As Tiger Woods celebrates his 50th birthday, the golfing world is left pondering one compelling question: could a final, historic challenge for a Major championship still be on the cards? Despite years of injury struggles and a world ranking that has plummeted, one tantalising record held by his great rival, Phil Mickelson, might just provide the ultimate motivation for a shock return.
The Record That Could Inspire a Comeback
The benchmark for longevity in golf's biggest events was set in spectacular fashion by Phil Mickelson in 2021. Against all odds, Mickelson won the PGA Championship at the age of 50 years, 11 months and 7 days, becoming the oldest Major champion in history. This broke the long-standing record held by Julius Boros, who was 48 when he won the 1968 PGA Championship.
Mickelson's triumph was a powerful statement, silencing doubters who believed his time had passed. "I don't know how to describe the feeling of excitement and fulfilment and accomplishment to do something of this magnitude when very few people thought that I could," he said at the time. That same narrative of defiance could now apply to Woods, whose own last Major victory came at the Masters in 2019 when he was 43.
Woods' Current Battle and Future Path
Currently, Tiger Woods' ambitions are far more modest than lifting another Major trophy. Plagued by injury, his immediate goal is simply to return to competitive play. His world ranking has fallen to a career-low of 2,048th, a stark contrast to his record 683 weeks at world number one. Speaking in the Bahamas recently, Woods stated: "I'd like to come back to just playing golf again. I haven't played golf in a long time. It's been a tough year... And so my passion [is] to just play."
Many believe his incredible victory at Augusta six years ago marked the end of his Major-winning days. However, the allure of chasing down Mickelson's record and adding a 16th Major to his tally – which would leave him just two behind Jack Nicklaus's all-time record of 18 – remains a potentially powerful driver.
The Senior Tour and a Legend's Competitive Fire
With his 50th birthday now reached, Woods is eligible to compete on the PGA Tour Champions, the senior circuit. Golfing great Jack Nicklaus has publicly backed Woods to thrive there, saying: "I believe he'll probably play the Senior Tour and I believe he'll probably dominate the Senior Tour." Nicklaus emphasised Woods' innate competitiveness, adding, "Tiger will play for competition. He loves competition, and he's very good at it, obviously."
Whether Woods chooses to focus on the Senior Tour or mounts one more audacious bid for a regular Major remains the great unknown. But the story of Phil Mickelson's late-career glory at the PGA Championship serves as a vivid reminder that in golf, age is not always the definitive barrier it seems. For a competitor of Tiger Woods' legendary stature, that precedent alone could be inspiration enough.
