At Glance
‣ Brandel Chamblee argues that Tiger Woods should be considered the most successful PGA Tour player of all time due to all his victories being individual, contrasting with Sam Snead’s record which includes team wins.
‣ There is controversy over the actual number of PGA Tour victories attributed to Sam Snead, with some of his wins being in team events, which Chamblee believes should be categorized separately from individual wins.
‣ The discussion on social media, initiated by a post regarding Rory McIlroy’s team victory, has led to broader consideration of how PGA Tour wins are counted and the suggestion that team wins should not be equated with individual successes in historical records.
Team wins should have their own category amongst “tour wins”… most golf fans, if not ALL golf fans assume “individual” wins when a player’s total tour wins are named… but Sam Snead has 5 team wins counted amongst his 82 wins while Tiger has ZERO team wins in his 82 wins… so I…
— Brandel Chamblee (@chambleebrandel)
Brandel Chamblee’s got an opinion that’s hard to ignore. He reckons Tiger Woods is in a league of his own when it comes to PGA Tour wins. You know, Woods matched Sam Snead’s legendary 82 victories back in 2019 at the Zozo Championship. That was a big deal, considering Snead set his record in 1965.
But here’s the kicker. There’s a bit of a debate about Snead’s win count. Seems the numbers have danced around a bit over the years. Meanwhile, Woods’ record? Solid as a rock since he turned pro in ’96.
Chamblee’s not just counting wins, though. He’s looking at how they were won. Every single one of Woods’ victories, from the Majors to the regular events, was a solo effort. That’s right, no team victories padding out his numbers.
Golf Channel’s Chamblee pointed out an interesting fact. One of the early golf legends snagged five team victories. So, if we’re talking solo wins, he’s down to 77. Makes you think, doesn’t it?
Then there’s this chat that bubbled up on social media. Gary Williams from 5 Clubs Golf mentioned Rory McIlroy’s 25th PGA Tour win. It was a team effort with Shane Lowry at the 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans. Chamblee chimed in, suggesting team wins need their own category.
“Team wins should have their own category amongst ‘tour wins’…” he said. It’s a point that’s hard to argue with. Most of us think “solo” when we hear about tour wins. But Snead’s record includes five team wins, while Tiger’s sitting pretty with zero.
Williams agreed with Chamblee. He even threw in some examples of other golf legends with team wins. Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer had a couple, and Ben Hogan won eight times with a partner.
The debate caught fire on social media, with most siding with Chamblee. Yet, some argued that a win’s a win, no matter how you slice it. Meanwhile, McIlroy and Lowry were probably too busy celebrating their win to care much about the debate. They rocked out to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin'” in front of a pumped crowd.
McIlroy hinted they’d defend their title next year. But imagine if he teamed up with Woods in 2025 and they won. Wouldn’t that just settle the whole debate about the most successful PGA Tour player ever?
