Tiger Woods wins Zozo Championship, ties PGA Tour wins record

Tiger Woods tied Sam Snead’s record for the most wins in PGA Tour history by winning the 2019 Zozo Championship in Chiba, Japan, on Monday.

Woods edged Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama by three strokes to claim his 82nd PGA Tour victory at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club. He carded a final round of 67 to finish the tournament at 19 under par.

Woods, 43, fired a 6-under-par 64 in the first and second rounds of the tournament. He carded a 66 in the third round to hold a three-shot lead over the field heading into the final round.

“I probably thought about [the record] when I got north of 50 [wins], but then unfortunately I went through some rough patches with my back and didn’t play for a number of years, so that record seemed like it was out of reach,” Woods told reporters. “Having had my fourth back procedure and being able to come back and play at a decently high level again, it put the number back in the conversation.

“Lo and behold, here we are tied.”

Woods began the final round with a bogey, but went on to card six birdies. Matsuyama had five birdies and shot a final round of 67. Rory McIlroy — the No. 2 golfer in the world — tied Sungjae Im for third place. No. 15 Gary Woodland finished in fifth place.

“It’s a big number,” Woods said of his 82 wins. “It’s about consistency and doing it for a long period of time. Sam [Snead] did it into his 50s, and I’m in my early to mid-40s. So it’s about being consistent and doing it for a very long period of time. I’ve been very fortunate to have had the career I’ve had so far.”

Woods moved up to No. 6 in the world after the victory. The 2019 Bermuda Championship is the next tournament on the PGA Tour schedule, starting Thursday at Port Royal Golf Course in Southampton, Bermuda. The next tournament on Woods’ schedule is the 2019 Hero World Challenge, according his official website. The Hero World Challenge is from Dec. 4 to Dec. 7 in the Bahamas.