Tiger Woods' Holes-in-One: Career Total and PGA Tour Aces
What is Tiger's Career Total of Aces?
As it currently stands, Woods has made 20 holes-in-one over the course of his golfing life. That's a lot! But it's nowhere near the all-time record. The all-time record is ... well, that's complicated because verifying hole-in-one claims (especially from non-professionals) is difficult. Among PGA Tour players, though, it is generally accepted that Art Wall's total of 45 lifetime aces is the most. That's more than twice as many as Woods has made so far. (There are non-PGA Tour golfers who claim more than 50.)But 20 career holes-in-one is an impressive total. Jack Nicklaus also has 20, Arnold Palmer made 21, but Ben Hogan only had two. The vast majority of golfers who've played professionally have fewer aces than Tiger's 20.
When Did Tiger Make His First Hole-in-One?
Woods was six years old when he made his first ace, which happened on May 12, 1982, at Heartwell Golf Course in Long Beach, Calif. Interesting fact about that ace: Tiger has mis-remembered how old he was. In a video taken during a clinic in 2018, Tiger says that he was eight years old. But, no, he was six. Read more about Tiger's first ace here.
How Many of Tiger's Aces Happened on the PGA Tour?
Three of Woods' 20 career holes-in-one happened during PGA Tour tournament play. Like all tour players, Woods hits a lot more golf balls outside of tournament play than during tournaments, what with all his practice sessions and practice rounds. Plus, pro golfers play a lot of golf just for fun, too, heading out onto the course with buddies. So the fact that most of Woods' aces happened outside of competition is not surprising.
1996 Greater Milwaukee Open
At the press conference earlier in the week during which he announced he was turning pro, Woods opened by saying, "Hello, world." Hello, indeed.
The 1996 Greater Milwaukee Open was Woods' very first tournament as a professional golfer. And he didn't win the tournament, but he made a splash with this hole-in-one. It happened on the 202-yard 14th hole, and Woods used a 6-iron. The announcers on the TV broadcast said that it was Woods' ninth career ace.
Woods finished the tournament tied for 60th at 7-under 277. The ace happened during the final round, in which Tiger shot 68.
1997 Phoenix Open
The Phoenix Open is the tournament where the par-3 16th hole is called "the loudest hole in golf." The hole is set up with bleachers surrounding it, the fans show up early and start drinking early, and they boo bad shots and wildly cheer good shots.
And Tiger Woods' ace during the 1997 Phoenix Open was a good shot! It happened during the third round, a round in which Woods had his best score of the tournament with a 67. He used a 9-iron on the 16th hole, playing 152 yards that day. Woods finished tied for 18th place at 9-under 275. He was 21 years old, in his first full season on the PGA Tour, and was coming off a win at the season-opening Mercedes Championships.
1998 International
The International was the PGA Tour event in Colorado that used a modified Stableford scoring system, rather than standard stroke play. Perhaps for that reason this ace is sometimes left out when articles list Tiger Woods' PGA Tour holes-in-one. (The PGA Tour's own media guide does not include it.) But it happened, and it happened in a PGA Tour tournament.The ace came in the final round on the 185-yard seventh hole. Woods used an 8-iron. He finished the tournament in fourth place. Amazingly, this ace was not captured by television cameras and no known video of it exists.
