Tiger Woods has once again written golf history. The superstar from the USA won his 82nd tournament on the PGA Tour at the Zozo Championship in Chiba, Japan, and set the 54-year-old record of US legend Sam Snead.
The 43-year-old Woods won the Japan PGA Tour Opening Night Tournament with a total of 261 beats ahead of Japan's Hideki Matsuyama (264) and Northern Ireland Rory McIlroy and South Korean Sungjae Im (267 each). For the success of the 15-time major winner cashed a prize money in the amount of $ 1.755 million. Due to heavy rain, the tournament was not finished until Monday.
Snead is considered one of the best golfers in history, he won seven majors. At his 82nd tournament victory in 1965, however, he was 52 years old - nine years older than Woods.
"That's crazy," Woods said of his success. "A large number", which was possible because he played "consistently over a very long period of time".
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Woods with trophy: "Today the future looks better"
Whether he would be active like Snead until 52, Woods was asked. "I hope so, if you had asked me a few years ago, I would have answered differently, today the future looks better."
This 82nd triumph in his 359th PGA tournament means Woods has won almost every fourth tournament of his career. His first victory on the tour he celebrated in 1996 in Las Vegas.
Only at the end of August he had been operated on the left knee for the fifth time. In April, the long-standing world number one at the Masters in Augusta had won his 81st title on the US tour and thus crowned his comeback. After his masters Woods went to only six other tournaments at the start, of which he won none.
Woods has been struggling with private problems, scandals and injuries for years, with only four operations on his back in 2014-2017. In the summer of 2017, he was not even among the top 1000 in the world rankings. Since last year he is again able to play top golf. "I'm still fine on the golf course," Woods said in Chiba.