History has taught us that winning multiple golf majors in your mid-30s and beyond is no easy feat — in human years, that is. But what happens when you factor in Wall Street Journal's golf years?
WSJ sports writer Matthew Futterman analyzed 34-year-old Tiger Woods' quest to catch and surpass Jack Nicklaus' record 18 golf majors titles. If history is right, it appears Woods' chances are slim despite trailing The Golden Bear by just four trophies.
Golf years are based around the amount of shots a player has taken in his professional career, "according to the most comprehensive records available" and excluding shots taken in exhibitions, match and team play. The golf swing isn't a physically-demanding task, but after tens of thousands of strokes, it takes a toll on ones body.
Woods is currently at 73,750 shots, according to the report. Compared to Nicklaus, who was at 80,036 shots at Woods' age of 34 years and three months, Woods has roughly another two seasons before he reaches Nicklaus' golf age. That's eight chances at majors titles before he even reaches Nicklaus' 'golf age.'
At Woods' current human age, eight-time majors champ Tom Watson was at 80,425 shots while Phil Mickelson was just ahead of Woods at 73,922 shots.
