[lkastonidwedsrer]

I got this in an e-mail, don't know where it came from originally or if it's true.

COULD YOU BEAT TIGER WOODS???

If Tiger Woods played you, how many strokes would he be giving up to
make a fair match? The answer may shock you.

You may consider yourself a fine player with your 3 handicap. Or
perhaps you frequently play to your 15 handicap. You may even think
that Tiger Woods could spot you a stroke per hole and you'd have a
close match.

Turns out a stroke per hole would be about right if you were about a 3
handicap, and Tiger would still probably win.

The handicaps of our favorite PGA Tour pros remain a mystery. Sure, we
know they're in the "+" realm (which, oddly enough, means better than
scratch, but how far?

Calculations
PGA Tour courses don't have established ratings. Pros often play from
tees used only in PGA Tour events, the rough is grown extra long and
thick, and greens are sped and firmed up. Each of those changes has a
dramatic effect on the course rating and slope, making it difficult to
ascertain the true nature of a pro's handicap index.

Normally we apply a 0.96 multiplier to a person's average differential
in calculating handicaps. This is to help figure in the "potential" of
a player. A golfer with an un-adjusted handicap index of 5 becomes a

4.8 index after the 0.96 multiplier is applied. It would make little
sense, however, to take a plus-5 handicap to +4.8, so we must instead
divide by 0.96. That would make a +5 golfer a +5.2 golfer, again
figuring in the "potential."

At the Top: Tiger Woods
What does it take to be the top golfer in the world?
Here are the shocking figures:

Used | Date | Score | CR/Slope | Diff. | Tournament
---- ---- ----- -------- ----- ----------
* | 01/28/07 | 66 | 78.1/143 | 15.3 | Buick Invitational
* | 01/27/07 | 69 | 78.1/143 | 11.5 | Buick Invitational
| 01/26/07 | 72 | 78.1/143 | 7.7 | Buick Invitational
| 01/27/07 | 66 | 78.1/143 | 8.3 | Buick Invitational
* | 09/04/06 | 63 | 74.8/143 | 14.9 | Deutsche Bank
* | 09/03/06 | 67 | 74.8/143 | 9.9 | Deutsche Bank
| 09/02/06 | 72 | 74.8/143 | 3.5 | Deutsche Bank
* | 09/01/06 | 66 | 74.8/143 | 11.1 | Deutsche Bank
| 08/27/06 | 68 | 75.1/128 | 8.0 | WGC - Bridgestone Inv.
| 08/26/06 | 71 | 75.1/128 | 4.6 | WGC - Bridgestone Inv.
* | 08/25/06 | 64 | 75.1/128 | 12.6 | WGC - Bridgestone Inv.
| 08/24/06 | 67 | 75.1/128 | 9.2 | WGC - Bridgestone Inv.
* | 08/20/06 | 68 | 78.1/151 | 13.5 | PGA Championship
* | 08/19/06 | 65 | 78.1/151 | 17.5 | PGA Championship
* | 08/18/06 | 68 | 78.1/151 | 13.5 | PGA Championship
* | 08/17/06 | 69 | 78.1/151 | 12.2 | PGA Championship
| 08/06/06 | 66 | 74.3/133 | 9.8 | Buick Open
| 08/05/06 | 66 | 74.3/133 | 98 | Buick Open
| 08/04/06 | 66 | 74.3/133 | 9.8 | Buick Open
| 08/03/06 | 66 | 74.3/133 | 9.8 | Buick Open
---- -------- ----- -------- ----- ----------
Average Differential: 10.6
Best 10 Average Differential: 13.2
Handicap Index: +13.75
Now, take a deep breath and read that again. +13.75. Tiger's WORST ten
differentials average out to +8.05.

Something like 10% of golfers ever reach single digit handicaps.
Tiger's not only done that (while still in the womb, no doubt), but
he's blown through the single digits on the OTHER side of scratch and
is in heretofore unexplored territory at +13.75. That may be the single
best handicap index ever!