Many fans and golf historians consider Tiger Woods one of the greatest golfers of all time. From a young age he established himself as a tough competitor and creative shot maker, winning numerous amateur championships before turning professional in 1996, aged 20. Outside of golf, Woods became a corporate giant, signing huge deals with Nike and other sponsors.
Early Life
Born Eldrick Woods on Dec. 30, 1975, Tiger Woods received his nickname from his Green Beret father Earl, who became friends with a South Vietnamese army officer who also had the nickname "Tiger." Woods was born in California. His mother Tida is a native of Thailand. Woods started playing golf about the time he learned to walk and at age 2 was on "The Mike Douglas Show" putting against Bob Hope.
Amateur Career
After winning many junior amateur tournaments, Woods won the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at age 15, the youngest player ever to win that tournament. He won it again at age 16, becoming the first player to win it twice. He won it again at age 17 and then at age 18 won the U.S. Amateur Championship, becoming the youngest player ever to win that title.
Woods would go on to win the U.S. Amateur two more times, becoming the first three-time winner of the most prestigious tournament for amateur golfers. He also won the NCAA championship in 1996, as well as two PGA tournaments after turning pro that year.
Professional Highlights
Woods' professional career is unmatched by all but a few all-time greats. He became just the third golfer to ever win 70 or more tournaments, joining Sam Snead and Jack Nicklaus. At time of pubication he had won 14 majors, which include the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open, the British Open and the Masters. Jack Nicklaus set the record with 18 major championships.
In 2001, at age 25, Woods became the first golfer to hold all four major championships at the same time when he won the Masters. He also became the youngest golfer to have won all for majors in his career. In 1999 he became the first player since Ben Hogan in 1953 to win four PGA events in a row.
Business Success
Tiger Woods became a brand unto himself following his lucrative deals with corporations including Nike, American Express, Accenture and General Motors. He also got into the golf course design and development business, as well as video games, helping EA Sports with its successful Tiger Woods PGA Tour series of games.
In 1996, Woods and his father also launched the Tiger Woods Foundation, which started out providing golf clinics for disadvantaged kids but grew into an effort that provides educational opportunities, college scholarships and support for St. Jude Hospital in Memphis.
Personal Life
Woods was very close to his parents and in 2006, his father Earl died after a long illness. Wood took several weeks off and missed the cut at the U.S. Open that year, the first time he had missed a cut at a major championship since turning pro. He went on, however, to win the British Open that year in an emotional finish. In 2004, Woods married Elin Nordegren, of Sweden. Woods and Nordegren had two children before marital problems eventually led to his divorce in 2010. Woods admitted infidelity on numerous occasions. Knee injuries and other physical ailments coincided with Woods' return to the tour in 2010 amidst his marriage scandal. 2010 marked the first year as a professional that Woods didn't win a PGA event.
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