What can we expect from Tiger Woods as we head into 2020?

There’s a lot on the line in 2020 for Tiger Woods, with several milestones to chase. How much juice does Woods have left at age 44?

Tiger Woods won his first major, the Masters, in 1997, and he closed out the last decade adding to his 15 major victories at the same tournament. It may have been the only major he won in the last decade, but it probably was the most heartfelt. After over a decade of majors draught, the golfing legend was able to fit into that green jacket once more. The Masters victory achieved another solid accomplishment: it silenced the critics who said the 44-year-old Woods would never win another major.

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But can we expect Tiger to add to his majors (The Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open, and The Open) haul in 2020? Most of his prestigious championships occurred in the decade before, with the exception of that breakthrough Masters in 1997, the year he first shot up to the No.1 spot in the Official World Golf Rankings (OGWR). The sport icon has been a dominant force on the PGA Tour for three decades, really, going into his fourth.

The quest for more majors

But how realistic is catching Jack Nicklaus’s 18 majors record?

Of all the records that Woods is still chasing, this one is likely to be the most insurmountable. Each and every major takes a herculean effort to achieve. Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods have both triumphed at majors in their forties, the Masters last year for Woods, while Nicklaus’s last three were won at age 40+, the last one at age 46. Woods and Nicklaus remain the only two to have won the career Grand Slam (all four majors) three times.

To expect Woods to lock in three more at 44 or beyond is probably asking the impossible. Yet despite sealing his great comeback with the Tour championship in 2018 and spearheading Team USA to a thrilling come-from-behind victory at the President’s Cup this year (while captain!), already doubt has crept back into the narrative that the great golfer will not hoist one of the most coveted trophies again.

However, there are plenty who believe, myself included. We also live in a time of sports legends, when icons such as Tom Brady, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, LeBron James, and Serena Williams continue to define excellence way beyond their younger peers. The legends of their sports have defied all the odds with their longevity and ageless prowess in their respective fields.

PGA title No. 83? Or more?

After tying Sam Snead’s record for most PGA titles—82—at the Zozo Championships last fall, is there any doubt that Tiger Woods will be the owner of the record outright this year? Having closed out the last decade with a hugely successful 2019, Tiger is likely to ride the momentum heading into 2020, straight into PGA win #83, at least. He returned to the game after a third seamless knee surgery as strong as ever, and looks to be entering the new decade in perhaps the best shape he’s been in for a while.

2020 is also an Olympic year and unlike the mass exodus of golfers at the Rio Games, most of the big names will likely show up for Tokyo. Currently ranked No. 6 in the world (after reaching as high as No. 5 last year), Tiger Woods will likely be competing. Currently ranked behind Books Koepka, Justin Thomas, and Dustin Johnson, he is sure to qualify for the remaining U.S. spot left. Woods has expressed his desire to compete in Tokyo. Winning a gold medal at the XXXII Games would certainly cap off one of the greatest comebacks in sports history.

New world No. 1? What else comes with that?

Will Tiger Woods ascend to the top of the OGWR again? He already owns the record for both most consecutive and cumulative weeks at No. 1. He rose to No. 5 last year after his quick, impressive turnaround (after having fallen outside the top 1,000 in 2017) so it certainly is possible, although improbable. Still, the 44-year-old is the closest to the spot he’s ever been in a while. If he does soar back to the top ranking, he would also surpass Greg Norma’s record for oldest world No. 1 (at age 42). It would be one of those stats Tiger Woods achieves that isn’t on a lot of people’s radars.

At any rate, the 82-PGA winner is looking to the horizon of the new year with an optimistic outlook and a bright future of even greater records to put away. Considering that the previous decade started out in dire circumstances, with his crash-and-burn in February 2010 that began a downward spiral of disappointing results and difficult health issues, 2020 looks a helluva lot brighter for the champion golfer.

Big things are still in store for Tiger Woods and 2020 is likely to bring them. His next golfing tournament will probably be the Farmers Insurance Open, which begins Jan 23, according to the Golf Channel.

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