Tiger Woods is the athlete of the 21st Century. To me, there is no athlete more accomplished than Tiger. Along with Tiger’s success came his EA sports series of video games. My friends and I took liking to these games. Combining the realistic aspects of golf with the fairly simple gameplay, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 became the quintessential golf video game.

This game became a weekend tradition. My friends and I would get a few handles of rum and split into teams of two for a little match play. Well, it’s been five years since that tradition began, and while we still sparingly play, it has been years since any of us were in our prime. Still, whenever we all get together there is a lot of smack-talking and proclaiming of dominance over the others.

Since, of course, no one will be willing to admit the actual ranking order, I have decided to create an actual list of where everyone stands. Yes, there will be bitching and moaning, but, hey, someone has to do it. So, here it is, from worst-to-first, my Tiger Woods ‘04 ranking:

6. Horne

-Horne is pretty shaky all-around. Yes, it’s true that once-in-a-while he will have a chip or putt that is jaw-dropping, but he is always the first to duff a drive or find the bunker. In fact, Horne’s steadily regressing video game ability should serve as a disclaimer to anyone looking for a Tiger Woods teammate.

5. CP

-In Chris’s defense, he is relatively new to the game. A slow starter, Chris is pretty good during the Back-9. His amateurism does, in fact, hurt him in certain situations, but he can eventually climb this list a little bit with some better showings.

4. Scotty

-This was tough. A few years ago I probably would have had Scotty third, but, to be honest, I haven’t played against him in ages, so I forget certain aspects of his game. Scott could putt well, but you can easily get into his head and cause him to fall off his game. He is competitive, though, and usually isn’t too far from the top.

3. Scratch

-Scratch has gotten better, but then again who hasn’t when they have played with the likes of myself and Chuck over the years. Scratch is a solid #3: He drives well and putts decently, but lacks the consistency needed to be higher in the ranks. There are some games when Scratch can’t seem to miss, but others that call into question whether he should be on expert tees or not. Overall, a decent player.

2. Me

-Yes, I admit that I’m probably not #1. Over the years, I have consistently been the first or second best player in a given round. If you don’t believe that [Scratch] then why have Chuck and I never been allowed to be on the same team? Exactly. I have the best approach game and one of the best drives, but too many risks have proven to be a downfall at times. If Chuck and I played 10 times, admittedly, he would probably take the series.

1. Chuck

-Suprise, suprise. Chuck has consistently been the best at this game. He traditionally sits atop the leaderboard (or very close) and sticks to his gameplan. Chuck probably has the most well-rounded game of any of us, allowing him to amass a good amount of wins over the years. There are moments when his game is shaky, and it’s important to seize those opportunities and catch strokes when you can.