Tiger Woods is arguably golf's greatest-ever competitor, a 15-time winner of Majors who overcame prejudice to dominate the sport before bouncing back from ignominy to taste glory once more.

Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is the highest-profile golfer there has ever been and his influence stretches well beyond the sport.

Only Jack Nicklaus has won more Majors than Woods, who also holds the joint record for the most PGA Tour wins.

He is golf's all-time highest money earner, bagging in excess of $100million in prize money.

Woods spawned a revolution in golf video games when his name was attached to Electronic Arts' PGA Tour series in 1998, which kicked off a lucrative 15-year association with the games publisher.

He is the most recognizable face in golf and set the sport alight by winning 14 Majors between 1997 and 2008.

Woods was the world number one golfer for two incredible five-year stretches, holding the top spot between August 1999 and September 2004 and then again from June 2005 until October 2010.

After an incredible start to his professional career, he was projected to break Nicklaus' record comfortably, but Woods hit considerable stumbling blocks in the form of marital strife and a string of injuries.

The tide of public opinion also turned against Woods after he admitted multiple infidelities during his highly publicized divorce.

Having seen himself move from a beloved sporting hero to a figure of ridicule, Woods' injury problems worsened and between 2014 and 2017 he underwent four surgeries on his back.

His long absence from the game saw Woods plummet in the rankings and some questioned whether he would return and if he would ever get near his best again.

Woods did return in 2018 and after steady improvements won his first tournament in five years that September.

In 2019, Woods rolled back the years at Augusta National to win the US Masters, his first Major in 11 years.

Three years later he triumphed merely by completing 72 holes at Augusta National, a little over a year after being involved in a car accident that nearly cost him his life and his leg.

Junior Championships success

Woods was drawn into sport by his father Earl at a young age and was comfortable holding a golf club before the age of two.

His father was an accomplished amateur golfer with a single-digit handicap and had been a trailblazing collegiate athlete at Kansas State University. Earl Woods was also among the first African-American men to play baseball at KSU.

Woods was introduced to the world as a golfing prodigy through a string of TV appearances, the earliest of which came when he was just two. The young Tiger displayed remarkable ability, wowing audiences in his performances.

He reportedly first broke 80 at the age of just eight and would win a litany of junior competitions and contests while growing up in Orange County, California. Shortly before his ninth birthday, Woods won the Junior World Golf Championships in the 9-10 category. He would add a further five titles in the competition, including four in a row between 1988 and 1991.

Woods is the only person in history to win consecutive US Junior Amateur Golf Championships, claiming three on the bounce between 1991 and 1993. His first title made him the youngest winner of the competition at the time, a record that stood until 2010.

He began his senior amateur career while still in high school, winning the US Amateur Championship in 1994 to become the youngest man ever to win that crown as well.

Understandably, the established college golf powers engaged in a mad scramble to secure Woods upon his graduation. His collegiate career was short but littered with victories including two more US Amateur Championships.

He was the only amateur to make the cut at the 1995 US Masters, his first Major, and went on to claim a silver medal as the leading amateur in the field at the British Open later that year.

Turning pro

After his efforts in the Masters and British Open in 1995, Woods turned professional in August 1996. It was apparent he was destined for greatness, so apparent that he would immediately sign the most lucrative endorsement deal golf had ever seen.

In October 1996, Woods beat Davis Love III in a playoff to win the Las Vegas Invitational and record his first PGA Tour victory. It was his first tournament win as a professional.

Two weeks later, Woods won his second PGA Tour event, taking the Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic by one stroke after carding a 21-under 267.

Those two title wins were enough for Woods to be named the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year for 1996. He was also honored by Sports Illustrated, who named him the 1996 Sportsman of the Year.

He started the 1996 season-ending Tour Championship well enough with an even-par 70 that left him four shots off the lead. However, a second round of 78 put him out of contention and a strong fourth round was only enough to earn him a share of 21st place.

Woods would win the first tournament of 1997, the Mercedes Open, foreshadowing the stunning successes to come.

Tiger's first Major win and rise to number one

After starting the year with a big win, Woods made steady progress up the rankings, narrowly missing out on claiming his fourth PGA Tour title at the 1997 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, where he was bested by Mark O'Meara by just one stroke.

Woods headed into the 1997 Masters off the back of a disappointing weekend at THE PLAYERS Championship but nonetheless expectations were high despite the doubters being plentiful.

Chief among those who weren't sure if Woods could live up to his not inconsiderable hype were the PGA Tour's grizzled professionals, many of whom had seen prodigies come and go and were not impressed by a shy 20-year-old.

Little did they know that the dam was about to break on a cultural phenomenon that would alter the game forever and that it would happen at a place that was a symbol of golf's elitist and segregated past.

After a slow start in the first round that saw him turn at 4-over-par, Woods powered home on the back nine with four birdies and an eagle that left him three shots off the top of the leaderboard.

Woods then returned the best scores of the second and third rounds to open a commanding lead.

In the final round, Woods carded a 69 which was enough for him to establish a new 72-hole tournament record and become both the youngest man to win at Augusta and the first non-white Masters champion. His 12-stroke margin of victory remains a record.

Tiger Woods on the 18th hole during the final round of the Masters at the Augusta National Golf Club, 1997. He won. pic.twitter.com/64rmZnHoVG
— Old News Pics (@OldNewsPics) August 18, 2013

Just two months later he completed the quickest ascent to the number one slot in the history of the world rankings.

Golden years

Immediately after the Masters, Woods claimed his fifth tour victory at the Byron Nelson Classic before enduring a lean 1998 when he recorded just one PGA Tour success.

Things wouldn't pick up for Woods until the middle of 1999, which saw the beginning of his purple patch. After undergoing laser eye surgery, he seemed to be a force to be reckoned with once again, claiming his ninth and tenth PGA Tour titles.

After tying for seventh amid trying conditions in the 1999 British Open at Carnoustie, Woods wouldn't play again until the PGA Championship. Here, Woods won his second Major after an epic battle with Sergio Garcia at the Medinah Country Club in Illinois and went on a tear to end the year with four successive tournament wins including the season-ending Tour Championship. He would eventually claim six consecutive tournaments in the longest PGA Tour winning streak since 1948.

After eight tour wins in 1999, Woods carried his spectacular form into 2000, winning nine tournaments in total including three majors. He won his first US Open and British Open titles that year, becoming the youngest man ever to complete a career Grand Slam.

Woods would win four successive majors between 2000 and 2001, completing the so-called "Tiger Slam" with his second Masters title in 2001. He remains the only person to win four majors in a row.

At the 2005 Masters he completed a shot that has come to define his imagination and brilliance around the greens, a superbly conceived and executed chip from the back of the 16th green on his way to victory over Chris DiMarco.

Between 1999 and 2008, Woods won 13 Majors, although he endured a slump in 2003 and 2004 when he failed to win one and ceded the top world ranking spot.

However, he did recover and by the end of 2008 had won 65 PGA Tour events including 14 Majors in total.

He won back-to-back British Opens in 2005 and 2006, becoming the first American to lift the Claret Jug in successive years since Tom Watson in 1983.

Woods missed two months of the Tour after undergoing knee surgery in 2008, which started a long struggle with injury that would dog his later career.

Playing through the pain to win what he described as his "greatest ever championship" at the 2008 US Open, Woods would not taste major success again for more than 10 years.

Downfall, injuries and personal turmoil

Woods endured notable challenges soon after turning 30, suffering the loss of his father in 2006 and undergoing two knee surgeries in 2008.

His hopes of a comeback were then put on hold by personal issues and he announced he would be taking an indefinite break from the sport in December 2009 to try and save his marriage.

The divorce would severely damage Woods' reputation and, after he issued an emotional public apology to his wife in February 2010, a number of sponsors withdrew their support.

Struggling with injuries and personal turmoil, Woods failed to win a PGA Tour event in 2010 and 2011.

In 2012 and 2013, it seemed he was getting close to his best again, winning eight titles across 18 months, but the spectre of injury would rear its head again and Woods endured barren subsequent seasons.

In the end, between 2013 and 2017 he undertook four back surgeries, forcing him to miss the whole of 2015 and playing only one tournament in 2016.

After withdrawing from the 2017 Masters, Woods contemplated retirement, reportedly telling close friends he was done with the sport.

Later that year, Woods was arrested after police found him asleep in his car at 3am under the influence of alcohol and prescription drugs. After pleading guilty to reckless driving, Woods was handed a $250 fine, a year of probation and 50 hours of community service. The terms of the probation prohibited the consumption of alcohol or recreational drugs.

Return to golf and 2019 Masters win

2018 saw Woods make an earnest return to competitive golf, making the sport sit up and take notice when he finished in a tie for second at the Valspar Championship in March.

Back at Carnoustie, for the British Open, he prompted further excitement when briefly claiming the lead as he moved into the back nine on Sunday.

He couldn't convert the win, but the improvement in form was confirmed when he finished solo second at the PGA Championship.

Woods won his first tournament in over five years at the 2018 season-ending Tour Championship, shooting rounds of 65-68-65-71 to claim a two-stroke victory at the East Lake Golf Club.

The triumph was greeted by ecstatic scenes, with fans breaking the ropes to sweep down the final fairway, surrounding the green to chant their hero's name.

In 2019, Woods had a low-key build-up to the first major of the year but there were rumblings of excitement all around Augusta as soon as he stepped onto the course.

Woods made a steady start and improved as the tournament wore on. After shooting 64 in the third round, he held a share of second-place going into the final day.

He took the lead on the 15th hole of his final round and a strong finish saw him win his fifth Masters and 15th Major overall.

2021 car crash threatens life and career

After undergoing more back surgery at the start of 2021, Tiger's start to the season was delayed and he faced a battle to be ready for The Masters.

The decision was taken out of his hands after he was involved in a serious car crash on February 23. Woods was the sole occupant of his vehicle as he lost control when travelling north along Hawthorne, Boulevard in Rancho Palos Verdes in California. His car hit a kerb, a tree and rolled over several times.

Tiger was lucky to come out of the incident alive and it's thought the safety features of his car - a Genesis GV80 - may have saved his life.

Tiger's Genesis SUV is a write-off following his crash

But his injuries were significant. He suffered "open fractures affecting the tibia and fibula bones" in his lower right leg "stabilised by inserting a rod into the tibia". Injuries to his foot and ankle were stabilised with screws and pins.

It left his playing career in serious doubt and yet he surprised the world by playing at The Masters in 2022. Moreover, he made the cut. Yet again he had astounded everyone watching.

Woods' personal life

Born to a Thai mother and an African-American father, Woods' bond with his parents is a strong one and his relationship with his father helped shape him into the sporting and cultural icon he would become.

His father gave him the nickname Tiger in honor of Lieutenant Colonel Vuong Dang "Tiger" Phong, who was a Vietnamese soldier and close wartime friend of Woods senior.

Woods' mother Kutilda coined his given first name Eldrick noting that it starts with an E for Earl and ends with a K.

He married Swedish-born model Elin Nordegren in 2004 and had two children, with his daughter Sam Alexis Woods born in 2007 followed by his son Charlie Axel Woods in 2009.

Woods became infamous as a philandering husband and playboy thanks to his messy divorce during which he admitted having had multiple affairs.

Tabloid news coverage of a 2009 traffic incident where Woods allegedly collided with a fire hydrant near his home led to the ultimate unraveling of his marriage and tarnished his wholesome image.

In 2017, Woods announced that he was in a relationship with Erica Herman, a restaurant manager, after speculation surrounding the pair was published.

Tiger Woods' net worth

Woods tops the all-time money-winning list of the PGA Tour and has raked in millions from sponsorships, endorsements and appearance fees.

In 2009, Forbes confirmed that Woods was the first athlete to earn in excess of $1billion during his playing career. That same year his net worth was pegged at around $600million, making him the second richest person of color in the United States behind Oprah Winfrey.

From the moment he turned professional, Woods became the world's most marketable athlete, attracting massive deals that would comfortably secure his future and then some.

The most recent estimates place Woods' net worth at around $800million.

Woods is estimated to have earned $1.5billion dollars in winnings, appearance fees, sponsorships and course design fees since he turned professional.

He is still golf's biggest earner and arguably remains the most recognizable figure in the history of the sport.

Tiger Woods

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