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 Weekend warriors Woods consistent, but he's no Byron Nelson
Posted: Wednesday July 14, 1999 02:13 PM
By Ryan Hunt, CNN/SI Tiger Woods heads to the British Open as the most consistent golfer currently on the PGA Tour, bar none. Woods has made 32 consecutive cuts, more than double his nearest Tour competitor. He has not missed a cut since January 1998, when he withdrew after two poor rounds at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. But for Woods, who will play in approximately 20 events this year, to match the PGA Tour record for most consecutive cuts made, he will have to be a weekend fixture for at least the next four years. And he's the Tour's No. 1-ranked golfer. The legendary Byron Nelson made 113 consecutive cuts in the 1940s. Nelson won a record 11 straight tournaments in 1945, part of a string in which he was victorious 26 times in two years.
While the latter marks probably will never be touched, only Jack Nicklaus has been within striking distance of Nelson's cut-free mark. Nicklaus had a six-year span of consistent dominance from 1970-76. And even Nicklaus fell eight short -- his streak of 103 straight ended at the 1976 World Open. Woods, meanwhile, has been steady in his own right. Since turning pro in 1996, Woods has missed the cut only twice in 63 events. Tiger made the first 25 cuts in his professional career, which is longer than any other golfer's active streak.
In fact, the top 13 golfers after Woods have combined to make 123 consecutive cuts, only 10 more than Nelson's streak alone. Only Vijay Singh has been as dependable as Woods in recent times. Singh went 53 straight tournaments without missing a cut, a streak that ended at the 1998 Masters. He followed that with a stretch of 18 straight cuts made. And since missing the cut at the Doral-Ryder Open in March, Singh's streak now is back up to 13, tied for the third longest on the Tour.
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