02 August 2023 , 12:11
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Tiger Woods revealed who he believes to be the four biggest names in the history of golf, declaring the four players who would make it on his 'Mount Rushmore of golf'.
Woods himself is regarded as arguably the greatest golfer to ever play the game, having revolutionised the sport during his remarkable career. The American has a record-equalling 82 PGA Tour titles, 15 major championships, and a whole host of inclusions in golf's record books.
A number of greats came before Woods, and the 47-year-old has always been quick to pay tribute to the legends of the game. In 2018 ahead of his last Ryder Cup appearance, the 15-time major champion was quizzed on which four golfers would make it onto his Mount Rushmore to represent the sport, and he revealed a pretty stellar list.
The first name was the man who he shares his all-time PGA Tour wins record with, the great Sam Snead.
Next up was one of golf's first serial major winners, and co-founder of the Masters Bobby Jones, before he named the most succesful major champion of all time in Jack Nicklaus as his unsurprising third pick. With one spot remaining, there was perhaps only one man worthy of completing such a coveted group, and that was Woods himself.
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Speaking back in 2018, he said: "My all-time Mount Rushmore of golf… OK, well probably [Sam] Snead, [Bobby] Jones, [Jack] Nicklaus, me.” More recently Woods has had take to a spot on the sidelines when it has come to competing as he continues to battle for full fitness.
In February 2021 the American suffered life-changing injuries in a car crash, leading to fears that he may never play again. 14 months later though he made a miraculous recovery to compete at the 2022 Masters Tournament, in one of sport's great comebacks.
Since then he has only been able to feature on the PGA Tour four times, with his latest coming at this year's Masters where he was forced to withdraw in round three due to an ankle problem. Despite spending the majority of his time off the course, Woods still plays an important role in the world of golf.
On Tuesday (August 1) it was confirmed that Woods had been appointed as a player director to the PGA Tour's Policy Board, with players being given more power on the circuit's major decisions following the backlash that came when signing a deal with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) in June.