Tiger Woods Timeline

Tiger Woods 29

1975 Tiger Woods born in Cypress, California Birth of a golfing prodigy Tiger Woods was born Eldrick Woods on December 30, 1975, in Cypress, California, to Earl and Kultida Woods. His father introduced him to golf before he could walk, and by age two he was already putting on national television, foreshadowing a career defined by intense early specialization and singular focus on the game.
1978 Putts with Bob Hope on The Mike Douglas Show Two-year-old prodigy captivates America At just two years old, Woods appeared on The Mike Douglas Show, putting against comedian Bob Hope in front of a national television audience. The appearance, along with a feature in Golf Digest, introduced America to the child prodigy who was already shooting scores that stunned adult golfers, setting the stage for two decades of intense media fascination.
1991 Youngest U.S. Junior Amateur champion Breaks the age record at 15 At 15 years old, Woods won the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, becoming its youngest-ever champion. He went on to win the title three consecutive years (1991-1993), an unprecedented feat that confirmed his status as the most dominant junior golfer in American history.
1994 Wins first U.S. Amateur title, enrolls at Stanford College career and amateur dominance begin Woods won the U.S. Amateur Championship for the first of three consecutive years, staging a historic comeback from six holes down in the final. That fall he enrolled at Stanford University on a golf scholarship, continuing to dominate collegiate and amateur golf while building the resume that would make him the most anticipated professional debut in golf history.
1996 Turns professional with "Hello World" campaign Nike unveils its new golf icon Woods left Stanford after two years to turn professional, signing endorsement deals with Nike and Titleist worth over $60 million. Nike's "Hello World" advertising campaign announced his arrival to a golf world unaccustomed to a young Black superstar, and Woods won two PGA Tour events in his first seven starts as a professional.
1997 Wins the Masters by 12 strokes Youngest Masters champion in history At 21 years old, Woods won the Masters Tournament by a record 12 strokes with a tournament-record score of 270, becoming the youngest champion in the event's history and the first golfer of Black or Asian heritage to win it. The performance was widely regarded as a seismic shift in golf, instantly elevating Woods to global superstardom.
1997 Becomes world No. 1 Fastest rise to the top of golf Just 42 weeks after turning professional, Woods rose to the World No. 1 ranking, the fastest ascent in the history of the Official World Golf Ranking. He went on to hold the top spot for a cumulative record of well over 600 weeks across his career.
1999 Wins PGA Championship First major title in two years Woods captured the PGA Championship at Medinah Country Club, holding off a hard-charging Sergio Garcia for his second career major. The win kicked off a stretch of dominance in which Woods would win 10 of the next 14 majors he entered, redefining expectations for excellence in professional golf.
2000 Wins U.S. Open by 15 strokes at Pebble Beach Most dominant major performance in modern history Woods won the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach by a record 15 strokes, the largest margin of victory in any major championship in modern history. He was the only player to finish under par, an exhibition of dominance widely considered the greatest single performance in golf history.
2000 Wins The Open Championship, completes career Grand Slam Youngest player to complete the career Slam Woods won The Open Championship at St Andrews by eight strokes, becoming, at 24, the youngest golfer to complete the career Grand Slam of all four major championships. The victory cemented his place among the greatest players ever to compete in the sport.
2000 Wins PGA Championship, begins the "Tiger Slam" Third consecutive major of the year Woods defeated Bob May in a playoff to win the PGA Championship, his third consecutive major title of the year and the beginning of what became known as the "Tiger Slam" -- holding all four professional major championships simultaneously.
2001 Completes the "Tiger Slam" with Masters win Holds all four majors at once Woods won the Masters Tournament to complete the "Tiger Slam," becoming the first golfer in history to hold all four major championship titles simultaneously, though not within a single calendar year. The achievement is regarded as one of the most remarkable feats in the sport's history.
2002 Wins Masters and U.S. Open Continued major dominance Woods successfully defended his Masters title and went on to win the U.S. Open at Bethpage Black, extending his major championship total to eight and reinforcing his position as the dominant force in golf entering the mid-2000s.
2005 Wins Masters and Open Championship with reworked swing Career revival under coach Hank Haney After a mechanical swing overhaul with coach Hank Haney, Woods won both the Masters and The Open Championship, including a dramatic chip-in on the 16th hole at Augusta that became one of the most replayed shots in golf history. The season confirmed his ability to reinvent his game and remain dominant.
2006 Father Earl Woods dies Loss of his mentor and closest confidant Woods's father, Earl Woods, who had introduced him to golf and served as his closest mentor and confidant, died of cancer in May 2006. Tiger took several weeks away from competition to grieve, later saying the loss profoundly affected his outlook on the game and life.
2006 Wins Open Championship and PGA Championship Dominance resumes after personal loss Just months after his father's death, Woods returned to win The Open Championship at Royal Liverpool and the PGA Championship at Medinah, extending his major total to 12 and demonstrating extraordinary resilience during a period of personal grief.
2008 Wins U.S. Open at Torrey Pines on a broken leg One of golf's most legendary performances Playing on a fractured tibia and torn ACL, Woods forced a playoff and defeated Rocco Mediate for the U.S. Open title at Torrey Pines, a performance later regarded as one of the gutsiest in golf history. He underwent season-ending knee surgery days later and did not compete again that year.
2009 Thanksgiving car crash triggers scandal Personal crisis unravels public image A late-night car crash outside his Florida home on Thanksgiving weekend led to revelations of extramarital affairs that shattered Woods's carefully managed public image. Numerous sponsors dropped him, and he took an extended leave from professional golf as his personal life became global tabloid news.
2010 Divorces Elin Nordegren; ranking slides Aftermath of scandal reshapes his career Woods's marriage to Elin Nordegren ended in divorce in August 2010 following the fallout from the previous year's scandal. His competitive results declined sharply in the years that followed, and he fell out of the world's top 50 for the first time since turning professional.
2013 Returns to World No. 1, wins PGA Player of the Year Brief return to dominant form Woods won five PGA Tour events and reclaimed the World No. 1 ranking, earning PGA Tour Player of the Year honors for a record 11th time. The resurgence proved short-lived, however, as chronic back problems soon began to derail his career.
2014 – 2016 Chronic back injuries begin derailing his career Multiple surgeries and prolonged absences Beginning in 2014, Woods underwent a series of back surgeries to address a degenerating disc, missing extended stretches of competition including nearly all of the 2016 season. His world ranking plummeted outside the top 1,000 as injuries repeatedly interrupted his career.
2017 Undergoes spinal fusion surgery Career survival in question Facing severe pain and mobility issues, Woods underwent spinal fusion surgery, his fourth back operation, with many observers questioning whether he would ever compete again at a high level. The surgery ultimately relieved his nerve pain and became the turning point for his eventual comeback.
2017 Arrested for DUI Found asleep at the wheel Woods was arrested in Florida after being found asleep at the wheel of his car; police determined the impairment was caused by a combination of prescription medications rather than alcohol. He later pleaded guilty to reckless driving and entered a diversion program, adding to a difficult personal stretch.
2019 Wins the Masters, completing historic comeback 15th major championship Eleven years after his previous major win, Woods captured his fifth Masters title and 15th major championship, completing one of the most celebrated comebacks in sports history after years of injury and personal turmoil. The victory drew one of the largest television audiences in golf history.
2019 Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom Honored for career achievement In recognition of his historic comeback and career achievements, President Donald Trump awarded Woods the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, in a ceremony at the White House.
2021 Severe car crash in Los Angeles Near career-ending leg injuries Woods was seriously injured in a single-car rollover crash in Los Angeles County, suffering open fractures to his right leg and ankle that required emergency surgery, including the insertion of a rod and screws. Doctors initially raised concerns about whether he would walk normally again, let alone return to competitive golf.
2022 Returns to competitive golf at the Masters Comeback from a near-fatal crash Roughly 14 months after his life-threatening car crash, Woods returned to competitive golf at the Masters Tournament, walking Augusta National's hilly terrain despite his injuries and completing all four rounds, an achievement many considered remarkable given the severity of his 2021 injuries.
2022 Inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame Career achievements formally recognized Woods was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, a formal recognition of a career that included 82 PGA Tour victories (tied for the all-time record) and 15 major championships, cementing his legacy among the greatest golfers of all time.
2023 Joins PGA Tour Policy Board Shapes golf's future amid PGA Tour-LIV tensions Amid upheaval in professional golf caused by the rise of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series, Woods was appointed to the PGA Tour's Player Advisory Council and later its policy board, taking an active role in shaping the tour's response to the sport's changing landscape.