Professional golfer Tiger Woods launched an incredible career in 1997 when he became the youngest man and the first African American to win the U.S. Open. Masters.
Tiger Woods won the renowned Masters Tournament on April 13, 1997, creating history in the sport of golf. In many ways, the victory broke records. The youngest winner of the Masters Tournament was Woods, who was 21 years old. With a competition-beating score of 270 for 72 holes, he defeated the opposition. The highest victory margin in the tournament’s history was achieved by him, who finished with a twelve-stroke advantage. The fact that Woods, an ethnically diverse individual, became the first non-white winner of the Masters helped dispel many preconceived beliefs and attitudes about minorities in the game of golf.
Tiger Woods, who won the Masters at age 21, became the youngest champion ever and the first golfer since Jerry Pate in 1976 to triumph in the opening major of his career. At the Augusta Golf Classic in 1997, Woods gained the lead and then put on a never-before-seen golf clinic. He shot a 3-under 69 and, with an astounding 18-under 270, shattered the tournament’s 72-hole record. The greatest victory margin in Masters history was 12 strokes. In 1997, Woods was selected as the Male Athlete of the Year by the ESPY Awards and the Associated Press.
He was also one of the most accomplished amateur golfers in history, winning six USGA national championships, an NCAA title during his two years at Stanford University, and an unprecedented three consecutive U.S. Amateur Championships. In 1999, he won the PGA Tour’s top prize five times. More significantly, Woods broke through social barriers by being the first African American and Asian American to win a major. Prior to competing in the Asian Honda Classic in 1997, Woods received dual citizenship from the Thai government (his mother, Kultida, is of half Thai and a quarter Chinese ancestry). Even non-golf enthusiasts all over the world have fallen in love with and are fascinated by Woods. He rose to fame as an international star and a leading proponent of golfing gear and apparel due to his charm and good looks.
Golfing Prodigy
Woods was raised in many ways like a typical American lad from the middle class. He cultivated a craving for fast food and a love for playing video games. He also spent a good deal of time acting silly for his father’s perpetual video camera. There is little doubt that his focus during his childhood was on playing golf. He put up a lot of time honing his swing and participating in young competitions. Woods won his first official contest when he was eight years old. From that point on, he was essentially unstoppable, collecting awards and shattering amateur records all over the place. By the time the young prodigy enrolled at Stanford University as a freshman in 1994 with a full golf scholarship, media accounts of him had almost reached mythical proportions.
Early Life
Eldrick Woods was given the nickname “Tiger” by his father Earl, a former Green Beret in the army, while he was a child in Cypress, California, on December 30, 1975. Earl’s life was repeatedly saved by a South Vietnamese officer known only as “Tiger.” Woods was one of the best junior golfers ever when he was a kid. At the implausible age of 2, he putted against Bob Hope on The Mike Douglas Show (1961), shot 48 for nine holes at age 3, and was highlighted in “Golf Digest” at age 5. Woods won several major youth titles in southern California. He won three straight U.S. Amateur titles in 1994, 1995 and 1996 after winning three consecutive U.S. Junior Amateur titles in 1991, 1992 and 1993. He turned professional in the summer of 1996, and the game of golf hasn’t been the same since. With his sense of humor intact, Woods once said, “Golf is a sport for white men dressed as black pimps. Hockey is a sport for white men. Basketball is a sport for black men.”
With his record-breaking victory in the U.S. Open in June 2000, Woods once again made history. Open. He was the first golfer to finish the competition at 12 under par, tying Jack Nicklaus for the lowest score (272) after 72 holes, and Woods’s 15-stroke victory margin set a major championship record. By winning the British Open on July 23, 2000, Woods completed the career Grand Slam of the four major events and became the youngest player in golf history to do so. The four major competitions were the U.S. Open, British Open, U.S. Amateur, and British Amateur titles in 1930, when Bobby Jones completed the sole calendar-year Grand Slam.) Woods’s victory by a comfortable 8 strokes was a record-breaking 19 strokes under par. He won back-to-back Masters titles in 2001 and 2002.
In 2005, after a drought of 10 winless major tournaments, Woods won the Masters and the British Open. He dominated the tour the following year, winning nine events, including the British Open and the PGA Championship. He successfully defended his title at the latter competition in 2007 to win his 13th major title. In 2008, two months after having knee surgery, Woods won his third U.S. Open title in his first matchback on the tour, completing his third Grand Slam of his career – a feat only Nicklaus had accomplished. Woods’ shocking U.S. The damage to his knee was compounded by his Open victory, which comprised an 18-hole play-off round and a sudden-death play-off. The following week, he withdrew from the rest of the 2008 golf season in order to have more significant knee surgery.
He won a handful of tournaments since his return to the game in 2009, but he failed to capture a major championship for the first time since 2004. Also in 2009, Woods lost the PGA Championship despite being two strokes in front going into the final round, ending an unheard-of streak in which he had never lost a major tournament when leading or coleading after 54 holes.
Outside of his Orlando, Florida home in November 2009, Woods was engaged in an early-morning one-car collision. His personal life was subjected to intense media scrutiny as a result of the crash’s peculiar circumstances. It was discovered that Woods, who had wed Elin Nordegren in 2004, had a number of extramarital affairs, and his infidelity – which contrasted with his solid-citizen persona – became public knowledge. Over the years, this reputation had helped him earn hundreds of millions of dollars in endorsements.
He made his first appearance on the PGA Tour in 17 months in January 2017. However, he only participated in that one tournament before announcing that he will have additional back surgery and be out for the balance of the 2017 campaign. When Woods was detained on suspicion of operating a vehicle while under the influence of a combination of sleep and pain drugs in May 2017, his personal life once more made headlines. Later, he admitted that he was getting “professional aid” to control his prescription intake. After making a comeback to the PGA Tour in January 2018, Woods completed the whole tour season.
He finished off his incredible recovery from a string of injuries that may have ended his career by taking home the Tour Championship title in September, marking his first triumph in five years. In April 2019, Woods shocked the golfing community by winning the Masters for the first time in 14 years. He did this while also breaking the previous record for the longest time between victories in that competition and moving up to second place behind Jack Nicklaus in terms of age to win a green jacket. Later that year, Woods won the Zozo Championship, continuing his historic season. He tied Sam Snead’s record with his 82nd Tour victory.
Death of Woods’ Father
When Woods’ father passed away in May of 2006 following a battle with prostate cancer, he suffered a profound personal loss. Woods remarked on his website at the time, “My dad was my best friend and greatest role model, and I will miss him deeply.”
Woods returned to golf despite his grief and won a number of competitions, including the PGA Championship and the British Open.
Awards & Achievements
• In 2007, he was admitted into Sacramento’s California Museum for History, Women, and the Arts.
• The Associated Press named him the “Athlete of the Decade” in December 2009.
Trade Mark
• He virtually always dons a red Nike t-shirt and a black Nike baseball cap during the final round, which is often on Sundays.
Trivia
• This well-known golfer is of mixed Dutch, Chinese, Thai, Native American, African American, and African descent.