Tiger Woods made just one appearance at the tournament now known on the PGA Tour as the Charles Schwab Challenge, with the 15-time major champion finishing in a tie for fourth back in 1997.
It is fascinating to look back on that event now, particularly in the wake of the 2025 PGA Championship. Tiger Woods was chasing his third straight victory heading into the event known as the Mastercard Colonial at the time.
Woods made two double bogeys in the final round at Colonial. Funnily enough, much like Rory McIlroy at Quail Hollow, Woods refused to speak to the media on Sunday, with Sports Illustrated reporting that his security people went against tour policy by shutting the locker room and removing members of the press.
At the time, Woods divided opinion amongst his peers. It was David Ogrin – who did call Woods the best player in the world at that moment – who was paired with him on that Sunday in Texas.
The player compared to Tiger Woods as a teenager who never won again after lifting his first major title
Ogrin also missed out on the title that day, with David Frost winning by two. And afterwards, Ogrin suggested that there were plenty of talents like Woods coming through.
In fact, the name Ogrin mentioned that day went on to win a major championship nearly two decades later.
“Don’t think that Tiger is the last one,” he said. “There’s a kid from my hometown, San Antonio, who’s going to Baylor next year who hits it just like Tiger – just like him.
“He’s Jimmy Walker, and there’re 10 more like him. Tiger is just the first wave of guys who are going to play like this.”
The remarkable career of 2016 PGA Championship winner Jimmy Walker
The first decade of Jimmy Walker’s professional career was extremely turbulent. He earned his PGA Tour card in 2005 before losing it again the following year. And he needed to go to Q-School in 2008 to ensure that he retained his card for the next season.
It was not until late 2013 that Walker started to become one of the best players on tour. He won the Frys.com Open to secure his first PGA Tour win. Within 18 months, he was a five-time winner on tour, while he also represented USA at the 2014 Ryder Cup.
But the highlight of Walker’s career would come at the PGA Championship in 2016. He would claim his first major title at Baltusrol, as he finished one shot clear of Jason Day.
Walker boasted a comfortable lead for most of the last round, and was three shots clear teeing off on the last, with the Australian’s eagle making things a little closer.
He would represent USA at that year’s Ryder Cup at Hazeltine. However, that would prove to be as good as it really got for Walker on the course.
The 46-year-old has not won on tour or registered a top 10 in a major since 2016. He has missed the cut at the PGA Championship in each of the last three years now. Unfortunately, he has, so far, missed five cuts out of five in 2025.
It must be said that the large majority of players would probably swap careers with Walker in a heartbeat if given the chance. However, it seems that Ogrin mentioning him in the same conversation as Tiger Woods back in 1997 may not have done him too many favours.
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