DEREK LAWRENSON’S TOP 10 TIGER FEATS...

1 GRAND SLAM IN 2001

GIVEN no other golfer in the last 60 years has won more than two in a row, and only five in history have won all four during their entire careers, savour the day at the Masters when Tiger somehow completed the quadrilateral.

2 WINNING FIRST MAJOR AS A PRO BY 12 SHOTS IN 1997

AS IF it wasn’t astounding enough, consider he was a young black man playing in the Deep South at Augusta (right) and went to the turn on the opening day in 40 strokes.

3 142 CONSECUTIVE EVENTS ON THE PGA TOUR WITHOUT

A MISSED CUT

TO PUT that in perspective, the current longest streak is Jordan Spieth — with 19. The next best of all time is Byron Nelson in the 1950s, with 113. Tiger’s run began in 1998 and continued for more than seven years.

4 WINNING THE US OPEN BY 15 SHOTS IN 2000

HE HAD to pull it off at the cathedral of American golf, Pebble Beach, didn’t he? The greatest single performance in golf history, bar none.

5 WINNING 14 MAJORS IN A ROW WHILE LEADING OR CO-LEADING AFTER 54 HOLES

IT’S SO tough sleeping on the lead at any event that only 50 per cent of third-round pacemakers on the PGA Tour go on to win. The odds on doing so at 14 majors are beyond comprehension.

6 COMPLETING THE CAREER GRAND SLAM AGED 24

ONLY six players in the last 50 years have won any major at such an age, let alone triumphed at all of them at least once.

7 GOING ALMOST SEVEN MONTHS WITHOUT A ROUND OVER PAR

TIGER reacted to a first-round 75 at the 2000 Masters with a streak that has to rank as the finest stretch of golf ever. He delivered 52 consecutive rounds under par.

8 SPENDING 683 WEEKS AS THE WORLD No 1

THAT’S more than 13 years at the summit, including two unbroken periods of more than five years each. It’s a joke, isn’t it? The next best in the history of the rankings is Greg Norman with 331 weeks.

9 46 VICTORIES ON THE PGA TOUR BEFORE HE WAS 30

HOW on earth is that possible? The next best of his era was David Duval on 13. The next best of all time is Jack Nicklaus with 30.

10 WINNING 18 WGC TITLES

VIRTUALLY all of Tiger’s 82 PGA Tour wins came in events with the best fields, including his 18 in the four World Golf Championship events ranking just below the majors. The next best is Dustin Johnson with six.