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The Loop
You won't believe how many different states Tiger Woods qualifies for the Hall of Fame in
Andy Lyons/Getty Images
Here's a scary thought for golf fans who vividly remember Tiger Woods the phenom: He's now old enough to be Tiger Woods the Hall of Famer. Having turned 40 on Dec. 30, Woods will undoubtedly be part of the World Golf Hall of Fame's next class, which will be inducted in 2017, with his 14 majors and 79 PGA Tour titles.
But here's an even scarier thought: If you isolate Woods' wins by where they happened, he would be eligible for the hall in four different states.
Golf writer No Laying Up first brought this staggering stat to our attention:
In 2014, the World Golf Hall of Fame increased the criteria necessary for a player to be inducted. For male players, what's needed is either 15 wins in International Federation of PGA Tours (up from 10) or two victories at a major championship or the Players. Let's take a closer look at Woods' wins in those states:
California: 1997 Mercedes Championship, 1999 Buick Invitational, 2000 Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, 2000 U.S. Open, 2003 Buick Invitational, 2003 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, 2004 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, 2005 Buick Invitational, 2005 WGC-American Express Championship, 2006 Buick Invitational, 2007 Buick Invitational, 2008 Buick Invitational, 2008 U.S. Open, 2013 Farmers Insurance Open.
That's 14 wins, including two majors. For comparison, Mark O'Meara was part of the 2015 class with his 16 wins and two majors.
Georgia: 1997 Masters, 1998 BellSouth Classic, 2001 Masters, 2002 Masters, 2003 WGC-American Express Championship, 2005 Masters, 2007 Tour Championship.
That's only seven wins, but four majors, which is more than the likes of Vijay Singh, Billy Casper, Hale Irwin, and Nick Price had for their careers.
Florida: 1996 Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic, 1999 National Car Rental Golf Classic Disney, 2000 Bay Hill Invitational, 2001 Bay Hill Invitational, 2001 Players, 2002 Bay Hill Invitational, 2003 Bay Hill Invitational, 2005 Ford Championship at Doral, 2006 Ford Championship at Doral, 2007 WGC-CA Championship, 2008 Arnold Palmer Invitational, 2009 Arnold Palmer Invitational, 2012 Arnold Palmer Invitational, 2013 WGC-Cadillac Championship, 2013 Arnold Palmer Invitational, 2013 Players.
That's 16 wins, including two Players. Fred Couples, inducted in 2014, had 15 wins, two Players and a major.
Illinois: 1997 Motorola Western Open, 1999 Motorola Western Open, 1999 PGA Championship, 2003 Western Open, 2006 PGA Championship, 2007 BMW Championship, 2009 BMW Championship.
That's seven wins, including two majors, which equals Retief Goosen's (and Jordan Spieth's so far) career PGA Tour totals.
For the record, Woods would also qualify for the WGHOF based on his record just in the UK, where he has won three British Opens. And he comes up just short -- for now -- in Ohio, where he's won 13 tournaments (Eight times at Firestone to go with five Memorial titles).
We now conclude your weekly reminder of how good this guy was.