Mark O’Meara and Tiger Woods have been friends for decades.
Woods famously made O’Meara walk off the course when the two played at Isleworth before the 1997 Masters. Woods shot 59 the day before and then came out and birdied his first hole before making an ace on his second. That was it for O’Meara.
Woods went on to win the 1997 Masters. O’Meara followed by earning a green jacket of his own in 1998.
O’Meara has had a front-row seat to Tiger’s greatness but told GOLF Subpar hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz that he still believes Woods underachieved in his career.
“He did. He did,” O’Meara said.
Why this major champ quit playing with Tiger Woods right before the ’97 Masters
“I would tell you that I look at Tiger’s career and if you go strictly by performance and numbers, Jack Nicklaus is the greatest player. But when I look at the work that Tiger did and the era that he did it. Look, the era that Jack did it, he played against the best and achieved the best. But I would say that when I look at Tiger’s career, with all the on and off course, the injuries, and the equipment — everybody likes to bring up the equipment. I would tell you that if everybody had to play persimmon clubs and the old golf ball, I think Tiger Woods would have won more tournaments. That’s how much better he was than everyone else.”
To O’Meara, the impact Woods had on golf’s popularity can’t be understated.
“I think Tiger Woods is the greatest player,” O’Meara said. “I really do. And the fact that his career was shortened due to injuries. Who would have ever dreamed that a golfer would come along and not only be one of the greatest golfers and greatest athletes, but one of the most famous people in the world, as a golfer. Tiger made golf cool. He made it to where parents were like, ‘I don’t necessarily need to get my daughter or son into football, basketball or soccer. Maybe get them introduced to golf.’”
To hear more from O’Meara, check out the video above or check out the Subpar Podcast on YouTube.
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