “I was amazed, to be quite honest. I will not ever be amazed again,” said Gogel. 40. “Tiger Slam, Act 1:” Again at Pebble, Tiger closes with 67 for a 15-shot win in 2000 U.S. Open. “My words probably can’t describe it, so I’m not even going to try,” said Ernie Els. 41. “Tiger Slam, Act II:” Less dominating, but only by a little, Tiger wins The Open by eight at the Old Course. At 24, he completes the career Grand Slam. “He is the chosen one,” said Mark Calcavecchia. 42. “Tiger Slam, Act III:” Becoming only the second player (Ben Hogan, in 1953) to win three professional majors in a season, Woods beats Bob May in a playoff at the PGA Championship. “Hogan had tremendous focus and I think you’re seeing Tiger is now getting to that,” said Butch Harmon. 43. “Tiger Slam, Act IV:” An unprecedented fourth straight major win is completed at the 2001 Masters and it comes with a final-round 68 to win by two 44. Tiger was sidelined by knee surgery after winning the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, halting a truly dominant stretch. The 2008 U.S. Open was his 17th win in his last 28 starts. Curtis Strange and Jim Furyk each had 17 wins in their entire careers. 45. That dominant 1999-2000 period? Tiger played 151 rounds and had at least a share of the lead after 50 of them. 46. On March 9, the day before the 2022 PLAYERS Championship began, Tiger was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. He shared the mantra – “Train hard. Fight easy.” – that his father Earl used to guide him, and that Tiger now shares with his kids. “I made practicing so difficult, hurt so much, because I wanted to make sure that I was ready come game time,” Tiger said in his speech. “I hit thousands of balls, hands bleeding, aching, just so that I could play in a tournament.” 47. No tournament better exemplifies the new era of his career than the PNC Championship, which Tiger has now played with son Charlie for the past three years. Charlie, 13, is just beginning his own golf career. He hasn’t beaten his father but he has outdriven him. Tiger also serves as his son’s occasional caddie, including this year’s Notah Begay Junior Challenge. Said Tiger: “It’s hard to describe, because it’s so amazing to be able to be with Charlie out there and fight through it together and do it as a team. … Lots of lessons learned but I think overall the big picture is he thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a lot of fun for both of us.”

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MEDINAH, Ill. – At No. 32 in the FedExCup rankings, Jason Kokrak is within shouting distance of his first trip to the TOUR Championship. But he doesn’t want to know the scenarios needed to make it to East Lake. “You know, I thought about doing some number crunching and seeing what I had to finish,� Kokrak said, “but I think playing golf, putting myself in a good position to win a golf tournament, is going to get the job done. “I don’t think I need to worry about where I need to finish in the tournament. I’d rather go out and try to win.� So far so good. Kokrak’s 7-under 65 Thursday at the BMW Championship gave him a share of the lead with 2017 FedExCup champ Justin Thomas. Kokrak has made the Playoffs six previous times, with his best finish in 2016 at 33rd in the standings. Of the players in this week’s field, only Ian Poulter (11 previous appearances) and Vaughn Taylor (eight previous appearances) have more Playoffs appearances than Kokrak without a trip to the TOUR Championship. If he wins, Kokrak is projected to move to third in FedExCup points, which not only would send him to East Lake but put him in terrific shape to chase the FedExCup and its $15 million prize. And if he doesn’t win? According to the scenarios, Kokrak needs a solo 17th or better to climb inside the top 30. Hmm, hopefully Kokrak didn’t read the previous sentence. SABBATINI EYES EAST LAKE RETURN In case this comes up on your next Trivia Night: Name the first player to post top-10 finishes in each event of the FedExCup Playoffs. Raise your hand if you answered Rory Sabbatini. It happened in the inaugural FedExCup year of 2007. Sabbatini had finishes of solo third, T-6th, T-10th and T-9th in the four Playoffs events, leaving him fourth overall in the final standings. Since then, just seven other players have managed top-10 finishes in each Playoffs event in a single year (none, interestingly enough, ever won the FedExCup that season). Of course, it might be a bit easier this year with the Playoffs now reduced to three events. So 2007 remains the high point of Sabbatini’s FedExCup career. In fact, it’s the only time he’s reached the TOUR Championship in the FedExCup era. He’d like to end that drought this week at the BMW Championship. He took a solid first step with a bogey-free 5-under 67 on Thursday at Medinah, leaving him inside the top 10 of the first-round leaderboard. At 45th in the FedExCup standings, Sabbatini likely needs to finish seventh or better at the BMW to climb inside the top 30. “It’s a challenge this week and I know there are some guys that are right on the cusp and they’re going to be stressing,� he said. “I’m kind of in that nice little slot where I can kind of be aggressive and try to make a move and let them stress over it a little bit more than I do. “It’s a good start but I’ve got three days of hard work to do.� Thursday’s round is reflective of the renaissance season Sabbatini is having. He has six top-10s – his most since that 2007 season when he had 10 – and is finally seeing the results of a rebuilt putting style. He’s 61st in Strokes Gained: Putting this season after ranking 98th last year and 169th, 184th, 13th and 148th the four years before that. On Thursday, Sabbatini rolled in his first two birdie attempts from 11 feet and 21-/2 feet and also made two more birdie putts outside 10 feet just before the turn. “It always seemed to be a lacking spot in my game,� he said. “When I’ve putted well, it’s gone well. When I haven’t putted well, I’ve struggled. I’ve definitely made that more consistent, and that’s taken the pressure off the rest of my game.� It also helps that he’s healthier now than the previous three seasons, having been able to solve some crippling back issues. Add it up, and he says this is “probably the first time in many years I’ve actually played to my potential.� He’d like to turn that potential into his first visit to East Lake in a dozen years.

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Like so many of us, Sebastian Cappelen has seen the videos of people singing “Imagine,â€� one of the late John Lennon’s signature melodies, shared repeatedly on social media in an attempt to lift our spirits in these tenuous and troubling times. Celebrities such as Gal Gadot, Will Farrell and Maya Rudolph appear in one. A pianist wearing a surgical mask, disinfecting the keyboard before he sits down to play in an empty London train station, in another. The plaintive rendition of an orthopedic surgery resident, Dr. Elvis Francois, in the lobby of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, in a third. Related: Golf during previous global crises | Rahm makes plea to young fans | PGA TOUR Latinoamérica’s Lange’s experience with coronavirus “Of course, I sat down and started playing that on the piano,â€� Cappelen says almost matter-of-factly. “It’s not a hard song to play but it’s probably a fairly relevant song to play for people right now.â€� Cappelen has been sitting in front of the digital baby grand piano in his Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, home quite a bit these days now that the PGA TOUR has been shuttered during the COVID-19 pandemic. He plays the piano daily, sometimes for hours on end, just like he might find himself putting in time on the practice range had those eight tournaments not been cancelled and three others postponed. “When I get on and sit by the piano, I always lose track of time,â€� says Cappelen, who has one top-10 finish and eight made cuts in 13 starts as a TOUR rookie this season. “And, I think my wife can attest to that — all of a sudden there’s two hours gone, you’re like, ‘Oh, time for dinner.’ … “I mean, when I’m there it’s not really much else to think about because I’m usually very focused when I’m at the piano. So, it’s nice to be able to do in these times, just sit down and relax and not think about much.â€� Cappelen has been playing the piano since he was 11 years old. It wasn’t his first musical instrument, though. He was in third grade and attending an arts academy in his native Denmark when he learned the violin. Two years later, he began to concentrate on the flute. But as he grew older, Cappelen really came to appreciate the complexity of the piano with its ability to make such a variety of robust and complete music in and of itself. “I just think (it’s) the variety of genres that you can express and the full company of sounds that you can express at once,â€� he says. “It just seemed like an instrument that was very enjoyable and full-bodied without any other instruments alongside it. Where some instruments, you feel like you really require other musicians around you to create a full-bodied sound. “So, I just think piano was the most interesting and the most complex, dynamic, most options, if you would say so.â€� Beethoven’s “Fur Elise,â€� Claude Debussy’s “Clair de Luneâ€� and Scott Joplin’s 1899 classic, “Maple Leaf Ragâ€� – quite the mixed bag of compositions — were among the first really complicated pieces that Cappelen remembers mastering as a youngster. “I can still play some of all of them, but I couldn’t remember them all, note for note now,â€� says the 29-year-old, who also is a talented guitar player. Cappelen can sit down at his piano and play everything from classical compositions to the energetic riffs of Jerry Lee Lewis and Elton John, though. He loves classic rock – he went through an Eagles phase a couple of years ago, while Night Ranger (“Sister Christianâ€� in particular) and Journey are other favorites. But he also likes the Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli, and his My Soundtrack station on Amazon reflects his eclectic tastes. “I’ll come home and maybe I discovered a new song that I really liked that we started listening to a lot,â€� Cappelen says. “And, I’ll be like, ‘Oh, I’m going to try to play this,’ if it’s a good song to play on piano. So then, I spend some time looking at that song, trying to figure out how to play it.â€� About the same time Cappelen started playing Beethoven and Bach, he gave up soccer – his father Ulrik was on the Danish national pro team – and began to focus on golf. He remembers making his first birdie when he was 10 years old, holing a 7-iron from 110 yards. So, which was harder to learn? He doesn’t really know. “It depends on how good you want to be,â€� Cappelen says. “How do you define playing golf and how do you define playing the piano? Because anyone who picks up a club and tries to swing at the ball on the golf course, are they playing golf? Or, anyone that sits at the piano and hits the keys, are they playing piano? “I honestly couldn’t answer that question because I feel like I’ve spent a lot of time doing both, so to me that baseline is going to be very high. But (if) I was honestly saying, for someone to enjoy, it would take less time for someone to start enjoying golf than it would to really get into piano and being able to put a piece together on a piano.â€� Music, though, was always going to be a hobby for Cappelen, a sanctuary, if you will. He rates himself a low single-digit handicapper on the piano if the best musicians are a plus-5 or a plus-6. He’s not going to compete or be giving any concerts, but he enjoys playing for friends. “Music was never my intent to pursue it hardcore, like I ended up doing with golf,â€� he says. “It was always my hobby on the side that kind of gave me relief if I was frustrated or just gave me something else to focus on while you recover from something or whatever it is. “Because you can’t spend 24 hours on a golf course, you’re going to drive yourself crazy.â€� Playing the piano, though, can help keep you sane. Especially in times like these.

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