Ever since turning pro, Tiger Woods has set numerous records, including his longest streak of top 10 finishes in majors, which spanned from the 1999 US Open to the 2001 Masters. He is also the youngest to complete the Career Grand Slam and the only player to hold all four major championships at once in the 2000-2001 season. During the so-called Tiger Slam period, he also made a single-season scoring average record of 67.79 in 2000. Then, in 2007, he tied his own record, and it has stood the test of time to this day. But the Korn Ferry Tour standout Johnny Keefer has a chance to break this incredible Tiger Woods record.

Keefer is currently playing on the Korn Ferry Tour with a scoring average of 67.79. However, he still has the season finale week at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship that could change the average. Comparing the same, the Korn Ferry Tour’s official Instagram handle shared a post showing Tiger and Johnny side-by-side with their scoring averages, saying, “With one event to play, @JKeeferIV has a chance to set a new single-season scoring record across the PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour 😮 It won’t be easy @TourChampULF.”

Tiger Woods is the only one close to his own record until now. Besides the record-setting average in 2000 and 2007, he also holds 4 other lowest averages. In 2009, 2003, 1999, and 2002, he had scoring averages of 68.05, 68.41, 68.43, and 68.56, respectively.

Some golfers did manage to come close to his average of 68.56 over all these years. Scottie Scheffler posted a scoring average of 68.63 in the 2022-23 PGA TOUR season, the lowest by any player outside Woods’s records. Vijay Singh notched 68.65 in 2003, and Rory McIlroy managed 68.67 in 2022. However, no one could come even closer to his 67.79 record.

So, if Keefer’s average increases, it wouldn’t be such a big deal, just another attempt at breaking a Tiger Woods record. But if he can bring down the average to the slightest during this final week, he will set a new benchmark, surpassing Tiger Woods.

When asked about the same, Keefer said, “I didn’t even know that, but that’s really cool. Tiger’s obviously a guy that we all look up to, so having any stat even near Tiger is always a good thing.”

In his 22 Korn Ferry Tour events this season, Keefer has posted 2 victories, 2 runner-ups, and 5 top 10 finishes. He is right at the top of the points list, with a chance to secure spots in the 2026 U.S. Open and The Players Championship. But that’s not all. Having topped the PGA TOUR Americas standings in 2024, he can also finish 2 back-to-back circuits as the leading man. Despite all the records to achieve, Keefer is well aware that it won’t be easy to attain them.

When asked what it would take to bring down the scoring average, Johnny Keefer said, “A lot, a lot. It’s pretty tough this week. The course doesn’t yield a lot of birdies. So, I am gonna have to play really good golf; hit really straight, make a lot of putts. It will obviously be cool to tie that or break that, but even if it doesn’t happen, it’s really cool.”

One thing that’s certain is that it won’t be easy to score on the Pete Dye Course. Stretching around 8,102 yards, the course is filled with narrow fairways, rugged terrain, and severe elevation changes.

While Keefer is happy regardless of whether he ties, breaks, or misses the record, fans are not happy, even with the comparison that the Korn Ferry Tour and the PGA Tour are making.

Fans slam the Korn Ferry Tour for the ridiculous comparison

The post, with over 16.5k likes now, quickly sparked backlash among golf fans. Fans felt the comparison to Tiger Woods was unfair and exaggerated. Many pointed out the clear difference between the level of competition and course setups on the Korn Ferry Tour and the PGA Tour.

One comment summed up the sentiment bluntly, saying, “This is a ridiculous post for so many reasons.” And it is true, as the comparison between the Korn Ferry Tour and the PGA Tour events doesn’t seem fair. For many fans, the issue wasn’t Keefer’s performance but the idea that his numbers could be placed alongside Woods. Woods scored these averages on more challenging courses. Summarizing the same, a fan wrote, “Does this scoring average account for the fact that 17 of his 22 starts were on courses with par 71 or par 70?”

Fans even acknowledged Johnny Keefer’s game, but that does not mean he is anywhere close to the legacy of Tiger Woods. “He’s an awesome player, but you can’t compare Korn Ferry Tour courses to PGA Tour courses,” one fan argued. The 24-year-old was not even born when Tiger set this record during the 2000 season.

Reactions from fans emphasize that the conditions aren’t the same on both tours. One is a developmental tour played while trying to get a PGA Tour card, and the other is played among the top golfers worldwide. One user wrote, “PGA records are not broken on the Korn Ferry Tour,” while the other said, “Stop including Korn Ferry and PGA Tour in the same stat categories.”

One fan even went on to highlight why Tiger Woods should not be a part of the comparison here. The comment read, “Comparing to the guy who has never played a KF event in his life.” Tiger Woods never had to play the developmental tour because he turned pro after winning a third consecutive U.S. Amateur in 1996. He got his PGA Tour card through sponsors’ exemptions and clinched his first title in his fifth event.

The debate isn’t about dismissing Keefer’s success, but about preserving the meaning behind one of golf’s most iconic records. Fans seem to agree on one thing: Tiger Woods’ 67.79 isn’t just a number. It represents a level of dominance that’s hard to measure against any other stage in professional golf.