The finest golfer of the past three decades, and one of the most talented of all time, has played his part in many unforgettable moments: the vast majority glorious but a few disastrous, especially away from the fairways as a result of his extra-marital affairs.
Eldrick “Tiger” Woods, who turned 43 on 30 December, has been everything in golf, and now that – thanks to his recent good results and victory in September after a five-year drought – he has been “reborn” and shown that he can return to the top of this sport, it is worth recalling one of the highlights of his successful career.
It was, of course, his first victory in a major, the 1997 Masters. Tiger had played that tournament as an amateur in 1995 and finished 41st. After studying at university and accumulating a spectacular collection of amateur titles (he was the first player to win the US Amateur three times in a row), Woods turned professional in August 1996. He played in eight US PGA Tour tournaments that year, won two and finished in the top-10 three times, and was named “rookie of the year”. In December 1996, Sports Illustrated magazine named him "athlete of the year".
From his first tournament in 1997, which he won, Tiger made clear what his objective would be that season. And, after a second place the following month and another top-10 in March, the magnificent moment arrived that would signify the coronation of a reign which had already begun to dazzle. It was 13 April, 22 years ago.
Most of Woods' great rivals – he was 21 years old – were between 30 and 40. The young Californian son of an African-American father and Thai mother was slim and athletic, and had developed a devastating swing that allowed him to hit drives over 270 metres. He also had a reputation for mental toughness and was equally excellent with irons and putters. In April 1997, all these attributes were conjured up together to secure the most famous victory in the history of the Masters.
His margin of victory - 12 strokes ahead of second-placed Tom Kite - was the largest in the 20th century, second only to the 13-shot victory by Old Tom Morris at the 1862 British Open. His 18-under 270 (70-66-65-69) broke the record of under-17 established 32 years previously in the same tournament by Jack Nicklaus. Tiger became the youngest golfer by two years to win the Masters and the first of Asian or African descent to win a major. Never before had so many spectators travelled to Augusta National and never before had so many people seen the Masters on TV.
In June 1997, Tiger became number one in the world ranking, replacing Greg Norman at the top. In 1999, he won eight PGA Tour tournaments, earned a record $6 million in prizemoney and began a winning streak that matched Ben Hogan’s in 1948, the second longest in Tour history. In June 2000 Woods won his first US Open, with a record of 12-under, finishing 15 strokes ahead of his closest rivals: Miguel Ángel Jiménez and Ernie Els. It was the best professional result in golfing history, surpassing even his famous triumph in the 1997 Masters and Old Tom Morris in 1862.
In July 2000, Tiger won the British Open, and in August he triumphed in the US PGA Championship. At the age of 24, he was the youngest player to win at least one of each of the four majors, and the second to win three in the same year. On 10 April 2005, he was presented with his fourth green jacket at Augusta National, becoming the first player to win four Masters before the age of 30. That year he also won the British Open again. In 2007 he repeated victory in Europe’s only major and won the US PGA Championship. In 2008 he added another US Open, his 14th major and last – at least so far – Grand Slam victory.
Tiger's victory march had declined in 2004, when he devoted time to re-working his swing and rehabilitating his knee after surgery. It was also during this period that he married Elin Nordegren, a former Swedish model who would become the mother of his two children.
Tiger was back in top form in 2005, earning his 10th major. His performance fluctuated throughout the rest of the decade as he struggled with his knee injury and personal problems that attracted massive media attention: in late 2009, as a result of events related to a car accident near his Florida house, several women said they had had sex with the famous golfer. Nordegren divorced him in August 2010, just as Tiger began his first season with no victories.
On 17 May 2014, Tiger ended his reign as world number one, after having accumulated, over different periods, a record 683 weeks atop the world ranking. At present, he is close once again to entering the top-10. Who knows if he will soon be able to recreate those distant days of 1997 when he began his love story with the majors.
5 Interesting Facts about Tiger
In 1999 Tiger Woods won eight times on the US PGA Tour – the first golfer to achieve the feat since Johnny Miller. He has more victories under his belt on the US Tour (80) than any other active player.
When Tiger was just six months old he imitated his father's movements with the golf club, and at the age of five he appeared in Golf Digest magazine.
When Tiger turned professional, he signed a contract with Nike for $40 million and another with Titleist for $20 million. His endorsements have generated hundreds of millions of dollars.
Tiger Woods has won the “player of the year award” on the US PGA Tour nine times, in the 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007 seasons.
In July 2000, at the age of 24, Tiger became the youngest golfer in history to win at least one of each of the four majors: US Masters, US Open, British Open and PGA Championship.