Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods
Woods in June 2018
Personal information
Full name	Eldrick Tont Woods
Nickname	Tiger
Born	(1975-12-30) December 30, 1975 Cypress, California
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)[1]
Weight	185 lb (84 kg)[1]
Nationality	United States
Residence	Jupiter Island, Florida
Spouse	Elin Nordegren (2004–2010)
Children	2
Career
College	Stanford University (did not graduate)
Turned professional	1996
Current tour(s)	PGA Tour (joined 1996)
Professional wins	107[2]
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	80 (2nd all time)
European Tour	40 (3rd all time)[3][4]
Japan Golf Tour	2
Asian Tour	1
PGA Tour of Australasia	1
Other	16
Best results in major championships (wins: 14)
Masters Tournament	Won: 1997, 2001, 2002, 2005
U.S. Open	Won: 2000, 2002, 2008
The Open Championship	Won: 2000, 2005, 2006
PGA Championship	Won: 1999, 2000, 2006, 2007
Achievements and awards
PGA Tour Rookie of the Year	1996
PGA Player of the Year	1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2013
PGA Tour Player of the Year	1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2013
PGA Tour leading money winner	1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2013
Vardon Trophy	1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2013
Byron Nelson Award	1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
FedEx Cup Champion	2007, 2009
(For a full list of awards, see here)

Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods (born December 30, 1975) is an American professional golfer who is among the most successful golfers of all time, and one of the most popular athletes of the 21st century. He has been one of the highest-paid athletes in the world for several years.^[5][6][7] Woods is generally considered one of the greatest golfers of all time.^[8][9][10]

Following an outstanding junior, college, and amateur career, Woods was 20 years old when he turned professional at the end of summer in 1996. By the end of April 1997, he had won three PGA Tour events in addition to his first major, the 1997 Masters. Woods won this tournament by 12 strokes in a record-breaking performance and earned $486,000. He first reached the number one position in the world rankings in June 1997, less than a year after turning pro. Throughout the 2000s, Woods was the dominant force in golf—he won the 2000 U.S. Open by a record 15-shot margin. He was the top-ranked golfer in the world from August 1999 to September 2004 (264 weeks) and again from June 2005 to October 2010 (281 weeks).

Woods took a self-imposed hiatus from professional golf from December 2009 to early April 2010 to resolve marital issues. Woods and his estranged wife Elin eventually divorced. His many alleged extramarital indiscretions were revealed by several women, through many worldwide media sources.^[11] This coincided with a series of injuries, treatments by the controversial doctor Anthony Galea, who had been linked to HGH,^[12] and a loss of golf form. His placement in the Official World Golf Rankings gradually fell to a low of No. 58 in November 2011.^[13][14] He ended a career-high winless streak of 107 weeks when he triumphed in the Chevron World Challenge in December 2011.^[14] After winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational on March 25, 2013, he ascended to the No.1 ranking once again, holding the top spot until May 2014, by which time he had been ranked number one for a record total of 683 weeks. From 2014–2017, Woods had been unable to recapture his dominant form, undergoing four back surgeries in 2014, 2015 and 2017.^[15] In May 2016, Woods dropped out of the world top 500 for the first time in his professional career.^[16] After falling to #1199 in the World Golf Ranking in December 2017, Woods rose over 1000 places by mid-2018.^[17][18] In September 2018, he won his first tournament in five years with a victory at the Tour Championship and moved to #13 in the Official World Golf Rankings.

Woods has broken numerous golf records. He has been World Number One for the most consecutive weeks and for the greatest total number of weeks of any golfer. He has been awarded PGA Player of the Year a record eleven times,^[19] the Byron Nelson Award for lowest adjusted scoring average a record eight times, and has the record of leading the money list in ten different seasons. He has won 14 professional major golf championships, where he trails only Jack Nicklaus who leads with 18, and 80 PGA Tour events, second all-time behind Sam Snead (82).^[20] Woods leads all active golfers in career major wins and career PGA Tour wins. He is the youngest player to achieve the career Grand Slam, and the youngest and fastest to win 50 tournaments on tour. Additionally, Woods is only the second golfer (after Nicklaus) to have achieved a career Grand Slam three times. Woods has won 18 World Golf Championships, and won at least one of those events in each of the first 11 years after they began in 1999. Woods and Rory McIlroy are the only golfers to win both The Silver Medal and The Gold Medal at The Open Championship.

Background and family

Woods and his father Earl at Fort Bragg, North Carolina in 2004

Woods was born in 1975 in Cypress, California,^[21] to Earl^[22] and Kultida "Tida" Woods.^[23] He is the only child of their marriage, and has two half-brothers, Earl Jr. and Kevin, as well as a half-sister named Royce from his father's first marriage.^[24]

Kultida (née Punsawad) is originally from Thailand, where Earl had met her on a tour of duty in 1968. She is of mixed Thai, Chinese, and Dutch ancestry.^[25] Earl was a retired lieutenant colonel and Vietnam War veteran who was mostly African American with traces of European descent. Earl's mother Maude Carter was light skinned. Some people suggested that she had Native American and Chinese ancestry.^[26] Tiger refers to his ethnic make-up as "Cablinasian" (a syllabic abbreviation he coined from Caucasian, Black, American Indian, and Asian).^[27]

Woods' first name—Eldrick—was coined by his mother because it began with "E" (for Earl) and ended with "K" (for Kultida). His middle name Tont is a traditional Thai name. He was nicknamed Tiger in honor of his father's friend Col. Vuong Dang Phong, who had also been known as Tiger.^[28]

Woods' niece, Cheyenne Woods, played for the Wake Forest University golf team and turned professional in 2012, when she made her pro debut in the LPGA Championship.^[29]

Early life and amateur golf career

Woods grew up in Orange County, California. He was a child prodigy who was introduced to golf before the age of two by his athletic father, Earl Woods. Earl was a single-digit handicap amateur golfer who also was one of the earliest African-American college baseball players at Kansas State University.^[30] Tiger's father was a member of the military and had playing privileges at the Navy golf course beside the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos, which allowed Tiger to play there. Tiger also played at the par 3 Heartwell golf course in Long Beach, as well as some of the municipals in Long Beach.^[31]

In 1978, Tiger putted against comedian Bob Hope in a television appearance on The Mike Douglas Show. At age three, he shot a 48 over nine holes at the Navy course. At age five, he appeared in Golf Digest and on ABC's That's Incredible!^[32] Before turning seven, Tiger won the Under Age 10 section of the Drive, Pitch, and Putt competition, held at the Navy Golf Course in Cypress, California.^[33] In 1984 at the age of eight, he won the 9–10 boys' event, the youngest age group available, at the Junior World Golf Championships.^[34] He first broke 80 at age eight.^[35] He went on to win the Junior World Championships six times, including four consecutive wins from 1988 to 1991.^{[36][37][38][39][40]}

Woods' father Earl wrote that Tiger first defeated him at the age of 11 years, with Earl trying his best. Earl lost to Tiger every time from then on.^[41][42] Woods first broke 70 on a regulation golf course at age 12.^[43]

When Woods was 13 years old, he played in the 1989 Big I, which was his first major national junior tournament. In the final round, he was paired with pro John Daly, who was then relatively unknown. The event's format placed a professional with each group of juniors who had qualified. Daly birdied three of the last four holes to beat Woods by only one stroke.^[44] As a young teenager, Woods first met Jack Nicklaus in Los Angeles at the Bel-Air Country Club, when Nicklaus was performing a clinic for the club's members. Woods was part of the show, and he impressed Nicklaus and the crowd with his skills and potential.^[45] Earl Woods had researched in detail the career accomplishments of Nicklaus and had set his young son the goals of breaking those records.^[43]

Woods was 15-years-old and a student at Western High School in Anaheim when he became the youngest U.S. Junior Amateur champion; this was a record that stood until it was broken by Jim Liu in 2010.^[46] He was named 1991's Southern California Amateur Player of the Year (for the second consecutive year) and Golf Digest Junior Amateur Player of the Year. In 1992, he defended his title at the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, becoming the tournament's first two-time winner. He also competed in his first PGA Tour event, the Nissan Los Angeles Open (he missed the 36-hole cut), and was named Golf Digest Amateur Player of the Year, Golf World Player of the Year, and Golfweek National Amateur of the Year.^[47][48]

The following year, Woods won his third consecutive U.S. Junior Amateur Championship; he remains the event's only three-time winner.^[49] In 1994, at the TPC at Sawgrass in Florida, he became the youngest winner of the U.S. Amateur Championship, a record he held until 2008 when it was broken by Danny Lee.^[50] He was a member of the American team at the 1994 Eisenhower Trophy World Amateur Golf Team Championships (winning), and the 1995 Walker Cup (losing).^[51][52]

Woods graduated from Western High School at age 18 in 1994 and was voted "Most Likely to Succeed" among the graduating class. He had starred for the high school's golf team under coach Don Crosby.^[53]

Woods overcame difficulties with stuttering as a boy.^[54][55][56] This was not known until he wrote a letter to a boy who contemplated suicide. Woods wrote, "I know what it's like to be different and to sometimes not fit in. I also stuttered as a child and I would talk to my dog and he would sit there and listen until he fell asleep. I also took a class for two years to help me, and I finally learned to stop."^[57]

College golf career

Woods was heavily recruited by college golf powers. He chose Stanford University, the 1994 NCAA champions. He enrolled at Stanford in the fall of 1994 under a golf scholarship and won his first collegiate event, the 40th Annual William H. Tucker Invitational, that September.^[58] He selected a major in economics and was nicknamed "Urkel" by college teammate Notah Begay III.^[59] In 1995, he successfully defended his U.S. Amateur title at the Newport Country Club in Rhode Island^[50] and was voted Pac-10 Player of the Year, NCAA First Team All-American, and Stanford's Male Freshman of the Year (an award that encompasses all sports).^[60][61]

At age 19 (two years before he won the tournament), Woods participated in his first PGA Tour major, the 1995 Masters, and tied for 41st as the only amateur to make the cut. At age 20 in 1996, he became the first golfer to win three consecutive U.S. Amateur titles^[62] and won the NCAA individual golf championship.^[63] In winning the silver medal as leading amateur at The Open Championship, he tied the record for an amateur aggregate score of 281.^[64] He left college after two years in order to turn professional in the golf industry. In 1996, Woods moved out of California, stating in 2013 that it was due to the state's high tax rate.^[65][66][67]

Professional career

Woods in 2001

Woods turned pro at age 20 in August 1996 and immediately signed advertising deals with Nike, Inc. and Titleist that ranked as the most lucrative endorsement contracts in golf history at that time.^[68][69] Woods was named Sports Illustrated's 1996 Sportsman of the Year and PGA Tour Rookie of the Year.^[70] On April 13, 1997, he won his first major, the Masters, in record-breaking fashion and became the tournament's youngest winner at age 21.^[71] Two months later, he set the record for the fastest ascent to No. 1 in the Official World Golf Rankings.^[72] After a lackluster 1998, Woods finished the 1999 season with eight wins, including the PGA Championship, a feat not achieved since 1974.^[73][74]

In 2000, Woods won six consecutive events on the PGA Tour, which was the longest winning streak since Ben Hogan did it in 1948. One of these was the 2000 U.S. Open, where he broke or tied nine tournament records in what Sports Illustrated called "the greatest performance in golf history", in which Woods won the tournament by a record 15-stroke margin and earned a check for $800,000.^[75] At age 24, he became the youngest golfer to achieve the Career Grand Slam.^[76] At the end of 2000, Woods had won nine of the twenty PGA Tour events he entered and had broken the record for lowest scoring average in tour history. He was named the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year, the only athlete to be honored twice, and was ranked by Golf Digest magazine as the twelfth-best golfer of all time.^[77][78]

Woods at the 2004 Ryder Cup

When Woods won the 2001 Masters, he became the only player to win four consecutive major professional golf titles, although not in the same calendar year.^[79] Following a stellar 2001 and 2002 in which Woods continued to dominate the tour, Woods' career hit a slump.^[73][80] He did not win a major in 2003 or 2004. In September 2004, Vijay Singh overtook Woods in the Official World Golf Rankings, ending Woods' record streak of 264 weeks at #1.^[81]

Woods rebounded in 2005, winning six official PGA Tour money events and reclaiming the top spot in July after swapping it back and forth with Singh over the first half of the year.^[82]

Woods began dominantly in 2006, winning his first two PGA tournaments but failing to capture his fifth Masters championship in April.^[83][84] Following the death of his father in May, Woods took a nine-week hiatus from the tour and appeared rusty upon his return at the U.S. Open at Winged Foot, where he missed the cut.^[85] However, he quickly returned to form and ended the year by winning six consecutive tour events. At the season's close, Woods had 54 total wins that included 12 majors; he had broken the tour records for both total wins and total majors wins over eleven seasons.^[86]

Woods at the 2006 Masters

Woods continued to excel in 2007 and the first part of 2008. In April 2008, he underwent knee surgery and missed the next two months on the tour.^[87] Woods returned for the 2008 U.S. Open, where he struggled the first day but ultimately claimed a dramatic sudden death victory over Rocco Mediate that followed an 18-hole playoff, after which Mediate said, "This guy does things that are just not normal by any stretch of the imagination," and Kenny Perry added, "He beat everybody on one leg."^[88][89][90] Two days later, Woods announced that he would miss the remainder of the season due to additional knee surgery, and that his knee was more severely damaged than previously revealed, prompting even greater praise for his U.S. Open performance. Woods called it "my greatest ever championship."^[91][92][93] In Woods' absence, TV ratings for the remainder of the season suffered a huge decline from 2007.^[94]

Woods competing at the third annual Earl Woods Memorial Pro-Am (July 1, 2009)

Woods had a much anticipated return to golf in 2009, when he performed well. His comeback included a spectacular performance at the 2009 Presidents Cup, but he failed to win a major, the first year since 2004 that he had not done so.^[95][96][97] After his marital infidelities came to light and received massive media coverage at the end of 2009 (see further details below), Woods announced in December that he would be taking an indefinite break from competitive golf.^[11] In February 2010, he delivered a televised apology for his behavior, saying "I was wrong and I was foolish."^[98] During this period, several companies ended their endorsement deals with Woods.^[99]

Woods returned to competition in April at the 2010 Masters, where he finished tied for fourth place.^[100] He followed the Masters with poor showings at the Quail Hollow Championship and the Players Championship, where he withdrew in the fourth round, citing injury.^[101] Shortly afterward, Hank Haney, Woods' coach since 2003, resigned the position. In August, Woods hired Sean Foley as Haney's replacement. The rest of the season went badly for Woods, who failed to win a single event for the first time since turning professional, while nevertheless finishing the season ranked No. 2 in the world.

Woods at a Chevron World Challenge charity event (2011)

In 2011, Woods' performance continued to suffer; this took its toll on his ranking. After falling to No. 7 in March, he rebounded to No. 5 with a strong showing at the 2011 Masters Tournament, where he tied for fourth place.^{[102][103][104]} Due to leg injuries incurred at the Masters, he missed several summer stops on the PGA Tour. In July, he fired his longtime caddy Steve Williams (who was shocked by the dismissal), and replaced him on an interim basis with friend Bryon Bell.^[105][106] After returning to tournament play in August, Woods continued to falter, and his ranking gradually fell to a low of #58.^[14] He rose to No. 50 in mid-November after a third-place finish at the Emirates Australian Open, and broke his winless streak with a victory at December's Chevron World Challenge.^[14][107]

Woods began his 2012 season with two tournaments (the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship and the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am) where he started off well, but struggled on the final rounds. Following the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, where he was knocked out in the second round by missing a 5-foot putt,^[108] Woods revised his putting technique and tied for second at the Honda Classic, with the lowest final round score in his PGA Tour career. After a short time off due to another leg injury, Woods won the Arnold Palmer Invitational, his first win on the PGA Tour since the BMW Championship in September 2009. Following several dismal performances, Woods notched his 73rd PGA Tour win at the Memorial Tournament in June, tying Jack Nicklaus in second place for most PGA Tour victories;^[109] a month later, Woods surpassed Nicklaus with a win at the AT&T National, to trail only Sam Snead, who accumulated 82 PGA tour wins.^[110]

The year 2013 would bring a return of Woods' dominating play. In January, he won the Farmers Insurance Open by four shots for his 75th PGA Tour win. It was the seventh time he had won the event.^[111] In March, he won the WGC-Cadillac Championship, also for the seventh time, giving him his 17th WGC title and first since 2009.^[112] Two weeks later, he won the Arnold Palmer Invitational, winning the event for a record-tying 8th time. The win moved him back to the top of the world rankings.^[113] To commemorate that achievement, Nike was quick to launch an ad with the tagline "winning takes care of everything".^[114]

During the 2013 Masters, Woods faced disqualification after unwittingly admitting in a post-round interview with ESPN that he had taken an illegal drop on the par-5 15th hole when his third shot had bounced off the pin and into the water. After further review of television footage, Woods was assessed a two-stroke penalty for the drop but was not disqualified.^[115] He finished tied for fourth in the event. Woods won The Players Championship in May 2013, his second career win at the event, notching his fourth win of the 2013 season. It was the quickest he had gotten to four wins in any season in his professional career.

Woods practicing before the 2014 Quicken Loans National

Woods had a poor showing at the 2013 U.S Open as a result of an elbow injury sustained at The Players Championship. In finishing at 13-over-par, he recorded his worst score as a professional and finished 12 strokes behind winner Justin Rose. After a prolonged break because of the injury, during which he missed the Greenbrier Classic and his own AT&T National, he returned at the Open Championship at Muirfield. Despite being in contention all week and beginning the final round only two strokes behind Lee Westwood, he struggled with the speed of the greens and could only manage a 3-over-par 74 that left him tied for 6th place, five strokes behind eventual winner Phil Mickelson. Two weeks later, Woods returned to form at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, recording his 5th win of the season and 8th win at the event in its 15-year history. His second round 61 matched his record score on the PGA Tour and could easily have been a 59 were it not for some short missed birdie putts on the closing holes. This gave him a seven stroke lead that he held onto for the rest of the tournament. Woods would never contend at the PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club and would come short of winning a major for the 5th full season, only contending in two of the four majors in 2013.

After a slow start to 2014, Woods injured himself during the final round of the Honda Classic and was unable to finish the tournament. He withdrew after the 13th hole, citing back pain.^[116] He subsequently competed in the WGC-Cadillac Championship but was visibly in pain during much of the last round. He was forced to skip the Arnold Palmer Invitational at the end of March 2014,^[117] and after undergoing back surgery, he announced on April 1 that he would miss the Masters for the first time since 1994.^[118] Woods returned at the Quicken Loans National in June, however he stated that his expectations for the week were low. He would struggle with nearly every aspect of his game and miss the cut. He next played at The Open Championship, contested at Hoylake, where Woods had won eight years prior. Woods fired a brilliant 69 in the first round to put himself in contention, but shot 77 on Friday and would eventually finish 69th. Despite his back pain, he played at the 2014 PGA Championship where he failed to make the cut. On August 25, 2014, Woods and his swing coach Sean Foley parted ways. In the four years under Foley, he won eight times but no majors. He had previously won eight majors with Harmon and six with Haney. Woods said there is currently no timetable to find a replacement swing coach.^[119]

On February 5, 2015, Woods withdrew from the Farmers Insurance Open after another back injury.^[120] Woods stated on his website that it was unrelated to his previous surgery and he would take a break from golf until his back healed.^[121] He returned for the Masters, finishing in a tie for 17th. In the final round, Woods injured his wrist after his club hit a tree root. He later stated that a bone popped out of his wrist, but he adjusted it back into place and finished the round.^[122] Woods then missed the cut at the 2015 U.S. Open and Open Championship, the first time Woods missed the cut at consecutive majors, finishing near the bottom of the leaderboard both times.^[123][124] He finished tied for 18th at the Quicken Loans National on August 2.^[125] In late August 2015, Woods played quite well at the Wyndham Championship finishing the tournament at 13-under, only four strokes behind the winner, and tied for 10th place.^[126] Woods offered only a brief comment on the speculation that he was still recovering from back surgery, saying it was "just my hip" but offering no specifics.^[127]

Woods at the 2018 U.S. Open

Woods had back surgery on September 16, 2015. In late March 2016, he announced that he would miss the Masters while he recovered from the surgery;^[128] he had also missed the 2014 Masters due to a back problem.^[129] "I'm absolutely making progress, and I'm really happy with how far I've come," he explained in a statement. "But I still have no timetable to return to competitive golf."^[130] However, he did attend the Masters Champions Dinner on April 5, 2016.^[131] For the first time in his career, he missed all four majors in one year due to problems with his back. In October 2016, he told Charlie Rose on PBS that he still wanted to break Jack Nicklaus's record of 18 major titles.^[132] Woods underwent back surgery in December 2016 and spent the next 15 months off the Tour. He made his return to competitive golf in the Hero World Challenge.^[133]

Woods' back problems continued to hinder him in 2017, as he missed the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open in January, and pulled out of a European Tour event in Dubai on February 3. On March 31, Woods announced on his website that he would not be playing in the 2017 Masters Tournament despite being cleared to play by his doctors. Woods said that although he was happy with his rehabilitation, he did not feel "tournament ready."^[134][135] On April 20, Woods announced that he had undergone his fourth back surgery since 2014 to alleviate back and leg pain. Recovery time required up to six months, meaning that Woods would spend the rest of the year without playing any professional golf.^[136][137] Woods returned to competitive golf at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas. He shot rounds of 69-68-75-68 and finished tied for 9th place. His world ranking went from 1,199th to 668th, which was the biggest jump in the world rankings in his career.

On Sunday, March 11, 2018, he finished one-shot back and tied for second at the Valspar Championship in Florida, his first top-five finish on the PGA Tour since 2013.^[138] He then tied for sixth with a score of five under par at the 2018 Open Championship.^[139] At the last major of the year Woods finished second at the 2018 PGA Championship, two shots behind the winner Brooks Koepka. It was his best result in a major since 2009 (second at the 2009 PGA Championship) and moved up to 26th in the world rankings. His final round of 64 was his best ever final round in a major.^[140][18]

Woods got back in the winner's circle for the 80th time in his PGA Tour career on September 23, 2018, when he won the season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club for the second time, and that tournament for the third time. He shot rounds of 65-68-65-71 to win by two strokes over Billy Horschel. He nearly also won the FedEx Cup, but Justin Rose made a birdie on the 18th hole to win by 41 points over Woods.^[141]

Honors

Woods checking his drive in 2007

On August 20, 2007, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife Maria Shriver announced that Woods would be inducted into the California Hall of Fame. He was inducted December 5, 2007 at The California Museum for History, Women and the Arts in Sacramento.^[142][143]

In December 2009, Woods was named "Athlete of the Decade" by the Associated Press.^[144] He was named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year^[145] a record-tying four times, and is one of only two people to be named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year more than once.

Since his record-breaking win at the 1997 Masters, Woods became the biggest name in golf, and his presence in tournaments drew a huge fan following . Some sources have credited him for dramatically increasing prize money in golf, generating interest in new PGA tournament audiences, and for drawing the largest TV ratings in golf history.^{[70][146][147][148][149][150]}

Endorsements

During the first decade of his professional career, Woods was the world's most marketable athlete.^[151] Shortly after his 21st birthday in 1996, he signed endorsement deals with numerous companies, including General Motors, Titleist, General Mills, American Express, Accenture, and Nike, Inc. In 2000, he signed a 5-year, $105 million contract extension with Nike, which was the largest endorsement package signed by a professional athlete at that time.^[152] Woods' endorsement has been credited with playing a significant role in taking the Nike Golf brand from a "start-up" golf company earlier in the previous decade to becoming the leading golf apparel company in the world and a major player in the equipment and golf ball market.^[151][153] Nike Golf is one of the fastest growing brands in the sport, with an estimated $600 million in sales.^[154] Woods has been described as the "ultimate endorser" for Nike Golf,^[154] frequently seen wearing Nike gear during tournaments, and even in advertisements for other products.^[152] Woods receives a percentage from the sales of Nike Golf apparel, footwear, golf equipment, golf balls,^[151] and has a building named after him at Nike's headquarters campus in Beaverton, Oregon.^[155]

Woods visiting aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) in the Persian Gulf before participating in the 2004 Dubai Desert Classic

In 2002, Woods was involved in every aspect of the launch of Buick's Rendezvous SUV. A company spokesman stated that Buick was happy with the value of Woods' endorsement, pointing out that more than 130,000 Rendezvous vehicles were sold in 2002 and 2003. "That exceeded our forecasts," he was quoted as saying, "It has to be in recognition of Tiger." In February 2004, Buick renewed Woods' endorsement contract for another five years, in a deal reportedly worth $40 million.^[152]

Woods collaborated closely with TAG Heuer to develop the world's first professional golf watch, which was released in April 2005.^[156] The lightweight, titanium-construction watch, designed to be worn while playing the game, incorporates numerous innovative design features to accommodate golf play. It is capable of absorbing up to 5,000 Gs of shock, far in excess of the forces generated by a normal golf swing.^[156] In 2006, the TAG Heuer Professional Golf Watch won the prestigious iF product design award in the Leisure/Lifestyle category.^[157]

Woods preparing for a photo shoot in 2006

Woods also endorsed the Tiger Woods PGA Tour series of video games; he has done so since 1999.^[158] In 2006, he signed a six-year contract with Electronic Arts, the series' publisher.^[159]

In February 2007, Woods, Roger Federer and Thierry Henry became ambassadors for the "Gillette Champions" marketing campaign. Gillette did not disclose financial terms, though an expert estimated the deal could total between $10 million and $20 million.^[160]

In October 2007, Gatorade announced that Woods would have his own brand of sports drink starting in March 2008. "Gatorade Tiger" was his first U.S. deal with a beverage company and his first licensing agreement. Although no figures were officially disclosed, Golfweek magazine reported that it was for five years and could pay him as much as $100 million.^[161] The company decided in early fall 2009 to discontinue the drink due to weak sales.^[162]

In July 2011, Woods appeared on a 15-second Japanese television commercial, endorsing a heat backrub by Kowa Co., the Vantelin Kowa rub. Details of the deal, which was made in late 2010, were not disclosed.^[163]

In October 2012, it was announced that Woods had signed an exclusive endorsement deal with Fuse Science, Inc, a sports nutrition firm.^[164]

In 1997, Woods and golfer Arnold Palmer initiated a case against Bruce Matthews (the owner of Gotta Have It Golf, Inc.) and others in the effort to stop the unauthorized sale of their images and alleged signatures in the memorabilia market. Matthews and associated parties counterclaimed that Woods and his company, ETW Corporation, committed several acts including breach of contract, breach of implied duty of good faith, and violations of Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.^[165] Palmer also was named in the counter-suit, accused of violating the same licensing agreement in conjunction with his company Arnold Palmer Enterprises.

On March 12, 2014, a Florida jury ruled in favor of Gotta Have It on its breach of contract and other related claims, rejected ETW's counterclaims, and awarded Gotta Have It $668,346 in damages.^[166][167] The award may end up exceeding $1 million once interest has been factored in, though the ruling may be appealed.

In August 2016, Woods announced that he would be seeking a new golf equipment partner^[168] after the news of Nike's exit from the equipment industry.^[169] It was announced on January 25, 2017, that he would be signing a new club deal with TaylorMade.^[170] He added the 2016 M2 driver along with the 2017 M1 fairway woods, with irons to be custom made at a later date. He also added his Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS, a club he used to win 13 of his 14 majors.^[171] Also, in late 2016, he would add Monster Energy as his primary bag sponsor, replacing MusclePharm.^[172]

Career achievements

Woods has won 80 official PGA Tour events, including 14 majors. He is 14–1 when going into the final round of a major with at least a share of the lead. Multiple golf experts have heralded Woods as "the greatest closer in history".^{[183][184][185]} He owns the lowest career scoring average and the most career earnings of any player in PGA Tour history.

Woods' victory at the 2013 Players Championship also marked a win in his 300th PGA Tour start.^[186] He also won golf tournaments in his 100th (in 2000) and 200th (in 2006) tour starts.^[187][188]

Woods has spent the most consecutive and cumulative weeks atop the world rankings. He is one of five players (along with Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, and Jack Nicklaus) to have won all four professional major championships in his career, known as the Career Grand Slam, and was the youngest to do so.^[189] Woods is the only player to have won all four professional major championships in a row, accomplishing the feat in the 2000–2001 seasons.

• PGA Tour wins (80)
• European Tour wins (40)
• Japan Golf Tour wins (2)
• Asian Tour wins (1)
• PGA Tour of Australasia wins (1)
• Other professional wins (16)
• Amateur wins (21)

Major championships

Wins (14)

Year	Championship	54 holes	Winning score	Margin	Runner(s)-up
1997	Masters Tournament	9 shot lead	−18 (70-66-65-69=270)	12 strokes	Tom Kite
1999	PGA Championship	Tied for lead	−11 (70-67-68-72=277)	1 stroke	Sergio García
2000	U.S. Open	10 shot lead	−12 (65-69-71-67=272)	15 strokes	Ernie Els, Miguel Ángel Jiménez
2000	The Open Championship	6 shot lead	−19 (67-66-67-69=269)	8 strokes	Thomas Bjørn, Ernie Els
2000	PGA Championship (2)	1 shot lead	−18 (66-67-70-67=270)	Playoff1	Bob May
2001	Masters Tournament (2)	1 shot lead	−16 (70-66-68-68=272)	2 strokes	David Duval
2002	Masters Tournament (3)	Tied for lead	−12 (70-69-66-71=276)	3 strokes	Retief Goosen
2002	U.S. Open (2)	4 shot lead	−3 (67-68-70-72=277)	3 strokes	Phil Mickelson
2005	Masters Tournament (4)	3 shot lead	−12 (74-66-65-71=276)	Playoff2	Chris DiMarco
2005	The Open Championship (2)	2 shot lead	−14 (66-67-71-70=274)	5 strokes	Colin Montgomerie
2006	The Open Championship (3)	1 shot lead	−18 (67-65-71-67=270)	2 strokes	Chris DiMarco
2006	PGA Championship (3)	Tied for lead	−18 (69-68-65-68=270)	5 strokes	Shaun Micheel
2007	PGA Championship (4)	3 shot lead	−8 (71-63-69-69=272)	2 strokes	Woody Austin
2008	U.S. Open (3)	1 shot lead	−1 (72-68-70-73=283)	Playoff3	Rocco Mediate

¹Defeated May in three-hole playoff by 1 stroke: Woods (3-4-5=12), May (4-4-5=13)
²Defeated DiMarco in a sudden-death playoff: Woods (3) and DiMarco (4).
³Defeated Mediate with a par on 1st sudden death hole after 18-hole playoff was tied at even par. This was the final time an 18-hole playoff was used in competition.

Results timeline

Tournament	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
Masters Tournament	T41 LA	CUT	1	T8	T18
U.S. Open	WD	T82	T19	T18	T3
The Open Championship	T68	T22 LA	T24	3	T7
PGA Championship			T29	T10	1

Tournament	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
Masters Tournament	5	1	1	T15	T22	1	T3	T2	2	T6
U.S. Open	1	T12	1	T20	T17	2	CUT	T2	1	T6
The Open Championship	1	T25	T28	T4	T9	1	1	T12		CUT
PGA Championship	1	T29	2	T39	T24	T4	1	1		2

Tournament	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018
Masters Tournament	T4	T4	T40	T4		T17			T32
U.S. Open	T4		T21	T32		CUT			CUT
The Open Championship	T23		T3	T6	69	CUT			T6
PGA Championship	T28	CUT	T11	T40	CUT	CUT			2

  Win

  Top 10

  Did not play

• LA = Low amateur
• CUT = missed the half-way cut
• WD = withdrew
• "T" indicates a tie for a place

Summary

Tournament	Wins	2nd	3rd	Top-5	Top-10	Top-25	Events	Cuts made
Masters Tournament	4	2	1	11	13	17	21	20
U.S. Open	3	2	1	7	8	14	20	16
The Open Championship	3	0	2	6	10	15	20	18
PGA Championship	4	3	0	8	9	11	19	16
Totals	14	7	4	32	40	57	80	70

• Most consecutive cuts made – 39 (1996 U.S. Open – 2006 Masters)
• Longest streak of top-10s – 8 (1999 U.S. Open – 2001 Masters)

World Golf Championships

Wins (18)

Year	Championship	54 holes	Winning score	Margin	Runner(s)-up
1999	WGC-NEC Invitational	5 shot lead	−10 (66-71-62-71=270)	1 stroke	Phil Mickelson
1999	WGC-American Express Championship	1 shot deficit	–6 (71-69-70-68=278)	Playoff 1	Miguel Ángel Jiménez
2000	WGC-NEC Invitational (2)	9 shot lead	−21 (64-61-67-67=259)	11 strokes	Justin Leonard, Phillip Price
2001	WGC-NEC Invitational (3)	2 shot deficit	−12 (66-67-66-69=268)	Playoff 2	Jim Furyk
2002	WGC-American Express Championship (2)	5 shot lead	−25 (65-65-67-66=263)	1 stroke	Retief Goosen
2003	WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship	n/a	2 & 1	n/a	David Toms
2003	WGC-American Express Championship (3)	2 shot lead	−6 (67-66-69-72=274)	2 strokes	Stuart Appleby, Tim Herron, Vijay Singh
2004	WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship (2)	n/a	3 & 2	n/a	Davis Love III
2005	WGC-NEC Invitational (4)	Tied for lead	−6 (66-70-67-71=274)	1 stroke	Chris DiMarco
2005	WGC-American Express Championship (4)	2 shot deficit	−10 (67-68-68-67=270)	Playoff 3	John Daly
2006	WGC-Bridgestone Invitational (5)	1 shot deficit	−10 (67-64-71-68=270)	Playoff 4	Stewart Cink
2006	WGC-American Express Championship (5)	6 shot lead	−23 (63-64-67-67=261)	8 strokes	Ian Poulter, Adam Scott
2007	WGC-CA Championship (6)	4 shot lead	−10 (71-66-68-73=278)	2 strokes	Brett Wetterich
2007	WGC-Bridgestone Invitational (6)	1 shot deficit	−8 (68-70-69-65=272)	8 strokes	Justin Rose, Rory Sabbatini
2008	WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship (3)	n/a	8 & 7	n/a	Stewart Cink
2009	WGC-Bridgestone Invitational (7)	3 shot deficit	−12 (68-70-65-65=268)	4 strokes	Robert Allenby, Pádraig Harrington
2013	WGC-Cadillac Championship (7)	4 shot lead	−19 (66-65-67-71=269)	2 strokes	Steve Stricker
2013	WGC-Bridgestone Invitational (8)	7 shot lead	−15 (66-61-68-70=265)	7 strokes	Keegan Bradley, Henrik Stenson

• ¹ Won on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff
• ² Won on the seventh hole of a sudden-death playoff
• ³ Won on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff
• ⁴ Won on the fourth hole of a sudden-death playoff

Results timeline

Tournament	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018
Match Play	QF	2		R64	1	1	R32	R16	R16	1	R32		R64	R32	R64
Championship	1	T5	NT1	1	1	9	1	1	1	5	T9		T10	WD	1	T25
Invitational	1	1	1	4	T4	T2	1	1	1		1	T78	T37	T8	1	WD				T31
Champions											T6	T6

• ¹ Canceled following the September 11 attacks.

  Win

  Top 10

  Did not play

• QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
• WD = withdrew
• NT = No tournament
• "T" = tied
• Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.

Playing style

Woods practicing before 2004 Ryder Cup at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Township, Michigan

When Woods first joined the PGA Tour in 1996, his long drives had a large impact on the world of golf.^[192][193] However, when he did not upgrade his equipment in the following years (insisting upon the use of True Temper Dynamic Gold steel-shafted clubs and smaller steel clubheads that promoted accuracy over distance),^[194] many opponents caught up to him. Phil Mickelson even made a joke in 2003 about Woods using "inferior equipment", which did not sit well with Nike, Titleist or Woods.^[195][196] During 2004, Woods finally upgraded his driver technology to a larger clubhead and graphite shaft, which, coupled with his clubhead speed, made him one of the Tour's lengthiest players off the tee once again.

Despite his power advantage, Woods has always focused on developing an excellent all-around game. Although in recent years he has typically been near the bottom of the Tour rankings in driving accuracy, his iron play is generally accurate, his recovery and bunker play is very strong, and his putting (especially under pressure) is possibly his greatest asset. He is largely responsible for a shift to higher standards of athleticism amongst professional golfers, and is known for utilizing more hours of practice than most.^{[197][198][199]}

From mid-1993 (while he was still an amateur) until 2004, Woods worked almost exclusively with leading swing coach Butch Harmon. From mid-1997, Harmon and Woods fashioned a major redevelopment of Woods' full swing, achieving greater consistency, better distance control, and better kinesiology. The changes began to pay off in 1999.^[200] From March 2004 to 2010, Woods was coached by Hank Haney, who worked on flattening his swing plane. Woods continued to win tournaments with Haney, but his driving accuracy dropped significantly. Haney resigned in May 2010 and was replaced by Sean Foley.^[201]

Fluff Cowan served as Woods' caddie from the start of his professional career until Woods dismissed him in March 1999.^[202] He was replaced by Steve Williams, who became a close friend of Woods and is often credited with helping him with key shots and putts.^[203] In June 2011, Woods dismissed Williams and replaced him with friend Bryon Bell on an interim basis. Joe LaCava, a former caddie of both Fred Couples and Dustin Johnson, was hired by Woods shortly after^[204] and has remained Woods' caddie since then, but he has seen limited work.

Equipment

As of 2018 Tour Championship^[205]:

• Driver: TaylorMade M3 460 (Mitsubishi Chemical Diamana D+ White Board 73TX shaft), 9.5 degrees
• Fairway woods: TaylorMade M3 13 & 19 Degree (Mitsubishi Chemical Diamana D+ White Board 83TX shaft)
• Irons: TaylorMade TW Phase1 Prototype (3-PW; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts)
• Wedges: TaylorMade Milled Grind (56 and 60 degrees; True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts)
• Putter: Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS with Ping Blackout PP58 Grip
• Ball: Bridgestone Tour B XS (with "Tiger" imprint)
• Golf glove: Nike Dri-FIT Tour glove
• Golf shoes: Nike TW '17^[206]
• Driver club cover: Frank, a plush tiger head club cover created by his mother. Frank has appeared in several commercials (voiced by actor Paul Giamatti)^[207][208]
• Wood covers: Stitch Brand with TGR Logo.
• Putter cover: Nike Putter Cover.^[209]

Other ventures

Tiger Woods Foundation

The Tiger Woods Foundation was established in 1996 by Woods and his father Earl, with the primary goal of promoting golf among inner-city children.^[210][211] The foundation has conducted junior golf clinics across the country, and sponsors the Tiger Woods Foundation National Junior Golf Team in the Junior World Golf Championships.^[212][213] As of December 2010, TWF employed approximately 55 people.^[214][215]

The foundation operates the Tiger Woods Learning Center, a $50 million, 35,000-square-foot (3,250 m²) facility in Anaheim, California, providing college-access programs for underserved youth.^{[212][214][216]} The TWLC opened in 2006 and features seven classrooms, extensive multi-media facilities and an outdoor golf teaching area.^[212] The center has since expanded to four additional campuses: two in Washington, D.C.; one in Philadelphia; and one in Stuart, Florida.^[216]

Woods giving a speech at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial (January 2009)

The foundation benefits from the annual Chevron World Challenge and AT&T National golf tournaments hosted by Woods.^[214] In October 2011, the foundation hosted the first Tiger Woods Invitational at Pebble Beach.^[217] Other annual fundraisers have included the concert events Block Party, last held in 2009 in Anaheim, and Tiger Jam, last held in 2011 in Las Vegas after a one-year hiatus.^{[214][218][219][220]}

Personal life

Other pursuits

United States President Barack Obama and Woods meet in the Oval Office, April 2009

Woods shoots a handgun at a shooting range outside San Diego.

Woods was raised as a Buddhist, and he actively practiced his faith from childhood until well into his adult, professional golf career.^[262] In a 2000 article, Woods was quoted as saying that he "believes in Buddhism... not every aspect, but most of it."^[263] He has attributed his deviations and infidelity to his losing track of Buddhism. He said, "Buddhism teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint. Obviously I lost track of what I was taught."^[264]

Woods is registered as an independent voter.^[265] In January 2009, Woods delivered a speech commemorating the military at the We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial.^[266][267] In April 2009, Woods visited the White House while promoting the golf tournament he hosts, the AT&T National.^[268] In December 2016 and again in November 2017, Woods played golf with President Donald Trump at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach.^[269]

Woods underwent laser eye surgery in 1999. Before this surgery, he was severely myopic, his eyesight having a rating of 11 diopters. The surgery was successful (it has meant that he does not need to wear glasses or use contact lenses)^[270], as he immediately started winning tour events. He received money from TLC Laser Eye Centers to endorse them.^[271] In 2007, he had further laser eye surgery when his vision began to deteriorate again.^[272]

On March 18, 2013, Woods announced that he and Olympic gold medal skier Lindsey Vonn were dating.^[273] They split up in May 2015.^[274]

See also

• Career Grand Slam Champions
• List of golfers with most European Tour wins
• List of golfers with most PGA Tour wins
• List of golfers with most wins in one PGA Tour event
• List of longest PGA Tour win streaks
• List of men's major championships winning golfers
• Most PGA Tour wins in a year

References

Further reading

External links

• Official website
• Tiger Woods at the PGA Tour official site
• Tiger Woods at the European Tour official site
• Tiger Woods at the Japan Golf Tour official site
• Tiger Woods at the Official World Golf Ranking official site
• Tiger Woods Foundation
• Tiger Woods Learning Center
• Tiger Woods on IMDb
• Works by or about Tiger Woods in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
• Tiger Woods' Videos on mReplay
• Tiger Woods Video on ESPN Video Archive
• Tiger Woods Video on FoxSports Video Archive