Tiger Woods

Early Life

Eldrick Tont Woods was born on 30 December 1975 in Cypress, California, to Earl Woods, a retired United States Army officer, and Kultida Woods, who was born in Thailand. His father gave him the nickname Tiger after a fellow soldier and friend, and introduced him to golf before his second birthday. As a small child Woods appeared on television demonstrating his swing, and he won junior tournaments throughout his childhood, including the Junior World Golf Championships. He won the United States Junior Amateur Championship three years in a row, from 1991 to 1993, and then won the United States Amateur Championship three years in a row, from 1994 to 1996, a run no golfer had achieved before.

Education

Woods attended Western High School in Anaheim, California, and then enrolled at Stanford University in 1994, where he studied economics and played college golf. He won the NCAA individual championship in 1996 and was named the outstanding college golfer of the year before leaving Stanford after two years to turn professional.

Career

Woods turned professional in August 1996 and won his first PGA Tour event within two months. In April 1997 he won the Masters Tournament by 12 strokes at the age of 21, becoming the youngest winner of the tournament and the first golfer of African American heritage to win a major championship. Between 2000 and 2001 he held all four major titles at the same time, the run known as the Tiger Slam, after winning the 2000 United States Open by 15 strokes, the 2000 Open Championship, the 2000 PGA Championship and the 2001 Masters. He won 15 major championships in total: five Masters, three United States Opens, three Open Championships and four PGA Championships. His 82 PGA Tour victories tie Sam Snead for the most in the history of the tour. He spent a record 683 weeks ranked world number one. His career was interrupted by knee and back injuries and by a widely reported personal scandal in 2009, followed by several back operations. He returned to win the Masters in April 2019, his first major title in 11 years. In February 2021 he suffered serious leg injuries in a car crash and has played only a limited schedule since, while remaining active through his foundation and his golf course design business. In March 2025 he ruptured his Achilles tendon while training, requiring surgery, and in October 2025 he underwent disc replacement surgery on his lumbar spine, the seventh back operation of his career. On 27 March 2026 he was involved in a car crash on Jupiter Island, Florida, and was arrested on a drink-driving charge; a breathalyser test recorded 0.00, and he declined a urine test. Four days later he announced he was stepping away to seek treatment, and he spent time in a rehabilitation clinic in Switzerland. On 2 September 2026 he pleaded no contest to reduced charges, the drink-driving charge was dropped, and his driving licence was suspended for five years. In November 2026 he said he was training again and would be at the Hero World Challenge in December.

Achievements

Woods won 15 major championships, second only to Jack Nicklaus, and 82 PGA Tour events, tied with Sam Snead for the most of all time. He completed the career Grand Slam three times, won 18 World Golf Championship events, and was named the PGA Tour Player of the Year a record 11 times. He won the Masters five times, in 1997, 2001, 2002, 2005 and 2019, and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2022. He represented the United States in the Ryder Cup eight times and in the Presidents Cup nine times, and captained the United States team to victory in the 2019 Presidents Cup. Through his TGR Foundation, founded in 1996, he has supported education programmes for young people in the United States.

• Won the Masters Tournament in 1997 by 12 strokes at age 21, the youngest winner of the tournament
• Held all four major championship titles at the same time in 2000-2001, the run known as the Tiger Slam
• Won 15 major championships, second only to Jack Nicklaus with 18
• Won 82 PGA Tour events, tied with Sam Snead for the most in PGA Tour history
• Completed the career Grand Slam three times
• Won 18 World Golf Championship events
• Spent a record 683 weeks ranked world number one
• Named PGA Tour Player of the Year a record 11 times
• Won the Masters for a fifth time in 2019, his first major title in 11 years
• Inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2022
• Founded the TGR Foundation in 1996 to support education programmes for young people

Legacy

Woods is widely regarded as one of the greatest golfers of all time and as the player who brought golf to a wider and younger audience in the late 1990s and 2000s. His dominance in the early 2000s, his 2019 Masters comeback after injury and surgery, and his longevity at the top of the sport are central to his reputation. Commentators also note that his 2009 personal scandal damaged his public standing for a period, and that injuries limited his later career. Because he is a living person whose public work continues, this profile records only documented milestones and will need regular updating from reliable sources. In March 2026 a car crash and drink-driving arrest led to a period in rehabilitation and a plea to reduced charges, and his return to competition remains uncertain as of November 2026, when he said he was training again.

Contributions

Woods changed the public profile of golf, drawing larger television audiences and a younger, more diverse following to the sport in the late 1990s and 2000s, and raising the physical and competitive standard expected of professional golfers. His TGR Foundation has supported education programmes for young people, and his course design work has continued his involvement in the game beyond competition.

Notable Works

• How I Play Golf (2001)
• The 1997 Masters: My Story (2017)

Milestones

• 1975 — Born on 30 December in Cypress, California Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
• 1991 — Won the first of three consecutive United States Junior Amateur Championships Source: Wikipedia; Encyclopaedia Britannica
• 1996 — Won the NCAA individual championship at Stanford and turned professional in August Source: Wikipedia; Encyclopaedia Britannica
• 1997 — Won the Masters by 12 strokes, his first major championship Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
• 2000 — Won the United States Open by 15 strokes, the Open Championship and the PGA Championship Source: Wikipedia; Encyclopaedia Britannica
• 2001 — Won the Masters to hold all four major titles at the same time, the Tiger Slam Source: Wikipedia; Encyclopaedia Britannica
• 2008 — Won the United States Open at Torrey Pines, his 14th major title Source: Wikipedia
• 2019 — Won the Masters for a fifth time, his first major title in 11 years Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
• 2019 — Won the Zozo Championship, his 82nd PGA Tour title, tying Sam Snead's record Source: Wikipedia
• 2021 — Suffered serious leg injuries in a car crash in February Source: Wikipedia
• 2022 — Inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame Source: United States Golf Association
• 2022 — Returned to competition at the Masters, finishing 47th Source: Wikipedia (Tiger Woods)
• 2025 — Ruptured his Achilles tendon while training; underwent disc replacement surgery, his seventh back operation Source: USA Today
• 2026 — Car crash and drink-driving arrest in March; pleaded no contest to reduced charges in September; said in November he was training for a comeback Source: USA Today

Timeline

1. 30 December 1975

   Born in Cypress, California

   Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
2. 1991

   Won the first of three consecutive United States Junior Amateur Championships

   Year only — exact date unknown Source: Wikipedia
3. 1994

   Won the first of three consecutive United States Amateur Championships

   Year only — exact date unknown Source: Wikipedia
4. 1996

   Won the NCAA individual championship at Stanford

   Year only — exact date unknown Source: Wikipedia
5. 1996-08

   Turned professional

   Year only — exact date unknown Source: Wikipedia; Encyclopaedia Britannica
6. 13 April 1997

   Won the Masters by 12 strokes, his first major championship

   Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
7. 18 June 2000

   Won the United States Open by 15 strokes at Pebble Beach

   Source: Wikipedia
8. 8 April 2001

   Won the Masters to complete the Tiger Slam, holding all four major titles

   Source: Wikipedia
9. 16 June 2008

   Won the United States Open at Torrey Pines in a playoff against Rocco Mediate

   Source: Wikipedia
10. 14 April 2019

    Won the Masters for a fifth time, his first major title in 11 years

    Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica
11. 27 October 2019

    Won the Zozo Championship, his 82nd PGA Tour title, tying Sam Snead

    Source: Wikipedia
12. 23 February 2021

    Seriously injured in a single-car crash in California

    Source: Wikipedia
13. 2022

    Inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame

    Year only — exact date unknown Source: United States Golf Association
14. 2022

    Returned to competition at the Masters in April, finishing 47th, fourteen months after the 2021 crash

    Year only — exact date unknown Source: Wikipedia (Tiger Woods)
15. 2025

    Ruptured his Achilles tendon while training, requiring surgery

    Year only — exact date unknown Source: USA Today
16. 2025

    Underwent disc replacement surgery on his lumbar spine, his seventh back operation

    Year only — exact date unknown Source: USA Today
17. 27 March 2026

    Involved in a car crash on Jupiter Island, Florida, and arrested on a drink-driving charge

    Source: USA Today
18. 2 September 2026

    Pleaded no contest to reduced charges in Martin County, Florida; the drink-driving charge was dropped and his driving licence was suspended for five years

    Source: USA Today
19. 10 November 2026

    Said he was training again and would be at the Hero World Challenge in December

    Source: USA Today

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Frequently Asked Questions

Sources & References

1. Tiger Woods — Encyclopaedia Britannica — Encyclopaedia Britannica (accessed 13 November 2026)
2. Tiger Woods — Wikipedia (cross-check) — Wikipedia (accessed 13 November 2026)
3. Tiger Woods — United States Golf Association — United States Golf Association (accessed 13 November 2026)
4. Tiger Woods Fast Facts — CNN — CNN (accessed 13 November 2026)
5. File:Tiger Woods in May 2019.jpg — Wikimedia Commons (portrait file page) — Wikimedia Commons (accessed 13 November 2026)
6. Tiger Woods drops strongest hint yet that golf comeback could happen soon — USA Today (accessed 14 November 2026)

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