Golf Central

Just as most of you legions of golf fans are drawing a collective breath and wondering: "Well, can he really do it again?" ... along comes some bright young whippersnapper to put Tiger Woods into perspective. Jack Rivers tells us about some of golf's amazing streaks that will have your head spinning ...

1. Byron Nelson's 11 Straight Tournament Wins

Tiger who, exactly? As everyone and their dog gets carried away with Tiger fever, this is one streak that deserves to remain intact for golf's oldtimers. That Nicklaus and Palmer never came close to beating Nelson's record should not only serve as a reminder of the astounding nature of the achievement, but also of why Nelson will go down as one of the greats.

2. Jack Nicklaus' streak of 154 straight majors

Every discerning golf fan will remember the scenes and pictures of Jack bidding farewell to The Open on St Andrews' Swilcan bridge in 2005. Not only did this bring down the curtain on his professional career, but also upon the record 154 straight appearances in major tournaments he was eligible to play in.

3. Tiger Woods' 142 cuts made

Starting at the 1998 Buick Open in Michigan, Tiger Woods placed the first piece of a jigsaw puzzle that would comprise 142 bits. When Woods made his 114th cut on the trot, he surpassed Byron Nelson's previous record of 113. It was Nelson who got the last laugh, however, when Woods posted a second-round 72 at the 2005 Byron Nelson Classic to miss his first cut in seven years.

4. The US Ryder Cup team's 13 straight victories from 1959-83

It pains us (*) to put this in the list, it really does. Ah, well, at least the the tables have now turned in our favour. And unless the Yanks start playing like a team again, this is one record that could be broken.

5. Longest losing streak after a tournament win: Robert Gamez (15 years)

Robert Gamez must have thought 1990 was going to be his year on the PGA Tour. The Nestle Invitational in March was Gamez's second PGA win that year; surely it wouldn't be long before he tasted victory once more? Wrong. It took Gamez 15 years to get back into the winner's circle, finally capturing the 2005 Valero Texas Open. Oh the relief.

6. Most consecutive rounds of par or better: Loren Roberts (37)

If golf is about beating the course, then Loren Roberts, who had the ultra-cool nickname of "The Boss of the Moss", delivered a knockout blow of Tyson-like proportions when he shot 37 consecutive rounds of par or better from 2006-07 on the Champions Tour. Unsurprisingly, Tiger managed 52 rounds in 2001 - but we could make a separate list of streaks for him alone - so we'll give Roberts the benefit of the doubt on this occasion.

7. Most consecutive years with a win on LPGA tour: Kathy Whitworth (17 years)

To say that Kathy Whitworth ruled the roost on the LPGA Tour would be an understatement of gargantuan proportions. Not only did Whitworth win 88 tournaments (making her professional golf's all-time leading tournament winner), she went 17 years (from 1962-78) with at least one victory during each year. Nice for some.

8. Most birdies in a row: 8

I once managed 18 birdies in a row, and if I remember correctly, there were a few eagles in there for good measure. OK, it was on the Playstation, but still. The record for the most birdies on the bounce is shared by Bob Goalby, Fuzzy Zoeller, Dewey Arnette, Edward Fryatt, JP Hayes and Jerry Kelly ... Expect Tiger's name to be up there sooner rather than later.

9. Most consecutive missed cuts for a female on the PGA Tour

We'll give you one guess at who holds this record, not that she'd particularly want to brag about it. That's right, Michelle Wie. Since 2003, Wie has dabbled in seven PGA Tour events, and found herself slamming her trunk on the Friday on each occasion. You live and learn ... well, let's hope that's the case.

10. John Daly's only streak of any notable worth

John Daly had just won a playoff with Costantino Rocca to claim his first Claret Jug at the 1995 Open at St Andrews, but there was one idiot adamant on stealing the "Wild Thing's" thunder. The streaker in question was Mark Roberts, who ran across the 18th green wearing a flat cap, with a set of plastic clubs around his shoulder and the words "19th hole" written on his back with an arrow pointing to ... use your imagination. Roberts has bared all at a total at 449 events since 1993, including three British Opens and the 2006 Ryder Cup.

* It pains some of you (-Ed.)