A Question of Major Wins for Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods

One corporate algorithm I created is targeT², and it's meant to help top leaders hit tough targets.  targeT² does a complete sweep of factors, that are necessary to hit those tough targets, and one of them has to do with personal relationships.  It is hush-hush for a CEO, for instance, if he or she were having an extramarital affair.  I respect the CEO's right to decide and choose, this right being a fundamental value of a democratic society.  But if he or she saw the value of engaging me as a management consultant, then we'd have to explore anything and everything that bears upon those tough targets.

Look at Tiger Woods.  

He worked his ass off, and clawed back to Number One ranking in the golf world.  This, though, after his extramarital affairs exploded onto the media, leaving his marriage is disarray, and drastically pulled down his performance.  He won five PGA tours last year, but he's going on six years now without a Major win.  He's stuck at still a phenomenal 14 wins, but the very idea of breaking Jack Nicklaus' record 18 grows ever fainter each passing year.

"I know that I don't have 20 years in my prime," Woods said earlier this week. "I'm 38, I don't see being 58 and being in my prime. Most guys don't jump from the foul line at age 58, so it's a little different, but the outlook is still the same. I still prepare the same, I still work my tail off to be ready to compete at this level and beat everyone that I'm playing against." 

Would he still be happy with his career if he won "only" 14 majors? 

"All I know is that I'm still in I feel my peak years," he said. "I'm still playing well. There have been a number of guys who have gone on even in their early 40s to win major championships. Mark [O'Meara] did it -- he's the oldest one to do it, to win multiples in the same year. Jack won in his 40s, Hogan won multiples in his 40s, actually 38 and above. I feel like I've got a number of years ahead of me and I'm really looking forward to that."

Reference: Even if he does win the Farmers, Tiger Woods can't win this week.

That fact that Woods started to win in bunches again last year is obviously in his favor, and there is a good likelihood that he will win at least one more Major, before he stashes his clubs in the closet for good.  I'd love to do formal analytics of his chances at winning one, two, three, four, five Majors, and so on.  But I'd say those chances are on a downward trajectory.  

As a management consultant, with targeT² on hand, I can help Woods position himself in an even better position to break Nicklaus' record.  He definitely has reason to be hopeful, especially as he noted in that last paragraph, above.  He's on the doorstep to 40 years old, and O'Meara, Nicklaus and Hogan wait for him with wins inside the aged, hallowed house.  

But the question is, Will Tiger actually be one of them?

Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think!

Ron Villejo, PhD