What Is Tiger Woods' Lowest Score?

The 15-time Major winner has a host of impressive scores to his name, but one stands alone

Tiger Woods plays a tee shot during the third round of the 1997 Masters
(Image credit: Getty Images)

As one of the greatest players of all time, it is no surprise that there are plenty of impressive statistics highlighting the enormous contribution Tiger Woods has made to the game.

Of course, with so many tournament wins, some of those concern the abundance of low scores he has carded over the years. But what is his lowest score to date? Answering that question isn’t quite as straightforward as it seems because there are scores attributed to professional tournaments and other rounds.

The short answer is that Woods’ lowest ever score is 59. He achieved golf’s magic number on 4 April 1997 at his local course, Isleworth in Florida, just one week before his first Masters win at Augusta National. Playing alongside Mark O’Meara, Woods teed off on the back nine, and parred 10, then birdied 11 and 12 before eagling 13. He was just getting started, though. He then birdied the remaining five holes of the back nine and the first hole of the front nine. Woods finished the par 72 course 13 under with his only 59.

The scorecard from Woods’ incredible round was even on display in Isleworth clubhouse until it was lost following a renovation in 2004. However, while Woods has not matched the feat since, the 15-time Major winner has come close on several occasions.

Perhaps surprisingly, Woods has never scored a 60, but he has hit 61 four times in competitive action. The first time was in the 1999 Byron Nelson Classic. Then, the following year, he did it again at the WGC-Invitational at Firestone. In 2005, he hit another 61 at the Buick Open. Most recently, in 2013, he hit 61 during the WGC-Championship, again at Firestone.

But what about Woods’ lowest score in a Major? While he’s hit a couple of 64s, at the 1997 Open Championship and 2018 PGA Championship, Woods' lowest came between the two, when he hit a 63 in the second round of his triumphant 2007 PGA Championship at Southern Hills.

Time will tell if the American achieves similar scores in the future. For now, though, Woods, who also has the lowest career scoring average in PGA Tour history, can reflect on a glittering career peppered with some of the most impressive scores ever seen in the game.

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Mike Hall
News Writer

Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories. 

He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game. 

Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course. 

Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.