Eldrick (Tiger) Woods, has had an unprecedented career since becoming a professional golfer in the late summer of 1996. He has won 94 golf tournaments, 71 of those on the PGA TOUR, including the 1997, 2001, 2002, and 2005 Masters Tournaments, 1999, 2000, 2006, and 2007 PGA Championships, 2000, 2002, and 2008 U.S. Open Championships, and 2000, 2005, and 2006 British Open Championships. With his second Masters victory in 2001, Tiger became the first ever golfer to hold all four professional major championships at the same time.
In winning the 2000 British Open, Woods became the youngest golfer to complete the career Grand Slam of professional major championships and only the fifth ever to do so, following Ben Hogan, Gene Sarazen, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus. Tiger also was the youngest Masters champion ever, at the age of 21 years, three months and 14 days, and was the first major championship winner of African or Asian heritage.
Woods holds or shares the record for the low score in relation to par in each of the four major championships. His records are 270 (18 under par) in the 1997 Masters, 272 (12 under par) in the 2000 U.S. Open, 269 (19 under par) in the 2000 British Open, and he shares the record of 270 (18 under par) with Bob May in the 2000 PGA Championship, which Tiger won by one stroke in a three-hole playoff. The U.S. Open and Masters victories came by record margins, 15 strokes and 12 strokes respectively, and the U.S. Open triumph swept aside the 13-stroke major championship standard which had stood for 138 years, established by Old Tom Morris in the 1862 British Open. The record margin for the U.S. Open had been 11 strokes by Willie Smith in 1899. In the Masters, Woods broke the record margin of nine strokes set by Nicklaus in 1965. Tiger won the British Open by eight strokes, the largest margin since J. H. Taylor in 1913.
He is the career victories leader among active golfers on the PGA TOUR, and is the career money list leader. Entering 2008, he is third in PGA TOUR career victories trailing only Sam Snead (82) and Jack Nicklaus (73). Tiger increased his record total on the PGA TOUR career money list to $82,354,376 through 2008, and had won $100,234,879 worldwide.
In addition to his playing exploits, Woods is busy off the golf course too. He answers questions and writes regularly for his own website. Since its inception in 1996 by Woods and his father Earl, the Tiger Woods Foundation (TWF) has reached an estimated 10 million young people through character development, career exploration, scholarships and grant making programs. Programs developed and supported by the TWF all share a similar mission of empowering young people to dream big and to set specific goals to achieve their dreams.
Programs:
Tiger Woods Learning Centre: The Tiger Woods Learning Centre is a 35,000-square-foot, 14-acre education facility located in Orange County, California, that has reached over 20,000 young people since inception. Programs at the TWLC are designed to take students in the 5th-12th grade beyond their normal classroom experience through a unique after-school curriculum focused on career exploration and preparation.
Tiger’s Action Plan: Inspired by Earl Woods’ book, Start Something, Tiger’s Action Plan is a nationwide character development program that helps students 8-17 set and achieve long-term goals and use those goals to help others. Earl Woods Scholarship: In celebration of Earl Woods’ lifelong dedication to helping young people achieve their dreams, the TWF created the Earl Woods Scholarship program. Scholarships are open to academically successful graduating high school seniors who have demonstrated financial need and a proven commitment to community service. Grants: The TWF Grants Program annually supports organisations that specialize in education and youth development. International Grants: TWF recently began funding organisations internationally as part of Tiger’s aspiration to positively impact youth around the world. Grants have been awarded to non-profit organisations in Korea, Thailand and China.
Events:
AT&T National: The AT&T National brings professional golf to the nation’s capital over the July 4th holiday. Hosted by Tiger Woods, this PGA TOUR event welcomes 120 of golf’s finest stars to one of the best courses in the nation – Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md. This prestigious event also pays tribute to the many courageous men and women serving in our Armed Forces.
Chevron World Challenge: Hosted by Tiger Woods, the Chevron World Challenge presented by Bank of America brings together 16 of the world’s greatest golfers in a four-day tournament at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Every year, the event raises more than a $1 million for programs for the Tiger Woods Foundation.
Tiger Jam Presented by AT&T: Tiger Jam is a unique benefit concert showcasing premier musical talent to raise funds for the TWF. Since its creation in 1998, Tiger Jam has raised more than $11 million through its sold-out performances and one-of-a-kind auction items. TWLC Block Party: The TWLC Block Party is an annual Orange County event that celebrates the community and the young people the Tiger Woods Learning Centre services.
Woods announced in 2006 the creation of Tiger Woods Design. The mission of Tiger Woods Design is to utilise Tiger’s worldwide experience, his limitless pursuit of excellence and his love of golf to create a unique collection of amazing golf courses around the world. Tiger believes that every project should be special and provide an outstanding golf experience. As a result, Tiger Woods Design seeks to find the best sites, select the best partners and create fantastic course designs. Currently, Tiger Woods Design is designing courses in Dubai, U.A.E.; Asheville, North Carolina; and Ensenada, Mexico.
He is the son of Earl Woods, a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, and his wife, Kultida, a native of Thailand. He was nicknamed Tiger after a Vietnamese soldier and friend of his father, Vuong Dang Phong, to whom his father had also given that nickname. Born on December 30, 1975, Woods grew up in Cypress, California, 35 miles southeast of Los Angeles. He was not out of the crib before he took an interest in golf, at age 6 months, watching as his father hit golf balls into a net and imitating his swing. He appeared on the Mike Douglas Show at age 2, putting with Bob Hope. He shot 48 for nine holes at age 3 and was featured in Golf Digest at age 5. He won the Optimist International Junior tournament six times at ages 8, 9, 12, 13, 14 and 15.
Tiger played in his first professional golf tournament in 1992, at age 16, the Nissan Los Angeles Open and in three more PGA TOUR events in 1993. He made the 36-hole cut and tied for 34th place in the 1994 Johnnie Walker Asian Classic in Thailand, and had three additional PGA TOUR appearances. He entered Stanford University in 1994 and in two years he won 10 collegiate events, concluding with the NCAA title. His other amateur victories included the 1994 Western Amateur. He represented the United States in the 1994 World Amateur Team Championships in France and the 1995 Walker Cup Match in Wales.
He played his first major championships in 1995, making the 36-hole cuts in the Masters and the British Open, but had to withdraw from the U.S. Open because of an injured wrist. Tiger also made the cuts in the Motorola Western Open and Scottish Open. He played in three more major championships in 1996, making the cuts in two. After missing the cut in the Masters, he led the U.S. Open after 13 holes of the first round before finishing tied for 82nd place. Tiger posted a 281 total to tie the record for an amateur in the British Open, and his 66 in the second round equalled the lowest ever by an amateur. He tied for 22nd place.
Among the honours received as an amateur, Woods was Golf Digest Player of the Year in 1991 and 1992, Golf World Player of the Year in 1992 and 1993, Golfweek National Amateur of the Year in 1992, Golf World Man of the Year in 1994, and he was chosen for the Fred Haskins and Jack Nicklaus College Player of the Year awards in 1996. Woods compiled one of the most impressive amateur records in golf history, winning six USGA national championships, plus the NCAA title, before turning professional on August 27, 1996. He concluded his amateur career by winning an unprecedented third consecutive U.S. Amateur title, finishing with a record 18 consecutive match-play victories.
Woods won the U.S. Junior Amateur three times and was the first to win that title more than once. He was the youngest ever to win the U.S. Junior Amateur (age 15 in 1991) and the youngest ever to win the U.S. Amateur (age 18 in 1994). With his U.S. Open victory, Tiger became the first ever golfer to hold that title along with the U.S. Junior Amateur and U.S. Amateur titles. The week after winning his third U.S. Amateur title, Woods played his first tournament as a professional golfer in the Greater Milwaukee Open. It was one of only seven events left in 1996 for him to finish among the top 125 money winners and earn a player's card for the PGA TOUR. He won twice and placed among the top 30 money winners qualifying for the Tour Championship. He finished 25th with $790,594 and won $940,420 for the year worldwide in 11 tournaments. He was the first rookie since 1990 to win twice and the first golfer since 1982 to have five consecutive top-five finishes.
Starting 1997 in spectacular fashion, Tiger won the season-opening Mercedes Championships with a birdie in a playoff over Tom Lehman with a six-iron shot that drew perfectly to the flag, landing two feet right of the hole and spinning back to within inches. Including the Masters, Woods won four PGA TOUR events in 1997, plus one overseas, and was the leading money winner (Arnold Palmer Award) with a then-record $2,066,833. He won $2,440,831 worldwide in 25 events.
He achieved No. 1 on the Official World Golf Ranking for the most rapid progression ever to that position. On June 15, 1997, in his 42nd week as a professional, Woods became the youngest-ever No. 1 golfer at age 21 years, 24 weeks. The previous youngest was Bernhard Langer, age 29 years, 31 weeks in 1986. In 1998 Woods won one event on the PGA TOUR, and three times overall. He was fourth on the money list with $1,841,117 and earned $2,927,006 worldwide in 26 events. His most dramatic triumph was over Ernie Els in the Johnnie Walker Classic in Thailand. Tiger rallied with 65 in the final round after starting tied for 18th place, eight strokes behind Els, whom he beat with a birdie on the second playoff hole. He had been 11 strokes behind Els after two rounds.
In his third full season as a professional golfer, 1999, Woods won eight times on the PGA TOUR, including the PGA Championship, and earned $6,616,585. He had a margin of $2,974,679 over runner-up David Duval, a figure greater than the previous single-year PGA TOUR record. His dominance was such that Woods won 52 percent of all the prize money he could have won. He won 81.7 percent more than the runner-up, the highest margin since Byron Nelson in 1945 (87.2 percent) and Hogan in 1946 (85 percent).
He was the first to have as many as eight PGA TOUR victories in one year since Johnny Miller won eight in 1974. The best previous start on the PGA TOUR was by Horton Smith, who had eight PGA TOUR victories in 1929 at age 21 and 15 career victories in 1931 at age 23. By winning eight PGA TOUR titles and 11 overall in 1999, Woods had posted career totals of 15 PGA TOUR victories and 21 overall at age 23. The comparable figures for Nicklaus, through age 24 in 1964, were 12 PGA TOUR victories and 17 overall. Nicklaus had been a professional golfer for three years, one year less than Tiger. Tiger won four consecutive PGA TOUR events to end 1999 and started 2000 with two more victories for a total of six in succession. He had to come from behind for the fifth and sixth victories. He played the last three holes in four under par at the Mercedes Championships, and then defeated Els in a playoff with a 40-foot birdie putt. He trailed Matt Gogel by seven strokes with seven holes left in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, then played the last four holes in four under par to win by two strokes.
In 2000, Woods matched the record of Hogan in 1953 in winning three professional majors the same year. Hogan won the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open. Tiger also became the first golfer since Denny Shute in 1936-37 to win the PGA Championship in consecutive years. Woods won 11 tournaments in 2000, nine on the PGA TOUR, one on the PGA European Tour and the PGA Grand Slam. In addition, Woods and Duval won the World Cup team title for the U.S. He earned $9,188,321 on the PGA TOUR ($11,034,530 worldwide) and broke the TOUR record of $6,616,585 which he set in 1999.
His nine PGA TOUR victories in 2000 equalled the fifth highest total ever and were the most since Sam Snead won 11 in 1950. He had eight TOUR victories in 1999, and 11 victories worldwide while winning $7,681,625. Woods won five times on the PGA TOUR in 2001 and eight times worldwide. He won five times again on TOUR in 2002, and seven times worldwide, and was the TOUR’s leading money winner for the fourth consecutive year with $6,912,625 ($8,417,188 worldwide).
At the conclusion of 2002, Woods' eight professional major championships and three U.S. Amateur titles brought his total to 11 majors through age 26, two more than Nicklaus at that age. Nicklaus had seven professional major victories and two U.S. Amateur titles He won a total of 20 times from 2003-06, lead the TOUR’s money list twice and capturing four majors (2005 Masters, 2005-06 British Open and 2006 PGA Championship). He began 2007 with his seventh consecutive PGA TOUR victory and ended the year with a total of seven official wins including a second-consecutive PGA Championship, a first-place finish on the TOUR money list, a seventh career Vardon Trophy and a win at the Target World Challenge. In 2008, he won four of six PGA TOUR events including his 14th major at the U.S. Open – his last event of the year before season-ending knee surgery, -- plus the Dubai Desert Classic and finished second on the TOUR money list in just six starts.
Sports Illustrated selected Woods as the 1996 and 2000 Sportsman of the Year, the first to win the award more than once. L’Equipe (France) selected him as the 2000 World Champion of Champions. The Associated Press chose Woods as the Male Athlete of the Year for 1997, 1999 and 2000. He and Michael Jordan are the only athletes to win that award three times. He was chosen ESPY Male Athlete of the Year in 1997 (tied with Ken Griffey, Jr.), 1999, 2000 and 2001. The founding members of the World Sports Academy, in voting for the Laureus Sports Awards, also selected him as the 1999 and 2000 World Sportsman of the Year. In 2008 BusinessWeek chose Woods No. 1 in The Power 100 for the most influential people in sports.
Woods was selected as the 1997, 1999, 2000-2003, 2005-2007 Player of the Year by the PGA TOUR (Jack Nicklaus Award), the PGA of America and the Golf Writers Association of America. His adjusted scoring average averages in 2000 and 2007 of 67.79 strokes were the lowest ever and earned him the Bryon Nelson Award on the PGA TOUR and the Vardon Trophy from the PGA of America. He also had an actual scoring average in 2000 of 68.17 breaking Nelson’s record of 68.33 in 1945.