Records, as they say, are there to be broken. One day, someone will go lower than Jim Furyk’s 58; Matteo Manassero won’t remain the youngest ever winner on the European Tour forever; and Seve’s 50 victories will be bettered… eventually.
Other records appear insurmountable.
It’s inconceivable that someone will ever spend a longer period on top of the world than Tiger Woods, just as it is that anyone will come close to occupying the 26 consecutive years Phil Mickelson spent inside the world’s top 50.
In part, it’s because the game has changed.
These records are truly mind-boggling, but in the modern era, where the strength in depth throughout the game is so much greater, it’s hard to imagine any player dominating for an extended period of time. Consistency is a factor, too.
The greats have all encountered their own struggles – be it technical ones, injuries or testing times away from the course – yet somehow maintained their performance levels.
Many of Woods’ records appear impenetrable; he’s left an indelible impression on the record books: 18 World Golf Championship victories, 82 PGA Tour titles (tied with Sam Snead) and 52 straight rounds of par or better. When he calls it quits, will we ever again witness such remarkable consistency?
Never is a long time, but here are seven records that, well… let’s just say they’ll still be talking about for many years to come…
Phil Mickelson - 26 years inside the world's top 50
It was, as the man himself said, “a good run”.
When Phil Mickelson finished runner-up at the Casio World Open on the Japan Golf Tour in November 1993, he entered the world’s top 50 for the first time – and he stayed there for 1,353 straight weeks.
Lefty was 23 years old, President Bill Clinton was in office, Meat Loaf was number one in the charts and Tiger Woods was doing his amateur thing.
Golf’s greatest streak came to an end in November 2019, when the Californian, who turned professional in 1992, finished in a tie for 28th at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions in China. Shugo Imahira’s runner-up spot at the Mynavi ABC Championship on the Japan Golf Tour saw Mickelson bumped into unfamiliar territory.
It’s hard to see such a record ever being challenged.
Perhaps the key to Mickelson’s longevity has been his long and rhythmical swing – coupled, of course, with an exquisite short game.
When the streak came to an end, he talked of a lack of mental sharpness, which is arguably the most impressive aspect of this achievement – his incredible focus over such a long period.
Tiger Woods - 683 weeks at World No.1
“Insane” is how Rory McIlroy described Tiger Woods’ combined 13 years at the top of the world rankings.
First came the 264-week stretch between August 1999 and September 2004, before another 281 weeks between June 2005 and October 2010.
“I’m very proud that I’ve spent two years of my career at the top of the world rankings, which is a pretty nice feeling,” McIlroy once said. “But Tiger’s 683, I can’t fathom.”
McIlroy is one of only four players to spend at least 100 weeks at World No.1 since the creation of the Official World Golf Ranking in 1986.
Since the last of Woods’ 11 spells at the top in 2013, the number one position has changed multiple times each year. The likes of McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler have all threatened to break free from the pack through the years, but it’s been something of a merry-go-round.
No one could dislodge Woods because he kept winning – it’s that simple.
Thirty-two PGA Tour titles came in a devastating five-year period between 1999 and 2003, during which time his win ratio topped 40 per cent.
Greg Norman sits second on the record list having racked up 331 weeks. Sir Nick Faldo managed 97 and the great Seve 61, with McIlroy and DJ both over 100.
As McIlroy says, 683 is something extraordinary.
