Woods hasn’t played a PGA Tour event in 17 months. He missed the end of the 2020 PGA Tour season with a back injury before suffering several leg injuries in a car accident in February of 2021. But now, he is set to return to the course in a comeback that some thought wouldn’t be possible.
Woods returning to the course is, arguably, the most critical milestone in his career to date. However, it’s not the only milestone he can potentially achieve during this year’s Masters. He will have a chance to make history as the oldest golfer to ever win the major event at Augusta.
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How old is Tiger Woods?
Tiger Woods is 46 years old. His birthday is on Dec. 30, 1975, so that means he will be 46 years, three months and 11 days old when the Masters wraps up on April 10, 2022.
If Woods is able to win the 2022 Masters, he would become the oldest golfer to win the tournament, surpassing the previous record-holder, Jack Nicklaus. That would be fitting considering Woods would also tie Nicklaus for the most Masters wins (six) with a victory.
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How old was Jack Nicklaus when he won his last Masters?
Nicklaus was 46 years old when he won the last Masters of his career in 1986. He managed to hold off Greg Norman (-8), Tom Kite (-8) and Seve Ballesteros (-7) with a mark of 9-under par. That marked the 18th and final major win of Nicklaus’ legendary career.
Nicklaus — who was born on Jan. 21, 1940 — was 46 years, two months and 23 days old when he won in 1986. As such, if Woods wins, he would be 19 days older than Nicklaus was when he won his last green jacket.
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Oldest golfers to win a major
Only one golfer has ever won a major championship over the age of 50. That was Phil Mickelson, who accomplished the feat at the PGA Championship in 2021.
Nicklaus ranks as the fourth-oldest golfer to win a major. He trails only Mickelson, Julius Boros and Tom Morris Sr. in that category. If Woods manages to win the 2022 Masters, he would move to No. 3 all time on the list, ahead of Morris by one day.
The PGA Championship has historically been the easiest of the four majors for older golfers to win. Four of the 10 oldest major winners earned their victories on at the PGA Championship.
Below is a list of the 10 oldest golfers to ever win a major.
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Oldest Masters winners in history
Nicklaus is the oldest winner of the Masters by quite a bit. Woods is in second place all-time after his 2019 win, and even then, Nicklaus had nearly three years on him.
Now, Woods will look to pass Nicklaus on the shortlist of golfers aged 40 or older to win a green jacket. Only seven golfers have won the Masters at age 40 and none have done it twice.
