Saquon Barkley has made it a goal to become the first player in NFL history to have two 2,000-yard rushing seasons. And the Philadelphia Eagles’ star running back is getting motivation from one of the greatest golfers of all time.
Barkley is hoping to achieve the same level of greatness that 15-time major winner Tiger Woods reached during his prime years. Specifically, Barkley is hoping to mimic Woods’ consistent level of excellence that allowed him to become the first golfer to hold all four professional major championships at the same time.
“I’ve been trying to learn so much more about Tiger,” Barkley recently told Grant Horvat. “I had a really good season last year. But just like how dominant he was, his mentality. So in 2000, [he had an] amazing year. But 1999, he had an amazing year too, right? To be able to stack years like that. There’s never been a back that’s rushed for 2,000 yards twice, and definitely not back-to-back.
“I think it’s just the confidence. I think when you have the year like I had last year, I’m coming into this season — and to my training … it’s not a fluke. I watch film, and people talk about what I did and what I accomplished, but in my mindset, it should have been even more. When you have that confidence and you play with that swagger.”
It’s clear that Barkley has done his homework on Woods. As Barkley alluded to, Woods’ historic 2000 season came on the heels of a very impressive 1999 season that saw him win eight tournaments that included his second career major. In 2000, Woods had a season for the ages, winning nine tournaments that included three of the year’s four majors. Woods and Ben Hogan (who did so in 1953) are the only golfers in history to win three majors in the same year. Simply put, Woods physically and mentally dominated the opposition back then.
The 28-year-old Barkley is also coming off an historic season. During his first year with the Eagles, Barkley became the ninth player in history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season and the third rushing champion to win the Super Bowl, joining Hall of Famers Terrell Davis and Emmitt Smith. Barkley also broke Davis’ 26-year-old record for the most total rushing yards gained in a season.
Instead of resting on his laurels, Barkley is physically and mentally preparing himself to possibly make a run at history in 2025 while mimicking the level of excellence Woods enjoyed nearly a quarter century ago.
“Think about it. It’s very similar to golf,” Barkley said to Horvath. “Think about how you feel about a golf shot or your driver when you’re driving the ball and hitting a fairway every single time rather than when you’re not. Like, we’re in two different mindsets right now with a driver in our hand. It’s the same thing going into a game. You have to have the mindset of, like, nobody can mess with me. No matter what you do, nobody can mess with me.”