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Dustin Johnson opened the playoffs with a 63 and it was straight downhill from there. While DJ struggled, though, Rory McIlroy thrived.
They first met when Tiger Woods was 5 years old. The elder man, one of the most successful in the game’s history, was present when Woods made his pro debut. And they were frequent neighbors at golf’s most exclusive gathering. Woods knew Sam Snead for decades. Now he’s pursuing the legend, trying to beat a record that once seemed unassailable. The chase for 82 begins at this week’s PGA Championship, where Woods can tie Snead’s record for PGA TOUR victories. Their first encounter took place at an exhibition at Calabasas Country Club near Los Angeles in the early 1980s. Snead was the star attraction, playing two holes with nine different groups. “I was this little snot-nosed kid at 5 years old that he had to play the last two holes with,â€� Woods recalled a few years ago. “I remember it was a par 3. You know, I’m 5, I can’t carry it very far. I hit it into the water and he tells me to go pick it up out of the water … when my dad was alive, he would tell me that I was slightly competitive even at that age and I didn’t like him telling me to pick the ball up, because my dad always taught me you play it as it is, there’s no such thing as winter rules. “So I went in and played it and I made bogey on that hole, the par 3, and I made bogey on the last hole. I still have the card at home. He signed it and he went par-par and I lost by two.â€� Woods retorted by offering his signature to Snead, who was taken by what he had just seen on those two holes. “I’ve worked for years to get the hitch out of that swing of mine,â€� Snead said afterward, “and along comes this kid. I think I’ll toss my clubs in a lake someplace.â€� Their paths crossed 10 years later, when Woods made his PGA TOUR debut. Snead, who was being honored by the tournament now known as the Genesis Open, watched Woods play in the pro-am. He was impressed by the way Woods had developed over the previous decade and offered these prescient words: “He looks like he’s going to be a force on the TOUR,â€� Snead said. Even he couldn’t predict how successful Woods would be. Snead kept a close eye on Woods’ progress during their annual reunion at the Masters Champions Dinner, which Woods earned an invitation to after his record-setting win in 1997. Now his latest Masters victory has him on the precipice of Snead’s incredible record. To celebrate Woods’ chase for 82, we compiled this Tale of the Tape comparing the two legends. Born Snead: May 27, 1912 (passed away May 23, 2002) Woods: Dec. 30, 1975 PGA TOUR wins Snead: 82 Woods: 81 First event as a pro Snead: Won 1936 West Virginia Closed Pro Woods: Finished T60 at Greater Milwaukee Open First win Snead: 1936 West Virginia Closed Pro Woods: 1997 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open Age at first win Snead: 24 years old Woods: 21 years old Career winning percentage Snead: 14% (82 of 585) Woods: 23% (81 of 352) 81st victory Snead: 1961 Sentry Tournament of Champions Woods: 2019 Masters Age at 81st win Snead: 48 years old Woods: 43 years old Starts needed to reach 81 wins Snead: 385 Woods: 352 Earnings for first 81 wins Snead: $372,322 Woods: $118,309,570 82nd win Snead: 1965 Wyndham Championship Woods: TBD Age at 82nd win Snead: 52 years old Woods: TBD Seasons with 5-plus wins Snead: 8 (2nd all-time) Woods: 10 (PGA TOUR record) Most events won 5-plus times Snead: 3 (T2 all-time) Woods: 7 (PGA TOUR record) Cut line fame Snead: Oldest player to make a PGA TOUR cut  (67 years, 2 months, 21 days at the 1979 Manufacturers Hanover Westchester Classic) Woods: Made the cut in a PGA TOUR-record 142 consecutive starts Nickname Snead: Slammin’ Sammy Woods: Tiger, Big Cat Famous quote Snead: “Of all the hazards, fear is the worst.â€� Woods: “Hello world.â€� Family ties Snead: Uncle of eight-time PGA TOUR winner J.C. Snead Woods: Uncle of LPGA player Cheyenne Woods Trademark fashion Snead: Porkpie hat Woods: Sunday Red shirt Back-to-back Snead: Received medical discharge from U.S. Navy in 1944 because of back injury Woods: Four back surgeries, including spinal fusion in 2017 Home state Snead: West Virginia Woods: California
• COURSE: TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm, 7,139 yards, par 70. Once an annual PGA TOUR stop, the facility returns to host duties with a new look that followed a two-year, $20 million overhaul. The original 1986 layout was designed as host of the old Kemper Open, but players never warmed to the course, which also was plagued by drainage and turf issues. The tournament’s demise after 2006 paved the way for massive renovations, with every hole modified in some fashion and major changes to at least a dozen. The new course opened in 2009 and staged the Senior PLAYERS Championship a year later to positive reviews. This will be the Quicken Loans National’s first visit, as the tournament ventures away from Congressional CC in odd-numbered years. • FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 points. • CHARITY: The Tiger Woods Foundation, with proceeds earmarked for two Tiger Woods Learning Center campuses in Washington, D.C., along with 25 Tiger Woods Scholars who come from the D.C. area. • FIELD WATCH: Rickie Fowler and Justin Thomas, both top-10 finishers at the U.S. Open after contending early in the final round, give the QLN two of the top dozen players in the current world rankings. … Si Woo Kim, winner at THE PLAYERS six weeks ago, also will tee it up along with PGA Championship titleholder Jimmy Walker. … The lineup includes 16 PGA TOUR winners from this season, including recent winners Billy Hurley (AT&T Byron Nelson) and Kevin Chappell (Valero Texas Open). … Arjun Atwal, winner of the 2010 Wyndham Championship, tees it up for just the fifth time anywhere in 2017. … Recent college stars Wyndham Clark (Oregon) and Sam Horsfield (Florida) both make their second professional starts. • 72-HOLE RECORD: 266, Troy Merritt (2015 at Robert Trent Jones GC). • 18-HOLE RECORD: 61, Troy Merritt (3rd round, 2015 at Robert Trent Jones GC). • LAST YEAR: Billy Hurley III produced perhaps the top feel-good victory of 2016, winning not only in home territory but following a year of adversity that included his father’s suicide. With old (Vijay Singh) and young (Jon Rahm) pursuers making a run, Hurley holed out from 35 yards for birdie at Congressional’s 15th hole, then drained a 27-foot birdie putt at No.16 to seal a three-stroke triumph. The Naval Academy graduate finished at 17-under-par 267, one off Troy Merritt’s tournament record and tying Woods (2009) for the QLN’s best total at Congressional. Singh, 53, fired a final-round 65 for the Hall of Famer’s best finish since taking second at the 2013 Frys.com Open. Rahm tied for third in his professional debut, four shots back alongside Bill Haas. • STORYLINES: Fowler, who lost a playoff to Troy Merritt two years ago, seeks the elusive trophy again in his first start since tying for fifth at the U.S. Open. He already has won once this year at the Honda Classic. … Thomas, who missed the cut at the Travelers Championship after final-round struggles at Erin Hills, seeks a bounceback at TPC Potomac. A top-two finish would vault him to the top of the FedExCup standings past Dustin Johnson and Hideki Matsuyama. … Hurley seeks to become the first back-to-back winner in the tournament’s 11-year history. Anthony Kim came closest, following his 2008 victory by finishing third in ’09. • SHORT CHIPS: Woods, who has served as tournament host even when unable to tee it up, may not be in attendance at all this year after announcing he is seeking help to manage a reliance on prescription painkillers. … Hurley became the sixth winner in the past eight editions to convert at least a share of the 54-hole lead. The others: Troy Merritt (2016), Bill Haas (2013), Nick Watney (2011), Justin Rose (2010) and Woods (2009). … As at Congressional, TPC Potomac will feature the “We Salute Our Heroes� tribute wall where fans can leave personal messages of thanks for those who serve in the nation’s military. • TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 3:30-6:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday, 1-2:30 p.m. (GC), 3-6 p.m. (CBS). Sunday, 1-2:30 p.m. (GC), 3-6:30 p.m. (CBS). • PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 7 a.m.-3:30 p.m. (featured groups), 3:30-6:30 p.m. (featured holes). Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m. (featured holes). Sunday, 11 a.m.-6:30 p.m. (featured holes). • RADIO: Thursday-Friday, noon-7 p.m.; Saturday, 1-6 p.m.; Sunday, 1-7 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com).
