Tiger Wins WGC Bridgestone Invitational: 8 times (’99,’00,’01,’05,’06,’07,’09,’13)

Tiger Wins PGA Championship: 4 times (’99,’00,’06,’07)

He won the first of his Wanamaker Trophies (PGA Championships) in 1999 at Medinah (Illinois); then, successfully defended his title in 2000 as the third leg of his “Tiger Slam” at Valhalla (Kentucky). In 2006, Tiger won again at Medinah; then, defended in 2007 at Southern Hills (Oklahoma).

Not 3, but all FOUR of Tiger’s PGA Championship wins coincides with a win at the Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio (where the NEC/ Bridgestone is played).

In 1999 and 2000, the title sponsor was NEC not Bridgestone, but you have to forget the technicalities involved with title sponsorship. Few of the WGC’s or PGA tournaments for that matter have retained the same title sponsors throughout their events’ lifetimes. In ’99 the NEC Invitational was played 2 weeks after the PGA: Tiger won both. In 2000 and ’06, Tiger won at Firestone the week FOLLOWING the PGA. In 2007, the Bridgestone was moved to the week before the PGA and Tiger still won ‘em both.

If the question was how many times has Tiger won the Bridgestone AFTER winning the PGA in the same year, then the answer is 3. If, the trivia question was meant to be a teaser leading into the PGA and hinting at a Tiger win as an indicator for Oak Hill, well he’s only won the PGA the week right after the Bridgestone once, in 2007.

Maybe the question was supposed to be how many times has Tiger won the Bridgestone but NOT the PGA because the answer there is 3. With the results of this year’s PGA pending, you have to look to the 7 times where he has played in both events.

Four times Tiger won both and 3 times he has won the Bridgestone but NOT the PGA (’01,’05, and ’09).

In 2001 at the Atlanta Athletic Club (winner: David Toms), Tiger was way off, finishing in 29th place 14 strokes back at 279 (-1). In 2005 at Baltusrol (New Jersey), he finished T4, two shots back of Mickelson who won at 4 under. In 2009 at Hazeltine (Minnesota), Tiger went into Sunday with a two shot lead and, for the first time in his career, lost a major with the 54 hole lead (to Y.E. Yang).

What does this all mean? Tiger has won the Bridgestone every time he has won the PGA; AND, three times they were in back-to-back weeks. BUT, only once has he won the PGA AFTER the Bridgestone. And, the last time he won at Firestone in 2009, he blew a 54 hole lead for the first time in his career and hasn’t won a major since. So? It’s no guarantee that Tiger will win this week at Oak Hill in Rochester, NY.

 But if I was setting the odds in Vegas, I gotta give Tiger at least 3 to 1. But if I had to play the bank? I’d give you nothing at all. I simply wouldn’t take it because I think he wins. He looked like vintage Tiger this week. He won in a walk by 7 shots. He hit big misses but made huge putts to compensate, just like he used to. He built a huge lead and coasted on Sunday, just like he used to. In fact, I think he wins and at Oak Hill and then successfully defends the title next year at Valhalla.

I see a lot of parallels in Tiger’s PGA Championship victories. He won his 4 PGA’s as two separate back-to-back jobs: ’99 then ’00 and ’06 then ’07. He won 2 at Medinah, which hosted the 2012 Ryder Cup (US defeat). Like Medinah, Valhalla is a past Ryder Cup venue; 2008 and the last site where the U.S. was victorious. Tiger has already won a PGA at Valhalla. He wins a PGA and then defends it the next year? Sounds like Tiger. He wins a PGA at a course where he has A. already won and B. that has also hosted a Ryder Cup? That sounds like Tiger.

How ‘bout this for another parallel?  Medinah was the host site for 2 of Tiger’s PGA Championships and also witnessed the epic US Ryder Cup collapse this last fall. The last time the U.S. had a lead going into Sunday at the Ryder Cup and lost was in 1995. The venue? Oak Hill in Rochester, NY the site of this year’s PGA championship.

In 1995, the US held a 2 point Saturday lead but lost the Sunday singles match points 7 ½ to 4 ½. Tiger did not play on that US Ryder Cup team. He did not make his Ryder Cup debut until the next one in ‘97 at Valderrama in Spain. You know who was on that 1995 losing US side at Oak Hill?  Rookie, Phil Mickelson. Phil did not contribute to that Sunday collapse as he won his singles match 2 & 1 against Per-Ulrik Johansson. In fact, Phil was 3-0 for the week.

Sitting in the pressroom at Muirfield before the 2013 Open began, Phil acknowledged it wasn’t a good omen, statistically speaking, for him winning the week before at the Scottish Open. Phil pointed out with a Cheshire cat grin that he was, however, the last guy to win a major off a win the week before. (He won the 2006 Masters the week after winning the BellSouth Classic.)

Tiger and Phil battle it out on Sunday with the New York crowd boisterously backing their chosen son, Phil? In a year where Tiger has won 5 times in blockbuster events; where Phil played the “round of his life” to grab the Claret Jug and the third leg of his open-ended career Grand Slam; where they both came dramatically close to that magical 59 (Phil lipped out a putt on the 72nd hole of the Phoenix Waste Management and shot 60)? Sounds like an myth in the making.

was better: basically his or mine. What a terrible question. It always

has been and always will be. Who would win Ali in his prime or Tyson at

his best? It usually depends who you’ve seen more.

The Open Championship is golf’s oldest, most historic event. Scanning

through the past champions might lead one to form opinions on any

particular side of this fruitless debate.

To substantiate my claim in favor of the more recent generation I

pointed towards Ernie Els. “Bah” scoffed the Nicklaus/ Watson/ Palmer

yada yada yada fan.

Well at least I am excited to watch Ernie in double defense of the

Claret Jug at Muirfield. Ernie defends the title he won last year at

Lytham St. Anne’s and also happens to be the reigning champ from the

last Open held at Muirfield in 2002. The 10 year drought for the Big

Easy is the longest in Open history (Henry Cotton went 11 years between

Open wins from 1937 to 1948 but 6 of those years saw the championship

suspended due to WWII).  This came in a year where Ernie failed to gain

entry to the Masters for the first time in nearly 2 decades. No Ernie at

Augusta? Where he has finished in the top ten 6 times, including 5 in a

row bookended with runner-ups in 2000 and 2004? It didn’t feel right. He

had basically reached his career low where he was feeling the sting of

critics telling him to hang ’em up. I felt bad for Adam Scott bogeying

the last 4 holes to lose last year, but I felt even better for Ernie

winning. He had played well at the U.S. Open at the Olympic Club in San

Fran (finished 9th) leading into last year’s Open – one of his 10 top

tens at the U.S. Open. This year at Merion, Ernie back-doored a tie for

4th without getting much fanfare at all. Ernie has played the Open 21

times and finished in the top ten 13 times, including his 2 wins. Add a

successful Open title defense to his resume and Ernie has to race up the

list in that best-of-all-time discussion.

To provide some kind of carthasis for his tragic downfall at the Open

last year, Adam Scott won his first major at Augusta only 2 majors

removed from his collapse. At Merion he raced out to a fast start and

had many, I’m sure, thinking he might be the first to win the Masters

and then the U.S. Open since Tiger in 2002. It was not to be. Scott, as

well as Tiger, faded to an also-played over the weekend. A win this year

for Scott would surprise few at this point.

Another feel good story might be brewing for one of this generation’s

(or any other’s!) fan favorites: Lefty. Phil Mickelson finally broke

through across the pond this last week at the Scottish Open at Castle

Stuart in Inverness where he came from 2 back starting the final day in

difficult windy conditions. These are the exact sort of conditions which

are likely to play a huge role in determining this week’s “champion

golfer of the year.” A win would give Phil 3 out of 4 for the career

grand slam. And with a record 6 runner-ups at the U.S. Open, Phil would

have to at least come up in that best-of-all-time discussion, right? I

mean, Sam Snead never won the U.S. Open and he still holds the record

for most all-time PGA wins (Tiger will likely have something to say

about that before his career is done).

Can Tiger do it this week? He has 4 wins in 9 starts this year; not bad.

He had a very disappointing 2013 U.S. Open. But, he finished T4 at the

Masters. He was certainly off his game at the Memorial. He shot over

forty for nine holes, salvaged a 35 on the back just to eke out 79 and

break 80; but, it was his 2nd worst 18 hole score as a professional. His

worst?

Tiger entered the 2002 Open Championship as reigning Masters and U.S.

Open Champion. He was halfway home to winning the “grand slam” or all 4

majors of the year. He had, of course, won his own version – the “Tiger

Slam” – by winning the last 3 majors of 2000 and the Masters in April of

2001. The venue? The same as this year’s host site, Muirfield. He looked

in control of his game and was very much in the hunt until the weather

turned wicked and Tiger’s score ballooned to his career worst 81. A win

this week would end the longest major drought of Tiger’s career; 16

majors, 0 victories. Like for Scott at Augusta, a win for Tiger at

Muirfield would provide a profound catharsis and re-ignite the “when

will Tiger catch Jack” discussion instead of the “will he.”

P.S. Don’t fall asleep on Rory’s chances. Maybe the best young talent

any golf fan has ever seen? An Open win will give him the third leg of

his possible career grand slam and at a mere 24 years old!

Enjoy the Open. Cheers mate!