Tiger Woods is having a rough time of it… again. He has problems to sort out, and I hope he does so and is able to come back to contribute positively to golf again.
He is the most iconic figure the game has ever produced, and I believe he has more to give, either on or off the golf course.
There – that’s out of the way.
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Now, let’s consider something more fun – wow far Tiger hits the ball.
I’ve written articles in the past about the distances that players of different eras have driven the ball. It’s generally conjecture, but it’s interesting to think how far Arnold Palmer or Gary Player, for instance, would hit the ball with modern equipment.
There’s always a bit of guesswork involved in those hypothetical pieces, but there’s generally enough anecdotal (and the odd bit of actual) evidence to give us a good idea.
Tiger driving in the 2000 US Open at Pebble Beach
(Image credit: Getty Images)
A historic year
The year 2000 was Tiger’s ‘annus mirabilis.’ He won three Majors that year, including the US Open by a record 15 shots, and he won nine PGA Tour events, including six in a row. He was streets ahead of the rest.
At the time, onlookers marvelled at the power and speed of Tiger’s swing. Nobody had hit it like that before at the very pinnacle of professional golf.
In 2000, Tiger averaged 298 yards from the tee on the PGA Tour. That was second only to John Daly, who managed three yards more.
What is incredible to note is that, after Tiger, Davis Love III was the third longest hitter on the 2000 PGA Tour and he averaged 288 yards – a full 10 behind Woods. Tiger was phenomenally long from the tee.
Tiger made a change from a Titleist Professional to a Nike Tour Accuracy following the Byron Nelson Classic of 2000. That was a move from a liquid core, wound ball…
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