Did Tiger Woods have the best golf ball driving distance in his prime? Exploring the golfer’s long ball numbers

Tiger Woods is one of the most decorated golfers in the world. Although he is away from the golf course these days, during his prime time in the late '90s and early 2000s, Woods was one of the best long hitters in the world.

When he started his professional journey in 1996, John Daly was the only golfer who made longer shots than Woods.

Tiger Woods' average long distance was around 294.8 yards in 1997 and 299.2 yards in the seasons he played between 1997 and 2002.

Interestingly, he remained in the top 12 best long-driver hitters on the PGA Tour until 2004. His best driving distance season was in 2005 when his average was recorded to be 316.1 yards, second to Scott Head. He averaged more than 300 yards in seven seasons.

Tiger Woods (Image via Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

Tiger Woods turned pro at the age of 20 in 1996 and was named the PGA Tour Rookie of The Year for his incredible performance. He clinched the trophy of the first major of his career in 1997 at the Masters, becoming the youngest golfer to win the tournament. He had dominated the golf course throughout 2000.

Woods reached No.1 in the Official World Golf Rankings soon after winning the Masters. He struggled a bit with his game when Woods came to know about his myopic eyesight. However, he immediately had surgery and resumed his game and went on to win six consecutive tournaments on the PGA Tour.

At the end of 2000, Tiger Woods had won the trophies of nine of twenty PGA Tour events and also broke the lowest average score in the history of the Tour.

He continued to dominate the golf course in 2001 and won the second Masters and became the only player in golf history to win four consecutive Major titles.

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Who is the longest driver on the PGA Tour in 2023?

Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy has the longest driving range as of August 2023 after the BMW Championship. His average driving distance is 325.7 yards.

Brandon Matthews is second with an average of 321.2 followed by Cameron Young (316.1) and Matti Schmid (315.8).

Here is a list of the top 25 golfers who have the longest driving distance range as of August 2023:

• 1. Rory McIlroy 325.7
• 2 Brandon Matthews 321.2
• 3 Cameron Young 316.9
• 4 Cameron Champ 316.1
• 5 Matti Schmid 315.8
• 6 Byeong Hun An 315.6
• 7 Trevor Cone 315.1
• 8 Gary Woodland 313.8
• 9 Wyndham Clark 313.5
• 9 Kyle Westmoreland 313.5
• 11 Adam Scott 313.4
• 12 Jon Rahm 313.3
• 13 Keith Mitchell 312.9
• 14 Vincent Norrman 312.7
• 15 Joseph Bramlett 312.4
• 16 Trey Mullinax 311.8
• 17 Luke List 311.0
• 18 Davis Thompson 310.7
• 19 Brent Grant 310.6
• 20 Sam Burns 310.5
• 20 MJ Daffue 310.5
• 20 Will Gordon 310.5
• 20 Augusto Núñez 310.5
• 24 Cam Davis 310.3
• 25 Callum Tarren 310.2