Tiger Woods

Woods has won 15 golf majors, second only to Jack Nicklaus' 18. He also has won 82 times on the PGA Tour, tied with Sam Snead's 82 wins. Was victorious in 1994, '95, and '96 U.S. Amateur, as well as 1991, '92, and '93 U.S. Junior Amateur, and has won nine USGA Championships to share the all-time record with Bobby Jones.
Woods' 15th major win came at the 2019 Masters, a tournament he knows so well. But two years before this victory, Tiger returned to Augusta for the 2017 Champions Dinner. He wanted to attend, but his back was in such bad shape that he had to take beta blockers to move. At the dinner, he was heard telling fellow champions that his back was in such bad shape that he may be finished with golf. Afterward, Woods got on a flight to England and was told that the only way to get rid of the pain and possibly play again was to have fusion surgery. A couple of days later, Woods was in Texas and had the procedure done. Coming full circle, eight months after the surgery, he returned to competitive golf at the Hero's World Challenge and 17 months later won again at the Tour Championship. Two years after barely being able to get around at the Champions Dinner, he was having a great week and, thanks to a stellar second nine on Sunday, claimed a one-shot win over Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, and Xander Schauffele. The win came at age 43 years, 3 months, and 15 days, along with being 11 years since his last major at the 2008 U.S. Open and 14 years since his 2005 Masters victory. He also joined a list of players who have won a major in three different decades (Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Lee Trevino, Raymond Floyd, Billy Casper, Harry Vardon, and J.H. Taylor).
Started swinging a golf club in the playpen at 6 months old. Was on numerous TV programs, including That's Incredible, Mike Douglas, Two on the Town, Good Morning America, and Prime Time Live.
Woods won virtually every significant junior championship, including the 1991, '92, and '93 U.S. Junior Amateur. He played on the USA Walker Cup team in 1995 and was a U.S. Ryder Cup team member in 1997, '99, 2002, '04, '06, '10, '12, and '18. Member of 1998, 2000, '03, '05, '07, '09, '11, '13 and '19 Presidents Cup teams. Won the 1996 NCAA Championship, making him only the sixth player to win both the NCAA and the U.S. Amateur. He also was low amateur in the 1995 Masters.
After turning professional in August 1996, Woods became the fastest player (at the time) to win $1 million on the PGA Tour. He did it with a win at his ninth event, the 1997 Mercedes Championship. Fastest player to win $2 million on the PGA Tour (at the time) when he did it with a win at his 16th event, the GTE Byron Nelson Classic. Fastest player to win $10 million on the PGA Tour (at the time) with a win at his 69th event, the 1999 Tour Championship.
With his victory at the 1997 Masters, Woods became the youngest winner of the tournament and the youngest winner of a major since World War II. At the end of the 1999 season, Woods had played in 70 events as a professional. He won 15 titles and took home $11,315,128 in earnings, for an average of $161,645 per event. By the end of 2005, Woods had played in 185 events as a professional, amassing 46 wins and $55,770,760 in earnings, averaging $301,463 per event. Upon entering the 2013 Masters, Woods had played in 284 professional events, with earnings totaling more than $104.7 million. To view his success from another perspective, that was about the same amount of prize money as the total earned by the 1,655 players on the PGA Tour between 1970 and 1981 ($107 million).
2009 Notes: After his return from knee surgery, Woods won six times on the PGA Tour, captured his second FedExCup title, and was voted Player of the Year. He also won the JBWere Australian Masters. Won all five matches at the Presidents Cup, four in team matches with Steve Stricker, in the U.S. victory at Harding Park in San Francisco.
2010 Notes: Failed to win on the PGA Tour for the first time in his 15-year career, dating back to 1996. Did not play before the Masters. After 281 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Official World Golf Ranking, relinquished the title to Lee Westwood on Nov. 1. For the third time in his career, he completely revamped his swing, this time with Sean Foley. Made his sixth Ryder Cup appearance, but first as a captain's pick, where he was victorious in three of his four matches.
2011 Notes: Had his worst year on the PGA Tour up to that time, finishing 132nd in the FedExCup standings and 128th on the money list. Only played nine times on the PGA Tour and had two top-10s. Hurt his left knee and Achilles tendon at the Masters. Tried to play at The Players Championship but was forced to withdraw. Didn't return for three months until WGC-Bridgestone. Played on his seventh U.S. Presidents Cup team, compiling a 2-3-0 record, including a singles victory over Aaron Baddeley that clinched the Cup for the U.S. In his final appearance of the year at the unofficial Chevron World Challenge, he birdied the 72nd hole at Sherwood CC to win for the first time since the 2009 JBWere Australian Masters.
2012 Notes: Started the year 23rd on the Official World Golf Ranking and ended it in 2nd, just behind Rory McIlroy. Won three titles (at that point, the 12th time he won three or more titles in a season; did it a 13th time in 2013) and went over the $6-million mark in season earnings for the 10th time with $6,133,158. His win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational was his first official PGA Tour win in 924 days, and 27 PGA Tour starts between his 2009 BMW victory and 2012 Palmer win. Was 3rd in FedExCup standings and 2nd in earnings. Finished 0-3-1 for the U.S. team at the Ryder Cup, halving his singles match with Francesco Molinari.
2013 Notes: Took over the No. 1 ranking at the 2013 Arnold Palmer Invitational, his third win of the season (Farmers Insurance and WGC-Cadillac). Won again at The Players Championship and the WGC-Bridgestone. Was at 79 wins, just three away from Sam Snead's record 82 wins on the PGA Tour. Finished the year second in the FedExCup standings and first on the money list for the 10th year. Won four of five matches at his eighth Presidents Cup. At the end of the year at his World Challenge, he took the lead after the second round and held onto it through the 72nd hole. After Zach Johnson holed a 58-yard wedge shot for par from the drop area on his final hole, the two embarked on a sudden-death playoff. Woods missed a six-foot putt for par on the first extra hole to lose the playoff.
2014 Notes: Struggled at the start of the year. Woods missed the secondary 54-hole cut at the Farmers Insurance Open and then withdrew from the Honda Classic's final round. Season-best was T-25th at the WGC-Cadillac Championship. All along, something was physically wrong with Woods' back. He had a successful microdiscectomy surgery for a pinched nerve on March 31, 2014, that prevented him from playing at the Masters (for the first time) and the U.S. Open. He made his return at the Quicken Loans National, missing the cut, then played at the British Open (69th) and the WGC-Bridgestone (WD) and missed the PGA Championship cut. It was the first time as a professional that he didn't have a top-10 during a single year. Tiger announced days after the PGA Championship that he would rest his back and not play again until December at the World Challenge. Also said that he was parting ways with swing coach Sean Foley, his third swing coach since turning professional (Butch Harmon and Hank Haney were the others). He came back at the Hero World Challenge, but his chipping was a problem as he finished T-17th in an 18-man field.
2015 Notes: The year began when he shot 73-82 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and missed the cut. The second round was his highest in a non-major as a professional. The only higher score in his career was an 85 in the second round of the 1995 U.S. Open when he was an amateur. Woods teed it up the next week at the Farmers Insurance Open, and his round was delayed for over two hours due to fog. His back stiffened when he got out on the course, and he withdrew after 11 holes. Shortly afterward, he took some time off to sharpen his game. Woods came back at the Masters and finished T-17th. Also competed at The Players Championship, finishing T-69th, and The Memorial, finishing 71st. Shot an 85 in the third round of The Memorial, his highest round as a professional. His next start at the U.S. Open, he shot 80 in the first round and missed the cut. At the Greenbrier, shot 66-69-71-67 to finish T-32nd, then shot 76-75 to miss the cut at the British Open. At the Quicken Loans, shot 68-66-74-68 for an eight-under-par total to finish T-18th. Shot 75-73 and missed the cut at the PGA Championship. Finished his year at the Wyndham Championship, where he shot 64-65-68-70, a 13-under-par performance that was his best of the year. Ended the season ranked 178th in the FedExCup standings, the second-worst showing of his career (behind the 201st-place finish in 2014).
On September 18, Woods underwent his second microdiscectomy surgery. It was deemed a success at the time, but on October 28, he underwent a follow-up procedure to relieve discomfort. In December, he attended his Hero World Challenge and said he was healing but didn't have a schedule for his return to competitive golf.
2016 Notes: Attended a dinner in March for prospective Ryder Cup members at Jack Nicklaus' home, where he told players that he was improving and working hard on his short game, but he still wasn't able to provide a timetable for his return. Did not play on Tour in the 2015-16 season as he continued to rehabilitate from the microdiscectomy surgery. Served as one of captain Davis Love III's vice-captains for the 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine, where the United States defeated Europe 17-11. In December, he returned to competitive golf for the first time in 466 days at the Hero World Challenge, the longest layoff of his professional career. With rounds of 73-65-70-76, he finished 15th and led the field with 24 birdies.
2017 Notes: Made his first start at an official PGA Tour event since the 2015 Wyndham Championship at the Farmers Insurance Open. He shot a four-over 76 on the South Course and then a second-round 72 to miss the cut. He flew from San Diego to Dubai to play in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic and withdrew after shooting a first-round 77, citing back spasms. He then pulled out of the next two PGA Tour events he was planning on playing, the Genesis Open and the Honda Classic, as he continued his treatment and hoped his back pain would ease.
On March 31st, Woods announced that he would miss his second consecutive Masters because his back rehabilitation had not progressed to the point where he felt it was tournament-ready. Woods expressed his regrets to Augusta National Chairman Billy Payne but attended the Tuesday-night Masters Club dinner. In April, he had his fourth back surgery, then spent the next couple of months rehabbing. Served as one of Steve Stricker's assistants at the Presidents Cup.
2018 Notes: Played 18 PGA Tour events, making 16 cuts with seven top-10 finishes. Was 2nd in the FedExCup standings. Made his first start back from his fourth back surgery at the Hero World Challenge, where he shot 73-65-70-76 and finished 16th. Woods was able to walk and play golf without pain for the first time in a long time. Made his first official PGA Tour start at the Farmers Insurance Open and again had a pain-free week, finishing T-23rd. Missed the cut at the Genesis Open, but the next week at the Honda Classic finished 12th. At the Valspar Championship, he shot 70-68-67-70, the first time he posted four under-par rounds since the 2013 Northern Trust. He finished T-2nd, just one stroke behind winner Paul Casey. He returned the following week to the Arnold Palmer Invitational for the first time since 2013 and, with a final-round 69, finished T-5th. On the back nine on Sunday, he got within one stroke of Rory McIlroy, who was leading with three holes to play but made back-to-back bogeys at 16 and 17. Still, it was his sixth start in three months, and he was pain-free in all of them. Finished T-11th at The Players Championship and T-4th at the Quicken Loans National. Was T-6th at the British Open at Carnoustie, his first top-10 in a major since a T-6th at the 2013 British Open. A third-round 66, his lowest round in a major since the second round of the 2011 Masters, highlighted the week. Posted rounds of 71-71-66-71, the first time since the 2010 Masters (T-4th) that he recorded four par-or-better rounds in a major. Paired with eventual champion Francesco Molinari, Woods entered the final round four shots off the lead. Took the solo lead at seven-under after nine holes, a shot ahead of Molinari and Jordan Spieth, but his lead disappeared with a double bogey at No. 11. He Bogeyed No. 12 and birdied No. 14 before closing with four pars to finish at five-under. The performance moved him to the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time since January 2015. The ranking also earned him a spot in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, where he finished T-31st. Was runner-up at the PGA Championship, firing a 64 in the final round to finish two strokes behind winner Brooks Koepka. Opened with a first-round 62 at the BMW Championship but finished T-6th, three shots out of the Bradley/Rose playoff. Captured his 80th PGA Tour title with a two-shot win at the Tour Championship. The victory came in his 346th start at the age of 42 years, 8 months, and 24 days. By comparison, Sam Snead was 47 when he won his 80th title. The victory was Woods' fourth FedExCup playoffs tournament title: (2007 BMW Championship, 2007 TOUR Championship, 2009 BMW Championship, 2018 TOUR Championship). Woods was a captain's pick for the United States in the Ryder Cup and made his eighth start. It was his first Ryder Cup since 2012, but he failed to win any points for the U.S. in four matches played. Lost 2 & 1 to Jon Rahm in singles.
2019 Notes: Played in 12 PGA Tour events, making nine cuts with four top-10s. Placed 42nd in the FedExCup standings. Finished T-10th at the WGC-Mexico Championship, his 34th top-10 result in World Golf Championship events. At the WGC-Dell Match Play, won his group and defeated Rory McIlroy in the round of 16, 2 and 1, but lost in the quarterfinals to Lucas Bjerragaard, 1-up. Won the Masters by a shot over Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, and Xander Schauffele. On May 6th, Woods received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in a ceremony at the White House. He was the fourth golfer to receive the Medal of Freedom. President George W. Bush presented the honor to Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus in 2004 and 2005. President Barack Obama gave the Medal of Freedom to Charlie Sifford in 2014. Returned to Bethpage and the PGA Championship and missed the cut. Was T-9th at The Memorial, where he shot 67 in the final round. Was T-21st at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and missed the cut at the British Open. In the FedExCup playoffs, withdrew from the Northern Trust and was T-37th in the BMW Championship. Played in three matches at the Presidents Cup. Posted a 3-0 record and defeated Abraham Ancer in his singles match 3 & 2.
2020 Notes: Played in seven PGA Tour events, making seven cuts with two top-10s. Finished 63rd in the FedExCup standings. Started his season by winning the Zozo Championship by three shots over Hideki Matsuyama. It was his 82nd PGA Tour title, tying Sam Snead for the most wins in PGA Tour history, and he did it on his 359th career start at the age of 43 years, 9 months, 28 days. When Snead won his 82nd PGA Tour title at the 1965 Greater Greensboro Open, he was 52 years old, and it was his 425th PGA Tour start. Woods finished T-9th at the Farmers Insurance Open. In the FedExCup playoffs, was T-58th at the Northern Trust and T-51st at the BMW Championship.
2021 Notes: Missed the cut at the September 2020 U.S. Open, was T-72nd in defense of his title at the Zozo Championship @ Sherwood, and T-38th at the November 2020 Masters. In December of 2020, Tiger teamed with his 11-year-old son Charlie in the PNC championship finishing 7th. During the tournament, Tiger had some back pains, and on December 23rd, he underwent his fifth back surgery to remove pressurized disc fragments that gave him nerve pain. He was back on his feet the next day and was rehabbing his back, but on February 23rd, the SUV Woods was driving in California was in a single-car accident. Woods was trapped inside the car, and a fire crew got him out of the vehicle. His right leg and ankle were severely broken, requiring emergency surgery. "Comminuted open fractures affecting both the upper and lower portion of the tibia and fibula bones were stabilized by inserting a rod into the tibia," said Dr. Anish Mahajan, Chief Medical Officer, and Interim CEO at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. "Additional injuries to the foot and ankle bones were stabilized with a combination of screws and pins. Trauma to the muscle and soft tissue of the leg required surgical release of the covering of the muscles to relieve pressure due to swelling." Three weeks later, Woods returned to his home in Florida for rehab. He surprised folks in December when he teamed up with his son Charlie in the parent-child PNC Championship. The pair on the last day, set a tournament record with 11 consecutive birdies on the way to a 2nd-place finish.
2022 Notes: On March 9th, Woods was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame as part of the 2022 class. After weeks of speculation and a lot of hard work by Tiger and his team, he felt fit enough to play in the Masters. He shot a first-round 71 but 74-78-78 after that to finish 47th. In the days after, he said he would play at the British Open at St. Andrews and left the other two majors open to see his progress. Woods played in the PGA Championship, but with poor weather, in the third round, he shot 79 and had to withdraw. He decided not to play in the U.S. Open at The Country Club, resting to play at St. Andrews. In his prep the week before the Open Championship, Woods shot 77-74 to finish T-39th at the JP McManus Pro-Am in Ireland. At the British Open shot 78-75 to miss the cut. Teamed up with son Charlie for the PNC Championship but they finished T-8th.
2023 Notes: Played in the Genesis Invitational and with rounds of 69-74-67-73 finished T-45th.
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