Tiger's 50th win just one of many mind-boggling stats

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Projecting the career numbers for Tiger Woods is complete and utter folly. There is no way to measure him. He is full of surprises. Just when you think he's going to win every tournament from now on, he falters. Just when you think he's in the throes of a slump, he starts winning. Just when you think his new swing is inferior to his old swing, he keeps racking up W's.

You can't stop him, you can only hope to contain him. His victory this weekend at the Buick Open just outside of Flint, Mich., was number 50 (which TV commentators mentioned only about 50 times an hour). Yes, it is impressive and unbelievable. Tiger continues to amaze. Tip a beverage of your choice to the man who rivals only Jack Nicklaus as the golfer with the greatest skill of all time and who may be without peer as the greatest clutch shotmaker of all time (not including Ryder Cups, however).

Here's a look at Tiger's career -- some stats, some highlights, some predictions.

Major championship batting average (winning percentage) as a professional: .282 (11 for 39). Another PGA Championship win at Medinah, where he won in 1999, and he'll raise it to an even .300.

Winning percentage on the PGA Tour: .238 (50 wins in 210 starts). Well above the Mendoza line for baseball utility infielders and a stunning percentage as a golfer.

Seventh on the PGA Tour's all-time victory list: One more win and he ties Billy Casper at 51; two more and he ties Byron Nelson at 52. Prediction: He'll get the full Nelson by the end of 2006. Perspective: Tiger's 50 wins are more than Davis Love (18), Fred Couples (15) and the late Payne Stewart (14) combined. His total is also more than the combined total of TV commentators Johnny Miller (25), Lanny Wadkins (21) and Gary McCord (0).

Next major championship Tiger is likely to win: Duh -- the upcoming PGA. He already won a PGA at Medinah once, and now the course has been lengthened, which only serves to Tiger-proof it even more. (Tiger-proofing is an oxymoronic phrase that means hardly anyone but Tiger will ever win on that course again. For details, see Augusta National Golf Club.)

Next repeat of the Tiger Slam (holding all four major championships at once): It could be coming sooner than you think. Tiger wins the PGA at Medinah. That's two in a row. He wins again at Augusta next April. That's three in a row. And you thought Winged Foot was hard? Wait until you check out Oakmont next June. It's got primo-shotmaker written all over whoever survives that test. That sounds like Woods. Then he'd own all four at once again before going to Carnoustie, where anything, including a Frenchman, can happen.