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Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods (born December 30, 1975)[4][5] is an American professional

golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time.
Formerly the World No. 1, he is the highest-paid professional athlete in the world, having earned
an estimated $90.5 million from winnings and endorsements in 2010.[6][7]

Woods has won 14 professional major golf championships, the second highest of any male
player (Jack Nicklaus leads with 18), and 71 PGA Tour events, third all time.[8] He has
morecareer major wins and career PGA Tour wins than any other active golfer. 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 Jack Nicklaus, to have
achieved a career Grand Slam three times. Woods has won 16 World Golf Championships, and
won at least one of those events in each of the first 11 years after they began in 1999.

Woods has held the number one position in the world rankings for the most consecutive weeks
and for the greatest total number of weeks. He has been awarded PGA Player of the Year a
record ten times,[9] the Byron Nelson Award for lowest adjusted scoring average a record eight
times, and has the record of leading the money list in nine different seasons.

On December 11, 2009, Woods announced he would take an indefinite leave from professional
golf to focus on his marriage after he admitted infidelity. His multiple infidelities were revealed by
over a dozen women, through many worldwide media sources. [10][11] Woods returned to
competition for the 2010 Masters on April 8, 2010,[12] after a break lasting 20 weeks.

In July 2010, Forbes announced Woods as the richest sportsman in the world, earning a
reported $105m according to them and $90.5m according to Sports Illustrated.[13]

On October 31, 2010, Woods lost the world number 1 ranking to Lee Westwood.[7]

Contents

[hide]

1 Background and family

2 Early life and amateur golf career

3 College golf career

4 Professional career
o 4.1 199698: early years and first major win
o 4.2 19992002: slams
o 4.3 200304: Swing adjustments
o 4.4 200507: resurgence
o 4.5 Death of father
o 4.6 Returns to top form
o 4.7 2008: injury-shortened season
o 4.8 2009: returning to the PGA Tour
o 4.9 2010: turbulent, winless season

5 Playing style

6 Equipment

7 Other ventures and aspects


o 7.1 Charity and youth projects
o 7.2 Writings
o 7.3 Golf course design
o 7.4 Endorsements
o 7.5 Honors
o 7.6 Politics
o 7.7 Cut streak
o 7.8 Tiger-proofing
o 7.9 Ryder Cup performance

8 Career achievements
o 8.1 Major championships

8.1.1 Wins (14)

8.1.2 Results timeline


o 8.2 World Golf Championships

8.2.1 Wins (16)

8.2.2 Results timeline


o 8.3 PGA Tour career summary

9 Personal life
o 9.1 Marriage

10 Marital infidelities and career break


o 10.1 Woods injured in car accident
o 10.2 More women come forward with claims
o 10.3 Sponsorships, business deals ended
o 10.4 Press conference apology
o 10.5 Announces return to competition
o 10.6 Woods admits to multiple infidelities
o 10.7 Woods, Nordegren divorce
o 10.8 Tiger Woods: The Rise and Fall documentary
o 10.9 Other

11 See also

12 References

13 Further reading

14 External links

[edit]Background and family


Woods was born in Cypress, California, to Earl (19322006) and Kultida (Tida) Woods (born
1944). He is the only child of their marriage but has two half-brothers, Earl Jr. (born 1955) and
Kevin (born 1957), and one half-sister, Royce (born 1958) from the 18-year marriage of Earl
Woods and his first wife, Barbara Woods Gray. Earl, a retired lieutenant colonel and Vietnam
War veteran, was of mixed African American, Chinese, and Native American ancestry. Kultida
(ne Punsawad), originally from Thailand, is of mixed Thai, Chinese, and Dutch ancestry. This
makes Woods himself half Asian (one-quarter Chinese and one-quarter Thai), one-quarter
African American, one-eighth Native American, and one-eighth Dutch. [14] He refers to his ethnic
make-up as Cablinasian (a syllabic abbreviation he coined
from Caucasian, Black, (American) Indian, andAsian).[15]

From childhood he was raised as a Buddhist and actively practised this faith from childhood until
well into his adult career.[16] He has attributed his deviations and infidelity to his losing track of
Buddhism. He said that "Buddhism teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn
restraint. Obviously I lost track of what I was taught." [17]

At birth, Woods was given 'Eldrick' and 'Tont' as first and middle names. His middle name, Tont
(Thai: ), is a traditional Thai name.[18] He got his nickname from a Vietnamese soldier friend of
his father, Vuong Dang Phong,[19] to whom his father had also given the Tiger nickname. He
became generally known by that name and by the time he had achieved national prominence in
junior and amateur golf, he was simply known as 'Tiger' Woods.

[edit]Early life and amateur golf career


Woods at age 2 on The Mike Douglas Show. From left, Tiger Woods, Mike Douglas, Earl Woods and Bob

Hope on October 6, 1978.

Woods grew up in Orange County, California. He was a child prodigy, introduced to golf before
the age of two, by his athletic father Earl, who was a good standard amateur golfer and one of
the earliest Negro college baseball players at Kansas State University.[20] In 1978, Tiger putted
against comedianBob Hope in a television appearance on The Mike Douglas Show. Before
turning seven, Tiger entered and won the Under Age 10 section of the Drive, Pitch, and Putt
competition, held at the Navy Golf Course in Cypress, California. [21] At age three, he shot a 48
over nine holes over the Cypress Navy course, and at age five, he appeared in Golf Digest and
on ABC's That's Incredible.[22] In 1984 at the age of eight, he won the 910 boys' event, the
youngest age group available, at the Junior World Golf Championships.[23] He first broke 80 at
age eight.[24] He went on to win the Junior World Championships six times, including four
consecutive wins from 1988 to 1991.[25][26][27][28][29]

Woods' father Earl wrote that Tiger first beat him when he was 11 years old, with Earl trying his
best. Earl lost to Tiger every time from then on.[30][31] Woods's first major national junior
tournament was the 1989 Big I, when he was 13 years old. Woods was paired with pro John
Daly, then relatively unknown, in the final round; 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.[32] As a young teenager, Woods first met Jack Nicklausin 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 impressed Nicklaus and the crowd with his skills and potential. [33]

While attending Western High School in Anaheim at the age of 15, Woods became the youngest
ever U.S. Junior Amateur champion in 1991, was voted Southern California Amateur Player of
the Year for the second consecutive year, and Golf Digest Junior Amateur Player of the Year for
1991.[34] In 1992, he defended his title at the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, becoming the
first multiple winner, competed in his first PGA Tour event, the Nissan Los Angeles Open, and
was named Golf Digest Amateur Player of the Year, Golf World Player of the Year, and Golfweek
National Amateur of the Year.[35][36]

The following year, Woods won his third consecutive U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, and
remains the event's youngest-ever and only multiple winner. [37] In 1994, he became the
youngest-ever winner of the U.S. Amateur Championship, a record that stood until 2008 when it
was broken by Danny Lee. Woods won over the TPC at Sawgrass in Florida.[38] 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).[39][40]

Woods graduated from Western High School in 1994 at age 18, 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.[41]

[edit]College golf career


Woods was recruited very heavily by college golf powers, and chose Stanford University, the
1994 NCAA Division I champion. He obtained a golf scholarship and enrolled at Stanford in the
fall of 1994. He won his first collegiate event, the 40th Annual William H. Tucker Invitational, in
September.[42] He declared a major in economics, and was nicknamed "Urkel" by college
teammate Notah Begay III.[43] In 1995, he defended his U.S. Amateur title, at the Newport
Country Club in Rhode Island[38] 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). [44]
[45]
He participated in his first PGA Tour major, the 1995Masters Tournament, 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, winning at the Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in Oregon,[46] and won
the NCAA individual golf championship.[47] In winning the Silver Medal as leading amateur
at The Open Championship, he tied the record for an amateur aggregate score of 281. [48] He left
college after two years and turned professional.

[edit]Professional career
Tiger Woods giving a driving demonstration aboard the USSGeorge Washington.

[edit]199698: early years and first major win


With the announcement "Hello world," Tiger Woods became a professional golfer in August
1996, and signed endorsement deals worth $40 million from Nike, Inc. and $20 million
from Titleist.[49][50] These endorsement contracts were the highest in golf history to that stage. He
played his first round of professional golf at theGreater Milwaukee Open, tying for 60th place,
but went on to win two events in the next three months to qualify for the Tour Championship. For
his efforts, Woods was named Sports Illustrated's 1996 Sportsman of the Year and PGA Tour
Rookie of the Year.[51] He began his tradition of wearing a red shirt during the final round of
tournaments, a link to his college days at Stanford and a color he believes symbolizes
aggression and assertiveness.[52][53]

The following April, Woods won his first major, The Masters, with a record score of 18 under par,
by a record margin of 12 strokes, becoming the youngest Masters winner and the first African-
American and first Asian-American to do so.[54] He set a total of 20 Masters records and tied six
others. He won another three PGA Tour events that year, and on June 15, 1997, in only his
42nd week as a professional, rose to number one in the Official World Golf Rankings, the
fastest-ever ascent to world No. 1.[55] He was named PGA Player of the Year, the first golfer to
win the award the year following his rookie season.

While expectations for Woods were high, his form faded in the second half of 1997, and in 1998
he only won one PGA Tour event. He answered critics of his "slump" and what seemed to be
wavering form by maintaining he was undergoing extensive swing changes with his
coach, Butch Harmon, and was hoping to do better in the future. [56]

[edit]19992002: slams
In June 1999, Woods won the Memorial Tournament, a victory that marked the beginning of one
of the greatest sustained periods of dominance in the history of men's golf. He completed his
1999 campaign by winning his last four startsincluding the PGA Championshipand finished
the season with eight wins, a feat not achieved since 1974. [57] He was voted PGA Tour Player of
the Year and Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year for the second time in three years.[57][58]

Woods started 2000 with his fifth consecutive victory and began a record-setting season,
winning three consecutive majors, nine PGA Tour events, and setting or tying 27 Tour records.
He went on to capture his sixth consecutive victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-
Amwith a memorable comeback. Trailing by seven strokes with seven holes to play, he finished
eagle-birdie-par-birdie for a 64 and a two-stroke victory. His six consecutive wins were the most
since Ben Hogan in 1948 and only five behind Byron Nelson's record of eleven in a row. In the
2000 U.S. Open, he broke or tied a total of nine U.S. Open records with his 15-shot win,
including Old Tom Morris's record for the largest victory margin ever in a major championship,
which had stood since 1862, and became the Tour's all-time career money leader. He led by a
record 10 strokes going into the final round, and Sports Illustrated called it "the greatest
performance in golf history."[59] In the 2000 Open Championshipat St Andrews, which he won by
eight strokes, he set the record for lowest score to par (19) in any major tournament, and he
holds at least a share of that record in all four major championships. At 24, he became the
youngest golfer to achieve the Career Grand Slam. [60]

Woods's major championship streak was seriously threatened at the 2000 PGA Championship,
however, when Bob May went head-to-head with Woods on Sunday at Valhalla Golf Club.
Woods played the last twelve holes of regulation seven under par, and won a three-hole playoff
with a birdie on the first hole and pars on the next two. He joined Ben Hogan (1953) as the only
other player to win three professional majors in one season. Three weeks later, he won his third
straight start on Tour at the Bell Canadian Open, becoming only the second man after Lee
Trevinoin 1971 to win the Triple Crown of Golf (U.S., British, and Canadian Opens) in one year.
Of the twenty events he entered in 2000, he finished in the top three fourteen times. His
adjusted scoring average of 67.79 and his actual scoring average of 68.17 were the lowest in
PGA Tour history, besting his own record of 68.43 in 1999 and Byron Nelson's average of 68.33
in 1945. He was named the 2000 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year, becoming the first
and only athlete to be honored twice.[61] Woods was ranked as the twelfth best golfer of all time
by Golf Digestmagazine just four years after he turned professional.[62]

The following season, Woods continued to dominate. His 2001 Masters Tournament win marked
the only time in the modern era of the Grand Slam that any player has held all four major
championship titles at the same time, a feat now known as the "Tiger Slam". [63] It is not viewed
as a true Grand Slam, however, because it was not achieved in a calendar year. Surprisingly, he
was not a factor in the three remaining majors of the year, but finished with the most PGA Tour
wins in the season, with five. In 2002, he started off strong, joining Nick Faldo (198990)
and Jack Nicklaus (196566) as the only men to have won back-to-back Masters Tournaments.
[64]

Two months later, Woods was the only player under par at the U.S. Open, and resurrected buzz
about the calendar Grand Slam, which had eluded him in 2000. [65] All eyes were on Woods at
the Open Championship, but his third round score of 81 in dreadful weather at Muirfield ended
his Grand Slam hopes.[66] At the PGA Championship, he nearly repeated his 2000 feat of
winning three majors in one year, but bogeys at the thirteenth and fourteenth holes in the final
round cost him the championship by one stroke.[67] Nonetheless, he took home the money
title,Vardon Trophy, and Player of the Year honors for the fourth year in a row. [68]

[edit]200304: Swing adjustments

Tiger and his father Earl Woods at a press conference at Fort Bragg
Woods putting at Torrey Pines Golf Course during a practice round at the 2008 U.S. Open

The next phase of Woods's career saw him remain among the top competitors on the tour, but
lose his dominating edge. He did not win a major in 2003 or 2004, falling to second in the PGA
Tourmoney list in 2003 and fourth in 2004. In September 2004, his record streak of 264
consecutive weeks as the world's top-ranked golfer came to an end at the Deutsche Bank
Championship, when Vijay Singh won and overtook Woods in the Official World Golf Rankings.
[69]

Many commentators were puzzled by Woods's "slump," offering explanations that ranged from
his rift with swing coach Butch Harmon to his marriage. At the same time, he let it be known that
he was again working on changes to his swing, this time in hopes of reducing the wear and tear
on his surgically repaired left knee, which was subjected to severe stress in the 19982003
version of his swing.[56][70] Again, he anticipated that once the adjustments were complete, he
would return to his previous form. Woods changed coaches, working with Hank Haney after
leaving Harmon.

[edit]200507: resurgence
In the 2005 season, Woods quickly returned to his winning ways. He won the Buick
Invitational in January, and in March he outplayed Phil Mickelson to win the Ford Championship
at Doral and temporarily return to the Official World Golf Rankings number one position (Singh
displaced him once again two weeks later).[52] In April, he finally broke his "drought" in the
majors by winning the 2005 Masters Tournament in a playoff, which regained him the number
one spot in the World Rankings. Singh and Woods swapped the #1 position several times over
the next couple of months, but by early July Woods had reclaimed the top spot, propelled further
by a victory at the 2005 Open Championship, his 10th major. He went on to win six official
money events on the PGA Tour in 2005, topping the money list for the sixth time in his career.
His 2005 wins also included two at the World Golf Championships.

Woods on the green at The Masters in 2006.

For Woods, the year 2006 was markedly different from 2005. While he began just as dominantly
(winning the first two PGA tournaments he entered on the year) and was in the hunt for his fifth
Masters championship in April, he never mounted a Sunday charge to defend his title,
allowing Phil Mickelson to claim the green jacket.[71][72]

[edit]Death of father
On May 3, 2006, Woods' father, mentor and inspiration, Earl, died at age 74 after a lengthy
battle with prostate cancer.[73] Woods took a nine-week hiatus from the PGA Tour to be with his
family. When he returned for the 2006 U.S. Open, the rust was evidenthe missed
the cut at Winged Foot, the first time he had missed the cut at a major as a professional, and
ended his record-tying streak of 39 consecutive cuts made at majors. Still, a tie for second at
the Western Open just three weeks later showed him poised to defend his Open
Championship crown at Hoylake.

[edit]Returns to top form


At the 2006 Open Championship, Woods almost exclusively used long irons off the tee (he hit
driver only one time the entire weekthe 16th hole of the first round), he missed just four
fairways all week (hitting the fairway 92% of the time), and his score of 18 to par (three eagles,
19 birdies, 43 pars, and seven bogeys) was just one off of his major championship record 19,
set at St Andrews in 2000. The victory was an emotional one for Woods, who dedicated his play
to his father's memory.[74]
Four weeks later at the 2006 PGA Championship, Woods again won in dominating fashion,
making only three bogeys, tying the record for fewest in a major. He finished the tournament at
18-under-par, equaling the to-par record in the PGA that he shares with Bob May from 2000.
[75]
In August 2006, he won his 50th professional tournament at the Buick Openand at the age
of thirty years and seven months, he became the youngest golfer to do so. [76] He ended the year
by winning six consecutive PGA Tour events, and won the three most prestigious awards given
by the PGA Tour (Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and Byron Nelson Awards) in the same year for
a record seventh time.

At the close of his first 11 seasons, Woods's 54 wins and 12 major wins had surpassed the all
time eleven-season PGA Tour total win record of 51 (set by Byron Nelson) and total majors
record of 11 (set by Jack Nicklaus). He was named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year
for a record-tying fourth time.[77]

Woods and tennis star Roger Federer, who share a major sponsor, first met at the 2006 U.S.
Open tennis final. Since then, they have attended each other's events and have voiced their
mutual appreciation for each other's talents.[78][79][80][81]

Woods began 2007 with a two-stroke victory at the Buick Invitational for his third straight win at
the event and his seventh consecutive win on the PGA Tour. [82] The victory marked the fifth time
he had won his first tournament of the season. With this win, he became the third man
(after Jack Nicklaus and Sam Snead) to win at least five times in three different events on the
PGA Tour (his two other events are the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and WGC-CA
Championship). He earned his second victory of the year at the WGC-CA Championship for his
third consecutive and sixth win overall at the event. With this victory, he became the first player
to have three consecutive victories in five different events. [83]

At the 2007 Masters Tournament, Woods was in the final group on the last day of a major for the
thirteenth time in his career, but unlike the previous twelve occasions, he was unable to come
away with the win. He finished tied for second two strokes behind winner Zach Johnson.[84]
Tiger Woods drives the ball down range at the inaugural Earl Woods Memorial Pro-Am Tournament, part of the

AT&T National PGA Tour event, July 2007.

Woods earned his third victory of the season by two strokes at the Wachovia Championship,
[85]
the 24th different PGA Tour tournament he won.[86] He has collected at least three wins in a
season nine times in his 12-year career. At the U.S. Open, he was in the final group for the
fourth consecutive major championship, but began the day two strokes back and finished tied
for second once again. His streak of never having come from behind to win on the final day of a
major continued.[87]

In search of a record-tying third consecutive Open Championship, Woods fell out of contention
with a second-round 75, and never mounted a charge over the weekend. Although his putting
was solid (he sank a 90-footer in the first round), his iron play held him back. "I wasn't hitting the
ball as close as I needed to all week," he said, after he finished tied for twelfth, five strokes off
the pace.[88]

In early August, Woods won his record 14th World Golf Championships event at the WGC-
Bridgestone Invitational by 8 strokes for his third consecutive and sixth victory overall at the
event. He became the first golfer to win the same event three straight times on two different
occasions (19992001) and (20052007). The following week, he won his second straight PGA
Championship by defeating Woody Austin by two strokes.[89] He became the first golfer to win
the PGA Championship in back-to-back seasons on two different occasions: 19992000 and
20062007. He became the second golfer, after Sam Snead, to have won at least five events on
the PGA Tour in eight different seasons.
Woods earned his 60th PGA Tour victory at the BMW Championship by shooting a course
record 63 in the final round to win by two strokes. He sank a fifty-foot putt in the final round and
missed only two fairways on the weekend.[90] He led the field in most birdies for the tournament,
and ranked in the top five in driving accuracy, driving distance, putts per round, putts per green,
and greens in regulation. Woods finished his 2007 season with a runaway victory at the Tour
Championship to capture his fourth title in his last five starts of the year. He became the only
two-time winner of the event, and the champion of the inaugural FedEx Cup. In his 16 starts on
Tour in 2007, his adjusted scoring average was 67.79, matching his own record set in 2000. His
substantial leads over the second, third, and fourth players were similar in 2000 (1.46 (Phil
Mickelson), 1.52 (Ernie Els), 1.66 (David Duval)) and 2007 (1.50 (Els), 1.51 (Justin Rose), 1.60
(Steve Stricker)).

[edit]2008: injury-shortened season


Woods started the 2008 season with an eight-stroke victory at the Buick Invitational. The win
marked his 62nd PGA Tour victory, tying him withArnold Palmer for fourth on the all time list.
[91]
This marked his sixth victory at the event, the sixth time he has begun the PGA Tour season
with a victory, and his third PGA Tour win in a row. The following week, he was trailing by four
strokes going into the final round of the Dubai Desert Classic, but made six birdies on the back
nine for a dramatic one-stroke victory. [92] He took home his 15th World Golf Championships
event at the Accenture Match Play Championship with a record-breaking 8 & 7 victory in the
final.[93]

In his next event, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Woods got off to a slow start, finishing the first
round at even par and tied for 34th place. After finishing the third round in a five-way tie for first
place, he completed his fifth consecutive PGA Tour victory with a dramatic 24-foot (7.3 m) putt
on the 18th hole to defeat Bart Bryant by a stroke. It was also his fifth career victory in this
event. Geoff Ogilvy stopped Woods's run at theWGC-CA Championship, a tournament Woods
had won in each of the previous three years. He remains the only golfer to have had more than
one streak of at least five straight wins on the PGA Tour.

Despite bold predictions that Woods might again challenge for the Grand Slam, he did not
mount a serious charge at the 2008 Masters Tournament, struggling with his putter through
each round. He would still finish alone in second, three strokes behind the champion, Trevor
Immelman. On April 15, 2008, he underwent his third left knee arthroscopic surgery in Park City,
Utah, and missed two months on the PGA Tour. The first surgery he had was in 1994 when he
had a benign tumor removed and the second in December 2002.[94] He was named Men's
Fitness's Fittest Athlete in the June/July 2008 issue.[95]
Tiger Woods walks off the 8th green at Torrey Pines during a practice round at the 2008 U.S. Open

Woods returned for the 2008 U.S. Open in one of the most anticipated golfing groupings in
history[96] between him, Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott, the top three golfers in the world.
Woods struggled the first day on the course, notching a double bogey on his first hole. He would
end the round at +1 (72), four shots off the lead. He scored 3 (68) his second day, still paired
with Mickelson, managing 5 birdies, 1 eagle and 4 bogeys. On the third day of the tournament,
he started off with a double bogey once again and was trailing by 5 shots with six holes to play.
However, he finished the round by making 2 eagle putts, a combined 100 feet (30 m) in length,
and a chip-in birdie to take a one shot lead into the final round. His final putt assured that he
would be in the final group for the sixth time in the last eight major championships.

On Sunday, June 15, Woods began the day with another double bogey, and trailed Rocco
Mediate by one stroke after 71 holes. He winced after several of his tee shots, and sometimes
made an effort to keep weight off of his left foot. Woods was behind by one stroke when he
reached the final hole. Left with a 12-foot (3.7 m) putt for birdie, he made the shot to force an
18-hole playoff with Mediate on Monday.[97][98] Despite leading by as many as three strokes at
one point in the playoff, Woods again dropped back and needed to birdie the 18th to force
sudden death with Mediate, and did so. Woods made par on the first sudden death hole;
Mediate subsequently missed his par putt, giving Woods his 14th major championship. [99] After
the tournament, Mediate said "This guy does things that are just not normal by any stretch of
the imagination,"[100] and Kenny Perry added, "he beat everybody on one leg."[101]

Two days after winning the U.S. Open, Woods announced that he would be required to undergo
reconstructive anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery on his left knee and would miss the
remainder of the 2008 golf season including the final two major championships: The Open
Championship, and the PGA Championship. Woods also revealed that he had been playing for
at least 10 months with a torn ligament in his left knee, and sustained a double stress fracture in
his left tibia while rehabbing after the surgery he had after the Masters. [102][103] Publications
throughout the world asserted his U.S. Open victory as "epic" and praised his efforts especially
after learning of the extent of his knee injury. Woods called it "My greatest ever championship
the best of the 14 because of all the things that have gone on over the past week." [104]

Woods' absence from the remainder of the season caused PGA Tour TV ratings to decline.
Overall viewership for the second half of the 2008 season saw a 46.8% decline as compared to
2007.[105]

[edit]2009: returning to the PGA Tour


Called "one of the most anticipated returns in sports" by the Associated Press, [106] Woods' first
PGA Tour event after an eight-month layoff came at the WGC-Accenture Match Play
Championship. He lost to Tim Clark in the second round.[107] His first stroke play event was
the WGC-CA Championship at Doral, where he finished 9th (11). Woods won his first title of
the year at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, where he was five strokes behind Sean
O'Hair entering the final round. Woods shot a final round 67 and made a 16-foot (4.9 m) birdie
putt at the final hole to defeat O'Hair by one stroke. [108] Afterwards, he would continue to perform
consistently. At The Masters, he finished sixth, four strokes behind eventual winner ngel
Cabrera. Then, despite having the 18-hole lead at the Quail Hollow Championship, he finished
two strokes behind Sean O'Hair. At The Players Championship, he played in the final grouping
on Sunday, but finished eighth.

Woods won his second event of 2009 at the Memorial Tournament. He trailed by four shots after
three rounds but shot a final round 65, which included two consecutive birdies to end the
tournament.[109] The win was Woods' fourth at the event. Woods won his third event of the 2009
season on July 5 at the AT&T National, an event hosted by Woods himself.[110] However, for the
third time going into a 2009 major, Woods failed to capitalize on his preceding win. Instead, at
the 2009 Open Championship, played at Turnberry, he missed the cut for only the second time
in a major championship since turning professional. [111]

On August 2, Woods captured the Buick Open for his fourth win of the season, a three-shot
victory over three other players. After firing an opening-round 71 that put him in 95th place and
outside of the cutline, Woods responded with a second-round 63, nine-under par, that vaulted
him into contention. A third-round 65 put him atop the leaderboard and he coasted to victory with
a final-round 69 for a 20-under 268 four-round total. [112] This was the biggest turnaround pro
victory to date.[113]

Woods won his 70th career event the following week at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. He
went head-to-head against Pdraig Harrington on Sunday until the 16th, where Harrington
made a triple bogey 8 on the par 5 and Woods made birdie. Tiger went on to win the event by 4
strokes over Harrington and Robert Allenby.[114]
At the 2009 PGA Championship, Woods shot a 5-under 67 to take the lead after the first round.
He remained leader or co-leader through the second and third rounds. Going into the final
round, Woods had a 2 stroke lead at 8-under. However, at the 68th hole, Woods was overtaken
for the first time atop the leaderboard by Yang Yong-eun. Yang eventually won the tournament
by three strokes over Woods who finished second.[115] It marked the first time that Woods would
fail to win a major when leading or co-leading after 54 holes and the first time he had lost any
tournament on American soil when leading by more than one shot. [116] It also meant that Woods
would end the year without a major for the first time since 2004.

Woods won his 71st career title at the BMW Championship. The win moved him to first place in
the FedEx Cup standings going into the final playoff event. It was his fifth win at the BMW
Championship (including three wins as the Western Open) and marked the fifth time he had
won an event five or more times in his career on the PGA Tour. [117] Woods finished second
at The Tour Championship to win his second FedEx Cup title.[118]

At the 2009 Presidents Cup, Woods had an impressive and equally spectacular performance in
which he won all five of his matches at the event. He joined his friend Mark O'Meara, who won
all five of his matches at the 1996 Presidents Cup, and Shigeki Maruyama, who accomplished
this feat in the 1998 Presidents Cup.[119][120] In all three instances, their respective teams won the
competition. Woods was paired with Steve Stricker all four rounds of the competition in
foursomes and four-ball. On the first day of foursomes, they won 6 and 4 over the team of Ryo
Ishikawa and Geoff Ogilvy.[121] In Friday's match of four-ball, they won over the team of ngel
Cabrera and Geoff Ogilvy, 5 and 3.[122] On Saturday, they beat the team of Tim Clark and Mike
Weir after trailing for most of the match by winning the 17th and 18th holes to win 1-up in
morning foursomes,[123] and in the afternoon four-ball they defeated the team of Ryo
Ishikawa and Y. E. Yang by the score of 4 and 2.[124][125]In the singles match, Woods was paired
with his nemesis from the 2009 PGA Championship, Yang. Yang grabbed the quick 1-up lead on
the first hole, but on the third hole lost the lead and Woods went onto win the match by a score
of 6 and 5.[126] In addition, Woods was the one who clinched the Cup for the United States,
which was his first time ever in his career he had the honor and opportunity to do this in a team
event competition.[127][128]

In November 2009, Woods was paid $3.3 million to play in the JBWere Masters, held
at Kingston Heath in Melbourne, Australia from November 12 to 15. The event was sold out for
the first time. He went on to win at 14 under par, two strokes over Australian Greg Chalmers,
marking his 38th European Tour win and his first win on the PGA Tour of Australasia.[129]

[edit]2010: turbulent, winless season


After his past marital infidelities came to light, Woods announced an indefinite break from
competitive golf at the end of 2009. In March 2010, he announced that he would be playing in
the 2010 Masters.[130]

Missing the start of the 2010 season, Woods returned to competition for the 2010 Masters
Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, starting on April 8, 2010,[12] after a break lasting nearly 20
weeks. He finished the tournament tied for fourth. [131] Woods next competed at the 2010 Quail
Hollow Championship at the end of April, but missed the cut for just the sixth time of his career.
He shot his second-worst round as a professional on April 30, a 7-over 79 during the second
round to miss the 36-hole cut by eight strokes.[132] Woods withdrew from The Players
Championshipduring the fourth round, on May 9, later citing a neck injury. He had scored 70-71-
71 in the first three rounds, and was two over par for the round, while playing the seventh hole,
when he withdrew. Hank Haney, who had coached Woods since 2003, issued a statement
resigning as his coach shortly after The Players Championship.

Woods returned to competitive golf four weeks later to defend his title at The Memorial
Tournament. He made the cut and went on to finish T19, his worst finish in that tournament
since 2002. His next competitive tournament began June 17 at the U.S. Open held at Pebble
Beach, the site of his 2000 win by a record 15 shots. After a relatively unspectacular
performance through the first two rounds, Woods showed signs of his pre-2010 form, as he
managed a back nine 31 in route to shooting a five-under-par 66 on Saturday, which would tie
for the low round of the tournament and put him back into contention. However, he was unable
to mount a charge on Sunday, despite the collapse of 54-hole leaderDustin Johnson, and went
on to finish the tournament at three-over-par and in a tie for fourth place, repeating his top-5
result at the 2010 Masters Tournament.[133]

Woods then played in the AT&T National in late June, which he used to host, before AT&T
dropped his personal sponsorship. He was the defending champion, and the favorite among
many coming into his former tournament, but he struggled all four days of the tournament, failed
to post a round under par, and tied for 46th place. [134]

Woods then flew to Ireland to play in a two-day charity event the JP McManus Pro-Am and
then flew home to Florida to "see his kids", before preparing for The Open Championship just
over a week later. He changed his putter for the Open Championship at St Andrews Old Course,
saying he always struggled on slow greens and needed this new Nike Method 001 putter to "get
the ball rolling faster and better". This was a somewhat surprising statement, considering he had
won the previous two Open Championships held at St Andrews, in 2000 and 2005. It was the
first time Woods had used any other putter than his Titleist Scotty Cameron since 1999. Woods
putted well the first day of the tournament, shooting a 5-under 67, but wind gusts of over 40 mph
suspended play for 66 minutes the next day at St Andrews, and Woods was never able to get
anything going. It was the same story Saturday. He missed short putts over and over again. He
changed his putter back to his old Scotty Cameron for the final round, but did not putt any better.
Woods finished 3-under overall, 13 shots behind winner Louis Oosthuizen(tied for 23rd place).
[135]

Woods finished in 18-over par tying for 78th place (second-to-last place) in the WGC-
Bridgestone Invitational on August 8. He posted his worst four-round result as a professional
golfer.[136]

Woods began working with Canadian golf coach Sean Foley in August 2010; the two had been
discussing a possible partnership for several previous weeks. In the 2010 PGA Championship,
played at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin, Woods made the 36-hole cut but failed to mount a
challenge, ending in a tie for 28th place.

Woods's inconsistent play in the 2010 FedEx Cup playoffs failed to qualify him into the top 30
players for The Tour Championship, for the first time since he turned professional in 1996. He
had won the FedEx Cup in 2007 and 2009. He also failed to qualify on points for the 2010 Ryder
Cup team, for the first time in his career. But captain Corey Pavin chose Woods as one of his
four captain's picks. Woods, again partnering withSteve Stricker in pairs play, played
inconsistently in terrible weather conditions at Celtic Manor in Wales; the matches were delayed
several times when the course became unplayable, and the format had to be significantly
modified and then even extended to a fourth day to complete the event. The U.S., entering as
Cup holders, lost the Cup to the European team, by the narrowest possible margin, 14.5 to 13.5.
However, Woods played impressive golf in his final-day singles match, winning decisively
over Francesco Molinari.

Woods then took an extended break from competition, to refine new techniques with Foley. He
returned in early November, after more than a month off, at the WGC-HSBC Champions event
in Shanghai, where he had placed 2nd in 2009, but failed to challenge seriously. Next was a
visit to Thailand, his mother's birthplace, for a one-day Skins Game, honoring King Bhumibol. At
the 2010 JBWere Masters, held near Melbourne,Australia in mid-November, Woods arrived as
defending champion and was paid an appearance fee of more than $3 million. He charged late
on the final day to finish in fourth place. Over his final six holes, Woods made two eagles, two
birdies, and two pars, to end with a round of 6-under 65. Three weeks later, resuming his role as
host of the elite-field Chevron World Challenge near Los Angeles (he had skipped the 2009
event because of personal crisis; the tournament serves as a primary benefactor of his
charitable foundation), Woods put up three straight rounds in the 60s, and led going into the
final round for the first time in 2010. But he struggled with his long-game control in mixed
weather conditions on Sunday, and putted much worse than he had in previous rounds, winding
up in a tie with Graeme McDowell after 72 holes. McDowell sank a 20-foot birdie putt on the
final green; Woods then sank his own short birdie putt to tie. McDowell again made birdie on the
first playoff hole (the 18th) from 20 feet to take the title, when Woods missed from shorter range.
The playoff loss meant that Woods went winless for an entire season, for the first time since
turning professional. However, Woods finished the 2010 season ranked #2 in the world. He
again used the Nike Method 003 putter for his final two events of 2010.

[edit]Playing style

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

When Woods first joined the professional tour in 1996, his long drives had a large impact on the
world of golf.[137][138] 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),[139] 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.[140][141] 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 lengthier 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 putting in more hours of practice than most. [142][143][144]

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. [145] Since March 2004, Woods has
been coached by Hank Haney, who has worked on flattening his swing plane. Woods has
continued to win tournaments with Haney, but his driving accuracy has dropped significantly
since his move from Harmon. In June 2004, Woods was involved in a media spat with Harmon,
who also works as a golf broadcaster, when Harmon suggested that he was in "denial" about
the problems in his game, but they publicly patched up their differences. [146]

Haney announced that he was stepping down as Woods' coach on May 10, 2010. [147]

On August 10, 2010, Sean Foley helped Woods with his swing during a practice round at the
PGA Championship and confirmed the possibility of working with him. [148]

[edit]Equipment

As of 2010:[149][150]

Driver: Nike VR Tour Driver (9.5 degrees; Mitsubishi Diamana Whiteboard 83g shaft)
Fairway Woods: Nike SQ II 15 3-wood with Mitsubishi Diamana Blueboard and Nike
SQ II 19 5-Wood
Irons: Nike VR Forged TW Blade (2-PW) (Tiger will put his 5 Wood or 2 Iron in the bag
depending upon the course setup and conditions). All irons are 1 degree upright, have D4
swingweight, standard size Tour Velvet grips and True Temper Dynamic Gold X-100 shafts.
[150]

Wedges: Nike VR 56 Sand Wedge and Nike SV 60 Lob Wedge


Putter: Nike Method 003 with Ping Blackout grip, 35 inches long[149][150]
Ball: Nike ONE Tour D (with "Tiger" imprint)
Golf Glove: Nike Dri-FIT Tour glove
Golf Shoes: Nike Air Zoom TW 2010
Club Cover: Frank, a plush tiger head club cover created by his mother, which has
appeared in several commercials.[151]
Fairway wood "Kiwi" bird headcover relates to the nationality of his caddie Steve
Williams (New Zealand).

[edit]Other ventures and aspects


[edit]Charity and youth projects
Woods has established several charitable and youth projects.

The Tiger Woods Foundation: The Tiger Woods Foundation was established in 1996
by Woods and his father Earl. It focuses on projects for children. Initially these comprised
golf clinics (aimed especially at disadvantaged children), and a grant program. Further
activities added since then include university scholarships, an association with Target House
at St. Jude Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee; the Start Something character development
program, which reached one million participants by 2003; and the Tiger Woods Learning
Center.[152] The Tiger Woods Foundation recently has teamed up with the PGA Tour to
create a new PGA tour event that will take place in the nation's capital (Washington, D.C.)
beginning in July 2007.[153]
In The City Golf Clinics and Festivals: Since 1997, the Tiger Woods Foundation has
conducted junior golf clinics across the country.[152] The Foundation began the In the City
golf clinic program in 2003. The first three clinics were held in Indio, California, Wilkinsburg,
Pennsylvania, and San Juan, Puerto Rico, and were targeted to all youth, ages 717, and
their families. Each three-day event features golf lessons on Thursday and Friday of clinic
week and a free community festival on Saturday. Host cities invite 15 junior golfers to
participate in the annual Tiger Woods Foundation Youth Clinic. This three-day junior golf
event includes tickets to Disney Resorts, a junior golf clinic, and an exhibition by Tiger
Woods.[154]
Tiger Woods Learning Center: This is a 35,000-square-foot (3,300 m2) educational
facility in Anaheim, California which opened in February 2006. It is expected to be used by
several thousand students each year in grades 4 to 12. The center features seven
classrooms, extensive multi-media facilities and an outdoor golf teaching area. [155][156]
Tiger Jam: An annual fundraising concert which has raised over $10 million for the
Tiger Woods Foundation. Past performers at Tiger Jam include Sting, Bon Jovi and Stevie
Wonder.[157]
Chevron World Challenge: An annual off-season charity golf tournament. The event
carries generous prize money, and in 2007 Woods donated his $1.35 million first-place
check to his Learning Center.[158]
Tiger Woods Foundation National Junior Golf Team: An eighteen member team
which competes in the annual Junior World Golf Championships.[159]

Woods has also participated in charity work for his current caddy, Steve Williams. On April 24,
2006 Woods won an auto racing event that benefited the Steve Williams Foundation to raise
funds to provide sporting careers for disadvantaged youth. [160]

[edit]Writings

Woods has written a golf instruction column for Golf Digest magazine since 1997,[161] and in
2001 wrote a best-selling golf instruction book,How I Play Golf, which had the largest print run of
any golf book for its first edition, 1.5 million copies.[162]

[edit]Golf course design


Main article: Tiger Woods Design

Woods announced on December 3, 2006 that he will develop his first golf course in the United
Arab Emirates through his golf course design company, Tiger Woods Design. The Tiger Woods
Dubai will feature a 7,700-yard (7,000 m), par-72 course named Al Ruwaya (meaning
"serenity"), a 60,000-square-foot (6,000 m2) clubhouse, a golf academy, 320 exclusive villas and
a boutique hotel with 80 suites. Tiger Woods Dubai is a joint venture between Woods
and Tatweer, a member of the government-affiliated Dubai Holding. Woods chose Dubai
because he was excited about the "challenge of transforming a desert terrain into a world-class
golf course." The development was scheduled to be finished in late 2009 atDubailand, the
region's largest tourism and leisure project.[163] However, economic difficulties in Dubai have
delayed the completion of this project.

On August 14, 2007, Woods announced his first course to be designed in the U.S., The Cliffs at
High Carolina. The private course will sit at about 4,000 feet (1,200 m) in the Blue Ridge
Mountains near Asheville, North Carolina.[164]

Woods will also design a golf course in Mexico. This will be his first oceanfront course. It will be
called Punta Brava, which will be located byEnsenada, Baja California. The project will include
an 18-hole course designed by Woods, 40 estate lots of up to three acres in size, and 80 villa
homes of up to 7,000 square feet (650 m2). Construction will start in 2009 with the project
scheduled for completion in 2011.[165]
[edit]Endorsements

Woods has been called the world's most marketable athlete. [166] Shortly after his 21st birthday in
1996, he began signing 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. It was the largest endorsing deal ever
signed by an athlete at that time.[167] Woods' endorsement has been credited in playing a
significant role in taking the Nike Golf brand from a "start-up" golf company earlier in the past
decade, to becoming the leading golf apparel company in the world, and a major player in the
equipment and golf ball market.[166][168] Nike Golf is one of the fastest growing brands in the sport,
with an estimated $600 million in sales.[169] Woods has been described as the "ultimate
endorser" for Nike Golf,[169]frequently seen wearing Nike gear during tournaments, and even in
advertisements for other products.[167] Woods receives a cut from the sales of Nike Golf apparel,
footwear, golf equipment, golf balls,[166] and has a building named after him at Nikes
headquarters campus in Beaverton, Oregon.[170]

In 2002, Woods was involved in every aspect of the launch of Buick's Rendezvous SUV. A
company spokesman stated that Buick is 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.[167]

Woods collaborated closely with TAG Heuer to develop the world's first professional golf watch,
released in April 2005.[171] 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.[171] In 2006, the TAG Heuer Professional Golf Watch won the prestigious iF
product design award in the Leisure/Lifestyle category.[172]
Woods preparing for a photo shoot in 2006

Woods also endorses the Tiger Woods PGA Tour series of video games; he has done so since
1999.[173] In 2006, he signed a six-year contract with Electronic Arts, the series' publisher.[174]

In February 2007, along with Roger Federer and Thierry Henry, Woods became an ambassador
for the "GilletteChampions" marketing campaign. Gillette did not disclose financial terms, though
an expert estimated the deal could total between $10 million and $20 million.[175]

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.[176] The company
decided in early fall 2009 to discontinue the drink due to weak sales. [177]

According to Golf Digest, Woods made $769,440,709 from 1996 to 2007,[178] and the magazine
predicted that by 2010, Woods would pass one billion dollars in earnings. [179] In
2009, Forbes confirmed that Woods was indeed the world's first athlete to earn over a billion
dollars in his career (before taxes), after accounting for the $10 million bonus Woods received
for the FedEx Cup title.[180][181] The same year, Forbes estimated his net worth to be $600 million,
making him the second richest "African American" behind only Oprah Winfrey.[182]

[edit]Honors

On August 20, 2007, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria
Shriver announced that Woods would be inducted into theCalifornia Hall of Fame. He was
inducted December 5, 2007 at The California Museum for History, Women and the Arts in
Sacramento.[183][184]
He has been named "Athlete of the Decade" by the Associated Press in December 2009. [185] He
has been named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year a record-tying four times, and is the
only person to be named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year more than once.

Since his record-breaking win at the 1997 Masters Tournament, golf's increased popularity is
commonly attributed to Woods' presence. He is credited by some sources for dramatically
increasing prize money in golf, generating interest in new audiences, and for drawing the largest
TV audiences in golf history.[51][186][187][188][189][190]

[edit]Politics

Woods meets with United States PresidentBarack Obama in the White House.

Tiger Woods is registered as an independent.[191] In January 2009, Woods delivered a speech


commemorating the military at the We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the
Lincoln Memorial.[192][193] In April 2009, Woods visited the White House while in the Washington,
D.C. area promoting the golf tournament he hosts, the AT&T National.[194]

[edit]Cut streak
In both Byron Nelson's and Woods's eras, "making the cut" has been defined as receiving a
paycheck. However, in Nelson's day, only players who placed in the top 20 (sometimes as few
as 15)[195] in an event won a paycheck, whereas in Woods's day only players who reach a low
enough score (top 70 and ties for most events) within the first 36 holes win a paycheck.
[196]
Several golf analysts argue that Woods did not actually surpass Nelson's consecutive cuts
mark, reasoning that 31 of the tournaments in which Woods competed were "no-cut" events,
meaning all the players in the field were guaranteed to compete throughout the entire event
regardless of their scores through 36 holes (and hence all "made the cut," meaning that they all
received a paycheck). These analysts argue that this would leave Woods's final consecutive
cuts made at 111, and Nelson's at 113.[197]
However, at least ten of the tournaments in which Nelson played did not have modern-day cuts;
that is, all of the players in these events were guaranteed to compete past 36 holes. The
Masters, for example, did not institute a 36-hole cut until 1957 (which was well after Nelson
retired), the PGA Championship was match play until 1958, and it is unclear whether or not
three other events in which Nelson competed had 36-hole cuts. [198][199] Therefore, these analysts
remove "no 36-hole cut" events from both cut streak measures, leaving Nelson's consecutive
cuts made at 103 (or possibly less) and Woods's at 111.[200]

In the tournaments in which Nelson competed that did not have 36-hole cuts (that is: the
Masters, PGA Championship and the possible three other tournaments), only the top 20 players
received a paycheck even though all players in these events were guaranteed to compete past
36 holes.[196] Hence, in these no-cut events, Nelson still placed in the top 20, so Nelson's 113
cuts made are reflective of his 113 top 20 finishes. Woods achieved a top 20 finish 21
consecutive times (from July 2000 to July 2001) and, in the 31 no-cut events in which he played,
he won 10 and finished out of the top 10 only five times. Others, including Woods himself, argue
that the two streaks cannot be compared, because the variation of tournament structures in the
two eras is too great for any meaningful comparison to be made. [197][200]

A more relevant comparison on cut streaks is the 105 consecutive cuts made by Jack Nicklaus
between 1970 and 1976, ending at the 1976 World Open. [201] The cut format from that era was
virtually identical to the current PGA Tour practice, and most events in Nicklaus' streak, except
for the Tournament of Champions (now the SBS Championship), the World Series of Golf (now
the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational), and the U.S. Professional Match Play Championship (10
events for Nicklaus) had a cut made after 36 holes.

[edit]Tiger-proofing

Early in Woods's career, a small number of golf experts expressed concern about his impact on
the competitiveness of the game and the public appeal of professional golf. Sportswriter Bill
Lyon of Knight-Ridder asked in a column, "Isn't Tiger Woods actually bad for golf?" (though Lyon
ultimately concluded that he was not).[202] At first, some pundits feared that Woods would drive
the spirit of competition out of the game of golf by making existing courses obsolete and
relegating opponents to simply competing for second place each week.

A related effect was measured by economist Jennifer Brown of the University of California,
Berkeley who found that other golfers played worse when competing against Woods than when
he was not in the tournament. The scores of highly skilled (exempt) golfers are nearly one
stroke higher when playing against Woods. This effect was larger when he was on winning
streaks and disappeared during his well-publicized slump in 200304. Brown explains the
results by noting that competitors of similar skill can hope to win by increasing their level of
effort, but that, when facing a "superstar" competitor, extra exertion does not significantly raise
one's level of winning while increasing risk of injury or exhaustion, leading to reduced effort. [203]

Many courses in the PGA Tour rotation (including Major Championship sites like Augusta
National) began to add yardage to their tees in an effort to slow down long hitters like Woods, a
strategy that became known as "Tiger-Proofing". Woods himself welcomed the change as he
believes adding yardage to the course does not affect his ability to win. [204]

[edit]Ryder Cup performance


Despite his outstanding success on the PGA Tour, Woods had little success in the Ryder
Cup early in his career. In his first Ryder Cup in 1997, he earned only 1 points competing in
every match and partnering mostly with Mark O'Meara. Costantino Rocca defeated Woods in
his singles match.[205] In 1999, he earned 2 points over every match with a variety of partners.
[206]
In 2002, he lost both Friday matches,[207] but, partnered with Davis Love III for both of
Saturday's matches, won two points for the Americans, and was slated to anchor the Americans
for the singles matches, both squads going into Sunday with 8 points. [208] However, after the
Europeans took an early lead, his match with Jesper Parnevik was rendered unimportant and
they halved the match.[209] In 2004, he was paired with Phil Mickelson on Friday but lost both
matches,[210] and only earned one point on Saturday.[211] With the Americans facing a 511
deficit, he won the first singles match, but the team was not able to rally. [210] In 2006, he was
paired with Jim Furyk for all of the pairs matches, and they won two of their four matches.
[212]
Woods won his singles match, one of only three Americans to do so that day. [213] Woods
missed the 2008 Ryder Cup competition altogether, as he was recovering from reconstructive
surgery on his left knee. Despite Woods' absence, the United States team posted its largest
margin of victory in the event since 1981.

[edit]Career achievements
Main article: List of career achievements by Tiger Woods

Woods has won 71 official PGA Tour events including 14 majors. He is 141 when going into the
final round of a major with at least a share of the lead. He has been heralded as "the greatest
closer in history" by multiple golf experts.[214][215][216] He owns the lowest career scoring average
and the most career earnings of any player in PGA Tour history.

He 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.[217] Woods is the only player to have won all four professional
major championships in a row, accomplishing the feat in the 20002001 seasons.

When Woods turned pro, Mike "Fluff" Cowan was his caddie until March 8, 1999.[218] He was
replaced by Steve Williams, who has become a close friend of Woods and is often credited with
helping him with key shots and putts.[219]

PGA Tour wins (71)


European Tour wins (38)
Japan Golf Tour wins (2)
Asian Tour wins (1)
PGA Tour of Australasia wins (1)
Other professional wins (15)
Amateur wins (21)

[edit]Major championships
[edit]Wins (14)

Year 54 Holes
Championship Winning Score Margin Runner(s)-up

9 shot 18 (706665 12
1997 Masters Tournament Tom Kite
lead 69=270) strokes

Tied for 11 (706768


1999 PGA Championship 1 stroke Sergio Garca
lead 72=277)

10 shot 12 (656971 15 Ernie Els, Miguel


2000 U.S. Open
lead 67=272) strokes ngel Jimnez

The Open 6 shot 19 (676667 Thomas Bjrn,


2000 8 strokes
Championship lead 69=269) Ernie Els

1 shot 18 (666770
2000 PGA Championship (2) Playoff 1
Bob May
lead 67=270)

Masters Tournament 1 shot 16 (706668


2001 2 strokes David Duval
(2) lead 68=272)

Masters Tied for 12 (706966


2002 3 strokes Retief Goosen
Tournament (3) lead 71=276)
4 shot 3 (676870
2002 U.S. Open (2) 3 strokes Phil Mickelson
lead 72=277)

Masters 3 shot 12 (746665


2005 Playoff 2
Chris DiMarco
Tournament (4) lead 71=276)

The Open 2 shot 14 (666771


2005 5 strokes Colin Montgomerie
Championship (2) lead 70=274)

The Open 1 shot 18 (676571


2006 2 strokes Chris DiMarco
Championship (3) lead 67=270)

Tied for 18 (696865


2006 PGA Championship (3) 5 strokes Shaun Micheel
lead 68=270)

3 shot 8 (716369
2007 PGA Championship (4) 2 strokes Woody Austin
lead 69=272)

1 shot 1 (726870
2008 U.S. Open (3) Playoff 3
Rocco Mediate
lead 73=283)

1
Defeated May in three-hole playoff by 1 stroke: Woods (345=12), May (445=13)
2
Defeated DiMarco with birdie on first extra hole
3
Defeated Mediate with a par on 1st sudden death hole after 18-hole playoff was tied at even
par

[edit]Results timeline

199 199 199 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 200 201
Tournament 1995 1996
7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0

T41 L
The Masters CUT 1 T8 T18 5 1 1 T15 T22 1 T3 T2 2 T6 T4
A

U.S. Open WD T82 T19 T18 T3 1 T12 1 T20 T17 2 CUT T2 1 T6 T4

The Open
T22 L
Championshi T68 T24 3 T7 1 T25 T28 T4 T9 1 1 T12 DNP CUT T23
A
p

PGA

Championshi DNP DNP T29 T10 1 1 T29 2 T39 T24 T4 1 1 DNP 2 T28

p
LA = Low Amateur
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.

[edit]World Golf Championships


[edit]Wins (16)

Year 54 Holes Margin of


Championship Winning Score Runner(s)-up
Victory

5 shot -10 (66-71-62-


1999 WGC-NEC Invitational 1 stroke Phil Mickelson
lead 71=270)

WGC-American Express 1 shot -6 (71-69-70-


1999 Playoff 1
Miguel ngel Jimnez
Championship deficit 68=278)

9 shot -21 (64-61-67- Justin Leonard,


2000 WGC-NEC Invitational (2) 11 strokes
lead 67=259) Phillip Price

2 shot -12 (66-67-66-


2001 WGC-NEC Invitational (3) Playoff 2
Jim Furyk
deficit 69=268)

WGC-American Express 5 shot -25 (65-65-67-


2002 1 stroke Retief Goosen
Championship(2) lead 66=263)

WGC-Accenture Match
2003 n/a 2&1 n/a David Toms
Play Championship

WGC-American Express 2 shot -6 (67-66-69- Stuart Appleby, Tim


2003 2 strokes
Championship(3) lead 72=274) Herron, Vijay Singh

WGC-Accenture Match
2004 n/a 3&2 n/a Davis Love III
Play Championship (2)

Tied for -6 (66-70-67-


2005 WGC-NEC Invitational (4) 1 stroke Chris DiMarco
lead 71=274)

WGC-American Express 2 shot -10 (67-68-68-


2005 Playoff 3
John Daly
Championship(4) deficit 67=270)

WGC-Bridgestone 1 shot -10 (67-64-71-


2006 Playoff 4
Stewart Cink
Invitational (5) deficit 68=270)
WGC-American Express 6 shot -23 (63-64-67- Ian Poulter, Adam
2006 8 strokes
Championship(5) lead 67=261) Scott

4 shot -10 (71-66-68-


2007 WGC-CA Championship (6) 2 strokes Brett Wetterich
lead 73=278)

WGC-Bridgestone 1 shot -8 (68-70-69- Justin Rose, Rory


2007 8 strokes
Invitational (6) deficit 65=272) Sabbatini

WGC-Accenture Match
2008 n/a 8&7 n/a Stewart Cink
Play Championship (3)

WGC-Bridgestone 3 shot -12 (68-70-65- Robert Allenby,


2009 4 strokes
Invitational (7) deficit 65=268) Pdraig Harrington

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

[edit]Results timeline

Tournament 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Accenture Match Play


QF 2 DNP R64 1 1 R32 R16 R16 1 R32 DNP
Championship

CA Championship 1 T5 NT1 1 1 9 1 1 1 5 T9 DNP

Bridgestone Invitational 1 1 1 4 T4 T2 1 1 1 DNP 1 T78

HSBC Champions T6 T6

1
Cancelled due to 9/11
DNP = Did not play
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = tied
NT = No Tournament
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10. Note that the HSBC Champions did
not become a WGC event until 2009.

[edit]PGA Tour career summary

Wins Earnings Money list


Year
(Majors) ($) rank

1996 2 790,594 24

1997 4 (1) 2,066,833 1

1998 1 1,841,117 4

1999 8 (1) 6,616,585 1

2000 9 (3) 9,188,321 1

2001 5 (1) 6,687,777 1

2002 5 (2) 6,912,625 1

2003 5 6,673,413 2

2004 1 5,365,472 4

2005 6 (2) 10,628,024 1


2006 8 (2) 9,941,563 1

2007 7 (1) 10,867,052 1

2008 4 (1) 5,775,000 2

2009 6 10,508,163 1

2010 0 1,294,765 68

Career
71 (14) 94,157,304 1
*

* As of 2010 season.
[edit]Personal life
[edit]Marriage

In November 2003, Woods became engaged to Elin Nordegren, a Swedish former model
and daughter of former minister of migration Barbro Holmberg and radio journalist Thomas
Nordegren.[220] They were introduced during The Open Championship in 2001 by Swedish
golfer Jesper Parnevik, who had employed her as an au pair. They married on October 5,
2004 at the Sandy Lane resort on the Caribbean island ofBarbados,[221] and lived
at Isleworth, a community in Windermere, a suburb of Orlando, Florida.[222] They also have
homes in Jackson, Wyoming, California, and Sweden.[223] In January 2006, they purchased
a $39 million residential property in Jupiter Island, Florida, intending to make it their
primary residence.[223] Jupiter Island residents include fellow golfers Gary Player, Greg
Norman, and Nick Price, as well as singers Celine Dionand Alan Jackson. In 2007, a guest
house owned by Woods on the Jupiter Island estate was destroyed in a fire caused by
lightning.[224]

Early in the morning of June 18, 2007, Elin gave birth to the couple's first child, a daughter,
Sam Alexis Woods, in Orlando.[225] The birth occurred just one day after Woods finished
tied for second in the 2007 U.S. Open.[226] Woods chose to name his daughter Sam
because his father said that Woods looked more like a Sam. [227][228] On September 2, 2008,
Woods announced on his website that he and his wife were expecting their second child.
[229]
Five months later, it was announced Elin had given birth to a son, Charlie Axel Woods,
on February 8, 2009.[230] Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren officially divorced on August 23,
2010.

[edit]Marital infidelities and career break


On November 25, 2009, supermarket tabloid The National Enquirer published a story
claiming that Woods had an extramarital affair with New York City nightclub
manager Rachel Uchitel,[231] a claim she denied.[232]

[edit]Woods injured in car accident


The story about Woods's infidelity began to attract media attention when Woods had a car
accident a day and a half later:[233] as he left his Orlando-area home around 2:30 am in his
SUV, a 2009 Cadillac Escalade, Woods hit a hedge, a fire hydrant, and, finally, a tree, just
down the street from his house.[234] Woods was treated for minor facial lacerations,[235] and
cited for careless driving. He paid a $164 traffic ticket. [234]He refused to speak to the police
and the accident fanned intense speculation for two days, until Woods released a
statement on his website,[236] taking blame for the crash and adding that it was a private
matter; he also praised his wife, Elin, for getting him out of the car. [237]

Woods announced shortly afterward that he would neither play in nor attend his own
charity golf tournament, the Chevron World Challenge, nor any other remaining
tournaments in 2009.[238]

[edit]More women come forward with claims


Interest in the story grew, until San Diego cocktail waitress Jaimee Grubbs publicly
claimed in the gossip magazine Us Weekly that she had a two-and-a-half-year affair with
Woods, producing voice and text messages that she said Woods left her. The voice
message stated: "Hey it's Tiger, I need you to do me a huge favor. Can you please take
your name off your phone? My wife went through my phone...You got to do this for me.
Huge. Quickly. Bye."[231] Woods released an apology on the day that the story was
published, expressing regret for "transgressions" and saying "I have let my family
down."[239] Woods was not specific about the reason for the apology, and requested
privacy.[240]
After over a dozen women claimed in various media outlets that they had affairs with
Woods, media pressure increased.[241] On December 11, he released another statement,
admitting to infidelity, offering another apology,[10] and announcing an indefinite hiatus from
professional golf.[10]On the same day, lawyers acting on his behalf obtained an injunction in
the High Court of Justice of England and Wales, preventing the publication in the UK of
any images of Woods naked or having sexual intercourse, while denying that Woods was
aware of the existence of any such images.[242] Reporting the subject of the injunction was
also enjoined.[243] The following week, one of the women who had undertaken media
interviews regarding her relationship with Woods admitted having taken photographs of
Woods naked, on the pre-meditated premise that she would sell them if they ever broke
up.[244]

[edit]Sponsorships, business deals ended


The day after the statement, several companies indicated they were reconsidering
endorsement deals. Gillette suspended advertising featuring Woods, and said they would
not be hiring him for any public appearances for the company. [245] On December 13,
management consultancy firmAccenture completely cut its sponsorship of Woods, stating
that the golfer was "no longer the right representative." [246]

On December 8, 2009, Nielsen indicated that advertisers had tentatively suspended TV


ads featuring Woods after news of his adulteries emerged. Major sponsors initially pledged
support and to retain Woods,[247] but he was suspended by Gillette on December 11,
[245]
and completely dropped by Accenture on December 13.[246] On December 18, TAG
Heuer dropped Woods "for the foreseeable future" from its advertising campaigns, only to
then change their home page by December 23 to the statement that "Tag Heuer stands
with Tiger Woods".[248] On January 1, 2010,AT&T announced the end of its sponsorship of
Woods.[249] On January 4, 2010, Electronic Arts, via the blog of President Peter Moore,
stated that they would continue to work with Woods and cited their collaboration on a web-
based golf game, Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online.[250] On January 13, General
Motors ended a free car loan deal that had been due to end on December 31, 2010. [251]

A December 2009 study by Christopher R. Knittel and Victor Stango, economics


professors at the University of California at Davis, estimated that the shareholder loss
caused by Woods' extramarital affairs to be between $5 billion and $12 billion.[252][253]

Golf Digest magazine, which had featured monthly instructional articles from Woods on an
exclusive basis since 1997, announced in its February 2010 issue that it would suspend
publication of articles by Woods while he works out his problems. [254] Woods resumed his
articles with the magazine with its September 2010 issue. On January 6, 2011, the
magazine announced that its publishing relationship with Woods would end with the
February 2011 issue.[255]

[edit]Press conference apology


On February 19, 2010, Woods delivered a televised speech from the PGA Tour
headquarters in Florida.[256][257] He admitted that he had been unfaithful to his wife. He said
he used to believe he was entitled to do whatever he wanted to do, and that, due to his
success, normal rules did not apply to him. He said he realizes now that he was wrong to
have had extramarital affairs, and apologized for the hurt his behavior caused to his family,
friends, fans, and business partners. Woods stated he had strayed from Buddhism, his
trained faith since childhood, and that he would work to re-embrace his faith in the future.
Woods also stated he had been in a therapy program for 45 days, and would be returning
there soon. He stated he planned to return to competitive golf in the future, but was
unspecific on details. He did not take questions.[258]

On February 27, 2010, energy drink firm Gatorade ended its sponsorship of Tiger Woods.
However, Gatorade said it would continue its partnership with the charitable Tiger Woods
Foundation.[259] In March Irish bookmaker Paddy Power revealed that Woods had declined
a $75 million endorsement deal with them.[260]

[edit]Announces return to competition


On March 16, 2010, he announced that he would return to golf at the 2010 Masters.
[130]
However, his wife Elin announced that she planned to return to Sweden at that time,
instead of attending the tournament.[261]

[edit]Woods admits to multiple infidelities


On March 21, 2010, he was interviewed by Tom Rinaldi, his first interview after the
incident.[262] On April 29, 2010, the National Enquirer reported that Woods had confessed
to his wife that he has had 120 affairs.[263] He also admitted having a one-night-stand with
his neighbours' 21-year-old daughter Raychel Coudriet, whom he has known since she
was 14.[264]

[edit]Woods, Nordegren divorce


Woods and Nordegren officially divorced on August 23, 2010. [265] While the precise
financial terms of the divorce are confidential, published reports indicate that Nordegren
received a settlement of approximately $100 million; the two will share custody of their two
children.
[edit]Tiger Woods: The Rise and Fall documentary
Another Woods lover, porn star and exotic dancer Veronica Siwik-Daniels (stage name
Joslyn James), was interviewed for the British televisiondocumentary Tiger Woods: The
Rise and Fall, which was first broadcasted in mid-June 2010, on Channel 4 in the UK, and
then by other media worldwide since that time. In her interview on the program, Siwik-
Daniels, based in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, claimed that she and Woods had had a
relationship lasting three years, with Woods paying to have her travel by air to meet him
for trysts at several golf tournaments around the United States. Siwik-Daniels said that
Woods had asked her to quit her porn career, since he was bothered by watching her
videos. Siwik-Daniels said she had become pregnant by Woods on two occasions, with
one pregnancy ending in a miscarriage, and the other ending in an abortion. Siwik-Daniels
retained celebrity divorce lawyer Gloria Allred for a lawsuit against Woods.

Orlando waitress Mindy Lawton was interviewed as well; she claimed that she and Woods
met frequently for sex, usually in the private den of his home, but sometimes in other
locations, over a period of several months. One of their trysts was apparently observed
and photographed, on a tip from Lawton's mother, with this information going to the
National Enquirer. According to the program, the tabloid then contacted Woods's
management team, with the outcome being an arrangement to cover up the affair, in
exchange for Woods's appearance on the cover of a fitness magazine, and an article
detailing his workout routine; the fitness magazine was part of the same publishing group
as the National Enquirer. The program presented an interview with a Las Vegas madam,
who stated that Woods had employed high-priced prostitutes from her agency on many
occasions, either in Las Vegas or at golf tournaments around the United States, with
Woods paying for flights for the women to join him at the tournaments. The program also
stated that Woods likely had a child, a boy, with porn star Devin James, from a time before
his marriage to Elin Nordegren; a photograph of the child was shown. [266]

[edit]Other

In a 1997 GQ profile Woods speculated on the sexual attractiveness of certain athletes:


"What I can't figure out," Tiger Woods asks Vincent, the limo driver, "is why so many good-
looking women hang around baseball and basketball. Is it because, you know, people
always say that, like, black guys have big dicks?".[267]

On December 15, 2009, The New York Times reported that Anthony Galea, a Canadian
sports doctor who had previously treated Woods, was under investigation by the Federal
Bureau of Investigation for allegedly providing the drug Actovegin and human growth
hormone to athletes.[268]According to the same article, Galea visited Woods at his Orlando
home at least four times in February and March 2009 to administer a special blood-
spinning technique, and that Woods had responded well to the treatment.

Woods has said he "believes in Buddhism... Not every aspect, but most of it."[269] In his
February 19, 2010 public apology statement, Woods said that he had been raised as a
Buddhist and had practiced this faith until recent years. He then said that he will turn back
to Buddhism to help him turn his life around.[270]

When Woods came to Thailand for a tournament in 2000, Thai officials tried to bestow on
him royal decorations, and even offered him Thai citizenship, based on his mother being
Thai.[271] Although Woods said the bestowment would bring his family "a lot of honor [and]
a lot of pride," he reportedly declined the offer because of tax complications. [272]

Woods has a niece named Cheyenne Woods who, as of 2009, is an amateur golfer
at Wake Forest University.[273]

Woods and his former wife own a 155-foot (47 m) yacht called Privacy, berthed in Florida.
The $20 million, 6,500 square feet (600 m2) vessel features a master suite, six staterooms,
a theatre, gym, and Jacuzzi, and sleeps 21 people. Registered in the Cayman Islands, the
boat was built for Woods by Christensen Shipyards, a Vancouver, Washington-based
luxury yacht builder.[274] Woods sometimes stays on the yacht when playing tournaments at
oceanside golf courses.[275][276][277] In October 2010, Woods moved into a new 30 million
home on Jupiter Island with a 4-hole golf course.[278]

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