The 10 Golfers Who Got Robbed The Most Thanks To Tiger Woods’ Dominance On The PGA Tour

It’s been close to 30 years since Tiger Woods made his debut on the PGA Tour en route to cementing himself as one of the most legendary golfers in history during an absolutely unreal run of dominance. There were times when it seemed like guys who were showing up to play were essentially competing for second place, and there were more than a few golfers who saw their legacy take a hit thanks to one of the best to ever do it.

Tiger Woods is currently tied with Sam Snead for the most PGA Tour wins in history at 82, and while it seems fairly unlikely he’ll end up breaking that record, it’s just one of the many stats that highlight why he’s widely considered the G.O.A.T.

You almost had to feel bad for the other golfers who had to go against Tiger when he was in his prime, and none of his competitors fell victim to his dominance like the guys who probably would have had more wins to their name if he’d never existed.

Ernie Els

Ernie Els had 19 wins on the PGA Tour, but it would have been at least 21 if not for the man he finished as a runner-up to more than any other golfer.

The Big Easy came in second to Tiger for the first time at the National Car Rental Golf Classic in 1999 and was able to force a playoff at the Mercedes Championship the following year before Woods sealed the deal.

There were also three situations where Els would have had the chance to get the win in a playoff against someone else if Tiger hadn’t been in the picture—including the U.S. Open and The British Open in 2000.

Phil Mickelson

Most golf fans view Phil Mickelson as the guy who was the biggest victim of Tiger’s reign, and there’s certainly an argument to be made for the man who nonetheless compiled the majority of his 45 PGA Tour wins after Woods burst onto the scene.

Lefty found himself in sole possession of second place behind Tiger four times between 1995 and 2005. He lost three of those tournaments by a single stroke, and the man who finished as the runner-up at the U.S. Open six times would have been able to claim the career Grand Slam if Woods hadn’t beaten him by three shots in 2002.

Vijay Singh

If Phil is the man who earned the metaphorical silver medal for playing second fiddle during Tiger’s prime, Vijay Singh probably deserves the bronze.

Only three of the 34 wins he had on the PGA Tour were earned before Tiger got his first, and the two-time major winner was constantly in the hunt for a solid decade.

He was the lone runner-up to Tiger three times, and there’s a chance he’d be tied for 10th when it comes to the most PGA Tour wins of all time at 39 if he’d had the chance to compete in the two potential playoffs that never came to fruition.

Davis Love III

Davis Love III earned around half of his 21 wins on the PGA Tour before Tiger made his grand arrival, and he would have racked up a few more if it wasn’t for the man who turned pro around a decade after he got his first victory.

Love was actually the first person to fall victim to Tiger, as Woods got his first PGA Tour win by beating him in a playoff at the Las Vegas Invitational in 1996.

He also beat him at The Tour Championship in 1999, topped him by four strokes at the Bay Hill Invitational the following year, and got his last victory at Love’s expense in match play at the World Golf Championships in 2004.

Chris DiMarco

Chris DiMarco only won three PGA Tour tournaments and was never able to get a major, and Tiger was a major reason he was unable to check that second box.

DiMarco would have gotten a green jacket at The Masters in 2005 if Tiger hadn’t earned his fourth victory at Augusta National by three strokes.

History repeated itself at The British Open the following year, as Woods had the same margin of victory while defending his title at Royal Liverpool.

Jim Furyk

Jim Furyk arrived on the PGA Tour shortly before Tiger turned pro, and he would have joined the ranks of the 39 golfers who’ve gotten at least 20 wins on the circuit if it wasn’t for Woods.

He lost to Tiger for the first time in a playoff at the NEC Championship in 2001 and found himself in second after 72 holes at the 2006 Buick Open and 2009 Memorial Tournament.

He also would have had the opportunity to go head-to-head with Marc Leishman in a playoff at the BMW Championship in 2009 if Woods hadn’t beaten both of them by a whopping eight strokes.

Stewart Cink

Stewart Cink landed on the PGA Tour shortly after Tiger did, and he had a respectable career where he accrued eight wins (including his only major victory at The British Open in 2009).

However, he would have hit double digits if not for Woods, who topped him in a playoff at the Bridgestone Invitational in 2006 and handily dispatched him in match play at the World Golf Championships in 2008 by a score of 8&7.

Cink also would have been one of four guys in a playoff at the Bay Hill Invitational if Tiger hadn’t sucked all of the drama out of a tournament he won by 11 strokes.

Retief Goosen

Retief Goosen had seven PGA Tour wins while amassing a résumé that includes a couple of victories at the U.S. Open, but it would have been even more impressive if it weren’t for Tiger.

The South African fell to Woods by a stroke at the American Express Championship in 2001, but that loss probably didn’t sting as much as his second-place finish at The Masters the same year courtesy of the man who beat him by three shots.

Steve Stricker

Steve Stricker ended up with 12 wins during his PGA Tour career, but it would have been 14 if not for the two tournaments where he lost to Tiger by two strokes: the Wachovia Championship in 2007 and the Cadillac Championship in 2013.

Miguel Angel Jimenez

Everyone else I’ve named so far would have had at least one guaranteed win if not for Tiger, and that’s also the case with Jimenez, who lost to Woods in a playoff at the American Express Championship in 1999.

He’s also not the only golfer who lost to Tiger a single time and could have gotten another win in playoff, but he’s the only member of that group I’m including here thanks to the circumstances surrounding that hypothetical.

The Spaniard had close to 30 wins in international play but was never able to get a victory in the 153 PGA Tour events he competed in.

He would have had the chance to get his first win and first major in a playoff showdown with Ernie Els at the U.S. Open in 2000, but that was never in the realm of possibility at a tournament Woods won by a record 15 strokes.