The virtual PGA: The nine favorites
By Bill Felber
Tiger Woods, 1999, 2000, 2006, 2007, (1998-2007), -1.61
Walter Hagen, 1921, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927 (1921-1930), -1.56
It’s not often you would think of Woods and Hagen as anything other than a favorite. In an event like this, it’s actually a fantastic spot to be in. When the only man ahead of you coming into the event is Byron Nelson, you are sitting in a pretty nice spot.
Woods finished only in a tie for 29th in his first PGA Championship in 1997, but it didn’t take him long to hit his stride. He tied for 10th in 1998, and one year later at Medinah held off Sergio Garcia to win by one.
He repeated in 2000, defeating Bob May in that extraordinary playoff at Valhalla, finished second to Rich Beem in 2002 and fourth in 2005.
Back at Medinah in 2006, Woods breezed home five strokes ahead of the field, then repeated at Southern Hills one year later
That’s four wins and three more top 10s in a 10-year period.
The average standard deviation of Woods’ performances over that span is -1.61, better than every player in our virtual field except Nelson.
Like Nelson, Hagen’s entire PGA career was spent at match play, and he was a master of it. Between 1921 and 2927, he won five times, four of them in succession. Hagen, who did not enter in 1922, had a match record of 30-1 between 1921 and 1928, his only defeat coming 1 up over 38 holes at the hands of Gene Sarazen in the 1923 final.