Tiger Woods: How gracefully will his game age moving forward?

More than any other category, it is on the greens that age takes its toll. Even here, though, the decline is rarely precipitous, averaging just .121 strokes for our cohort of 20.

Among those 20, 13 saw their performance on the greens decline during their age 43 seasons, while seven actually improved, although not by much. Only one player, Mark Brooks in 2005, saw his gain exceed one-quarter stroke per round.

At the other end of the spectrum, five of the 20 lost a half-stroke or more due to their play on the greens at age 43. Those stricken five were Duffy Waldorf (-.771),  Maggert (-.729), Boo Weekley (-.591), Robert Allenby (-.556) and David Toms (-.585).

Of the four major Strokes Gained categories, this was the only one where the average of our cohort group flipped from positive to negative. As 42 year olds, they collectively averaged .019 Strokes Gained putting. As 43 year olds, their average score was -.103.

Mickelson saw his putting numbers erode from .661 strokes gained his age 42 season, to .234 one season later. That’s a loss of more than four-tenths of a stroke.

Woods averaged .266 Strokes Gained Putting in 2018. If he follows the group pattern as a 43-year-old, he’ll finish the 2019 season at .145, probably ranking in the mid 70s. That would constitute about a 30-place fall from his 2018 rank.

One thing that’s clear from this review: Tiger Woods is already – and still – on a level rarely seen before. These comparisons provide a glimpse of what may come, but when it comes to Tiger, maintaining a truly elite level of performance wouldn’t be out of the question.