Tiger Woods is the greatest golfer of the modern era and is right up there in the debate for the best of all time. Few fans or experts have Tiger outside the top two. While Jack Nicklaus has the edge when it comes to major titles won, there is a strong case to be made that the dominance Woods demonstrated for around a decade was more impressive than Nicklaus was able to achieve at his best.
But we are not here to look at the many amazing achievements of the 15-time major champion, the many records he has set and the millions of dollars he has won. Nor are we looking forward to what he may still hope to achieve in golf or what might come after that. Instead, we are going to look at his favourite golf courses.
Given he has not been so kind as to write a short book entitled “Tiger Woods: My Favourite Golf Courses”, there is a degree of guesswork and subjectivity at play here. However, from the comments he has made over the years, we can certainly piece together a picture of the venues he has praised. But before we do that, let’s take a look at those courses we know he has enjoyed visiting, simply because he has garnered multiple wins there.
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Augusta National
It is a safe bet that Tiger would choose the iconic, beautiful Augusta National among his favourite golf courses. Home of the US Masters, Augusta is where the man from California has won a third of his majors. His haul of five wins at the Masters is more than he has won at any of the other big four events.
Making the Georgia course even more certain to be among his favourite golf courses is the fact that perhaps his two most meaningful, emotional wins came there, too. He won his first major at Augusta in 1997 when he was just 21 years old. He absolutely romped to victory too, triumphing by a massive 12 shots.
His first appearance in a major also came at Augusta, two years before he won, in 1995 when he was the leading amateur and tied for 41st overall. However, perhaps the win that meant the most to the legend of the sport came towards the end of his career.
More than a decade after winning his 14th major, the 2008 US Open, he somehow managed to land one more Masters. His win in 2019 is almost certainly going to be the last major of his career and the long wait and all the ups – and mainly downs – in between that and his 14th major meant it was so incredibly momentous.
After his win he said, “And to have my kids there … it’s come full circle. In 1997 my dad was here. Now I’m the dad.” He added that it was “overwhelming” and said, “Last year I was just very lucky to be playing again.” He concluded that he was “at a loss for words. This is up there. It’s one of the hardest I’ve ever had to win.”
In 2024 he underlined his love of the course and tournament. He stated, “This tournament has meant so much to me … I think I’ve been playing here … for, what, 29 years now… it’s a part of my life.” With five incredible wins, Augusta has to be one of Tiger’s favourite places in the world, let alone golf courses.
St Andrews Ticks all the Boxes
One course where Woods has enjoyed great success and has also openly praised is the home of golf itself, St Andrews. He won the Open Championship three times in his career and two of those came at St Andrews. First, he won in 2000 and again it was a romp and again the particular circumstances made it all the more special.
Not only was it his first Open, but it also sealed the career Grand Slam for the man who was born in 1975. He became the fifth player in history to win all four of the sport’s biggest tournaments and he was also the youngest to do so.
He shot 19 under to win by eight shots and came back in 2005 to win the Open at St Andrews once again. That was his 10th major and one he led from start to finish. Again, there was a historical subplot: this tournament was Nicklaus’s last major, and the win also completed Woods’ second career Grand Slam.
The standing the iconic venue has within the game and Woods’ appreciation of the history of golf have also made St Andrews special for the US legend. Over the years, he has been fulsome in his praise, saying in 2022 that he was desperate to play in that year’s Open as it was his last chance to try and be competitive at St Andrews.
Earlier that year, he said the venue was “near and dear to my heart and I’ve won two Opens there, it’s the home of golf. It’s my favourite golf course in the world, so I will be there for that one.” He has also praised the design of the Old Course, saying, “It’s amazing the ingenuity that they had then that this golf course has stood the test of time to the best players.”
Woods has Praised Many Courses
Over a long career where almost any word he has muttered about the game of golf – and indeed anything full stop – has been recorded and pored over, there are almost countless quotes where the great man has praised different courses. Moreover, given that he has won well over 100 events around the world, there are many courses where he has won multiple times.
Augusta and St Andrews stand out above the rest, but the following all have their place in Tiger’s heart:
- Pebble Beach – Woods won the 2000 US Open here by a yawning 15 shots, one of the most dominant performances the sport has ever seen. In 2019 he announced a partnership with the course too, saying “Pebble Beach has always been a special place to me”
- Muirfield Village – Woods’ respect for Nicklaus meant this course, designed by the Golden Bear, has been one of his favourites. Winning five times there probably helped too!
- Firestone Country Club – Woods won the WGC event at the South Course in Ohio eight times!
- Bay Hill – Woods also won the Arnold Palmer at Bay Hill an incredible eight times. That included four in a row at a course where he spoke of how great it was to win the “tournament and to have Arnold there and to shake his hand”. Notably, Woods also won the 1991 US Amateur title at Bay Hill, meeting Palmer for the first time
- Torrey Pines – He also has eight wins at Torrey Pines, with seven at the Farmers and one at the US Open. The major victory was one of the many that have been iconic for the legendary player, his play-off win over Rocco Mediate effectively achieved on one leg