Who a dejected Ernie Els once predicted would win between Tiger Woods and Old Tom Morris

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Tiger Woods is a name known to most even outside the golfing world thanks to his unforgettable feats on the course.

Woods is widely regarded as not just one of the all-time golfing greats, but one of the greatest sportspeople ever.

Among his honors list is 15 major championship wins, a figure that is second only to the 18 of fellow legend Jack Nicklaus.

Woods’ stunning major journey started back in 1997, when he breezed to a 12-shot victory at The Masters.

Who Ernie Els predicted would win between Tiger Woods and Old Tom Morris

The icon secured his second major win at the 1999 PGA Championship by just one shot, but it didn’t take long for that mammoth gap to open up once more.

He stormed to the 2000 US Open title with a monstrous 15-shot win, with Ernie Els and Miguel Angel Jimenez his nearest rivals.

It remains the largest margin of victory at a major championship, having surpassed Old Tom Morris’ previous record of 13.

Reacting to the display at Pebble Beach, a stunned and almost speechless Els said: “If you put Old Tom Morris with Tiger Woods, he’d probably beat him by 80 shots right now. Hey, the guy is unbelievable, man. I’m running out of words. Give me a break.”

What major championships did Old Tom Morris win?

Els wasn’t the only player feeling such emotions at the time, while many others still haven’t gotten over the unforgettable display.

Woods has since taken his US Open title tally to three, two behind his five successes at The Masters at Augusta National.

Morris does indeed join him in the all-time wins list, with the legendary Scot having claimed four victories during his career.

His titles arrived between 1861 and 1867, with all four coming at The Open Championship at Prestwick Golf Club, the long-standing host at the time.

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