Tiger Woods was born on December 30, 1975, in Cypress, California. He is the son of an African American father and a Thai mother. He began playing golf at a very young age. At two years old, he appeared on television swinging a golf club. At three, he shot 48 for nine holes and putted on The Mike Douglas Show against Bob Hope.
In 1991, at age 15, Woods became the youngest U.S. Junior Amateur champion. He then won three straight U.S. Amateur Championships from 1994 to 1996, coming from six holes behind to win his first title. He enrolled at Stanford University in 1994, won the 1996 collegiate title, and turned professional on August 29, 1996, after earning his third U.S. Amateur win.
- Tiger Woods won 15 major championships, including 5 Masters, 4 PGA Championships, 3 U.S. Opens, and 3 Open Championships, tying the all-time PGA Tour win record with 82 victories.
- He achieved historic milestones, including the 1997 Masters win by 12 strokes, the 2000 U.S. Open win by 15 strokes, and the Tiger Slam in 2001, holding all four major titles at once.
- Woods faced serious challenges such as injuries, surgeries, and personal issues, but made one of sports’ greatest comebacks by winning the 2019 Masters at age 43, his first major since 2008.
Breakthrough Professional Debut in 1996
In 1996, Woods played eight PGA Tour events, won 2, and earned the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year award. His long drives routinely traveled more than 300 yards, and his short game and mental toughness quickly elevated him among professionals. Nike positioned him as the face of a golf marketing shift, and their partnership lasted 27 years until 2024.
In 1997, Woods won the Masters in historic fashion. At Augusta National, he shot 270 across 72 holes and won by 12 strokes, the largest margin in tournament history at the time. He became the first golfer of African American or Asian descent to win the Masters.
Peak Dominance and the Tiger Slam (1999–2002)
In 1999, Woods won eight PGA tournaments, becoming the first golfer in more than 20 years to reach that total. His six consecutive PGA Tour wins from 1999 to 2000 tied Ben Hogan’s 1948 run and trailed only Byron Nelson’s record of 11.
At the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, Woods won by 15 strokes, shooting 65-69-71-67 (272, −12), the largest margin in a major. On July 23, 2000, at St Andrews, he became the youngest player to complete the career Grand Slam, winning by eight strokes at −19 (269).
He defended the Masters title in 2002, becoming only the third golfer to do so. This run included the 2001 Masters, where he completed the Tiger Slam—holding the Masters, U.S. Open, Open Championship, and PGA Championship titles simultaneously.
Full Breakdown of Tiger Woods’ 15 Major Championship Victories
Below is a full list of Tiger Woods’ 15 major championships: five Masters titles, four PGA Championships, three U.S. Open wins, and three Open Championship wins.
Masters Tournament Wins (5)
- 1997 – 270, won by 12, youngest champion, first non-white winner
- 2001 – 70-66-68-68 (−16), won by 2 over David Duval; completed Tiger Slam
- 2002 – −12, won by 3; tied-7 after round one, tied-4 entering the weekend
- 2005 – Won in a playoff over Chris DiMarco after tying at 276
- 2019 – 70-68-67-70 (−13), won by 1 at age 43, first major since 2008
PGA Championship Wins (4)
- 1999, Medinah – −11, won by 1 over Sergio García
- 2000, Valhalla – −18, beat Bob May in a playoff
- 2006, Medinah – −18, won by 5 over Shaun Micheel
- 2007, Southern Hills – −8, won by 2, included a 63 in round two
U.S. Open Wins (3)
- 2000, Pebble Beach – 272 (−12), won by 15
- 2002, Bethpage Black – 277 (−3), only player under par, won by 3 over Phil Mickelson
- 2008, Torrey Pines – Won after 18-hole playoff and sudden-death vs Rocco Mediate
Open Championship Wins (3)
- 2000, St Andrews – 269 (−19), won by 8
- 2005, St Andrews – 274 (−14), wire-to-wire, won by 5 over Colin Montgomerie
- 2006, Royal Liverpool – −18, won after rounds of 67-65-71-67
Setbacks, Scandal, and Injury Years
In November 2009, after reports of an affair and a car collision near his Florida home, Woods stepped away from golf. In February 2010, he publicly said, “I was unfaithful. I had affairs. I cheated.” After this, several sponsors ended their partnerships with him, and he later divorced Elin Nordegren.
Not long after, he, unfortunately, faced serious injuries — Woods went through multiple back surgeries, including spinal fusion, and faced pain so severe that at one point he could not get out of bed or play with his children. His world ranking fell outside the top 1,100. In 2017, he was arrested for DUI linked to pain medications and later received professional help for his condition.
Return to Competition and Historic Comeback
Woods returned to play full-time in 2018. At the 2018 Tour Championship, he won by two strokes, ending a more than five-year PGA Tour win drought from 2013 to 2018.
In April 2019, he won the Masters again at 43, becoming the second-oldest champion behind Jack Nicklaus. Later that year, he won the Zozo Championship in Japan—his 82nd PGA Tour victory, tying Sam Snead’s all-time record.
Crash, Surgeries, and Attempts to Compete Again
In February 2021, at about 7 a.m. PT in Rancho Palos Verdes near Los Angeles, Woods’ SUV crossed a median, rolled through two lanes, hit a curb and a tree, and came to rest in brush. Deputies said he was calm, wearing a seatbelt, and able to tell them his name. First responders used a pry bar and an ax to free him, then sent him to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, where he had leg surgery for serious injuries.
Woods returned to competition at the 2022 Masters, where he made the cut. He later withdrew from the 2022 PGA Championship after the third round and missed the cut at the 2022 Open. In 2023, he withdrew during the Masters due to injury.
In 2024, Woods made a record 24th straight cut at the Masters, though he struggled afterward. That year, he had his sixth back surgery in September 2024, and six months later, he ruptured his left Achilles tendon while training.
