A Timeline Since Tiger Woods’ Last Tournament Victory

Tiger Woods celebrates on the 18th green after wining the Tour Championship golf tournament on Sunday, September 23, 2018, in Atlanta.

(Photo: AP)

Tiger Woods, in his Sunday red shirt, both arms raised in victory on the 18th green.

For so many years, the scene was familiar. This time, it was surreal.

"I can't believe I pulled this off," Woods said on Sunday during the trophy presentation at the Tour Championship, where he gave thousands of delirious fans at East Lake, and millions more around the world, what they wanted to see, and what they thought they might never see again.

And at that moment, Woods was overcoming with emotion and paused.

After two back surgeries six weeks apart, he couldn't lie down, sit or walk without pain. Golf was the least of his concerns, so much that he once said anything else he achieved would be "gravy."

One year ago, while recovering from a fourth back surgery, he still had no idea if he could come back to the highest level of golf.

Just to be able to compete and play again this year, that’s a hell of a comeback.

Tiger Woods

Woods delivered the perfect ending to his amazing return from back surgeries with a performance out of the past. He left the competition feeling hopeless as he built a five-shot lead early and then hung on for a 1-over 71 and a two-shot victory over Billy Horschel.

It was the 80th victory of his PGA Tour, two short of the career record held by Sam Snead that is now very much in play. And it was his first victory in more than five years, dating to the 2013 Bridgestone Invitational.

Here’s a look at the timeline between the 79th and 80th victories on the PGA Tour for Tiger Woods:

• August 4, 2013 — Wins the Bridgestone Invitational for his 18th World Golf Championship title and 79th victory on the PGA Tour.
• March 31, 2014 — Has back surgery and announces he will miss the Masters for the first time.
• June 26, 2014 — Returns to the PGA Tour and misses the cut at the Quicken Loans National.
• August 8, 2014 — Misses the cut in the PGA Championship and says he will take the rest of the year off, including the Ryder Cup, to get healthy.
• December 7, 2014 — Returns at the Hero World Challenge and ties for last in an 18-man field at Isleworth, his home course, 26 shots out of the lead.

• February 1, 2015 — Looking like an amateur with his short game, shoots 82 in the Phoenix Open to miss the cut. A week later at Torrey Pines, withdraws after 11 holes and says he could never get his glutes activated.
• February 11, 2015 — Announces he is taking time off to work on his game, saying that "my play, and scores, are not acceptable for tournament golf."
• April 9, 2015 — Returns at the Masters, his chipping issues gone, and ties for 17th.
• June 6, 2015 — Shoots an 85 in the third round of the Memorial, his highest score as a professional.
• August 14, 2015 — Misses the cut in his third straight major at the PGA Championship.
• August 23, 2015 — After sharing the 36-hole lead, ties for 10th in the Wyndham Championship and fails for the first time to qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs when playing at least 10 times on the PGA Tour.
• September 16, 2015 — Has a second back surgery.
• October 28, 2015 — Has a third procedure on his back.
• December 1, 2015 — In a somber press conference at his Hero World Challenge, Woods says of his future, "So where is the light at the end of the tunnel? I don't know." He says he wants to play again and anything else he achieves will be "gravy."

• December 4, 2016 — Returns to competition at the Hero World Challenge, makes 24 birdies and finishes 15th in an 18-man field, 14 shots behind.
• January 27, 2017 — Makes first PGA Tour start since the Wyndham Championship in 2015 and misses the cut at Torrey Pines.
• February 3, 2017 — After opening with a 77 at the Dubai Desert Classic in calm conditions, withdraws before the start of the second round because of back spasms.
• April 19, 2017 — Has a fourth surgery, this one to fuse his lower back.
• May 30, 2017 — Woods is arrested and briefly jailed in Jupiter, Florida, on suspicion of DUI. Police find him asleep behind the wheel of his car in the early morning with the engine running. He attributes it to a bad combination of pain medication.
• September 27, 2017 — A vice captain at the Presidents Cup, Woods says he has no idea what his future holds because he's only hitting 60-yard shots.
• October 7-23, 2017 — Woods posts three videos on Instagram of a smooth iron swing, a driver and his stinger.
• October 27, 2017 — Woods pleads guilty to reckless driving and agrees to enter a diversion program. Prosecutors drop the DUI charge under the plea agreement.
• December 3, 2017 — Returns to competition at the Hero World Challenge, posts three rounds in the 60s and ties for ninth against an 18-man field, 10 shots behind.

• January 28, 2018 — In his return to the PGA Tour, makes the cut on the number and ties for 23rd at Torrey Pines.
• February 20, 2018 — Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk announces Woods as one of his vice captains, says Woods still wants to make the team.
• March 11, 2018 — Before enormous crowds at Innisbrook, makes par on the 18th hole to finish one shot out of the lead at the Valspar Championship.
• March 18, 2018 — One shot behind in the final round at Bay Hill, yanks tee shot out-of-bounds on the 16th hole and ties for fifth.
• July 22, 2018 — Takes the lead in the final round of the British Open, only to make double bogey on the 12th hole and finish in a tie for sixth.
• August 12, 2018 — Closes with a 64, his lowest final round ever in a major, and is runner-up to Brooks Koepka in the PGA Championship.
• September 4, 2018 — Announced as a captain's pick for the Ryder Cup, his first playing appearance since 2012.
• September 23, 2018 — Wins the Tour Championship for his 80th career victory on the PGA Tour.