Tiger Woods

Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods was born on 30 December 1975 in Cypress, California. He was introduced to golf by his father at a very young age and became a prodigy, appearing on national television as a small child and dominating amateur golf before turning professional in 1996 amid considerable expectation.

He won his first major championship, the Masters, in 1997 by a record margin and at a record young age, an early signal of the impact he would have on the sport. Over the following years he established a period of dominance, holding the world number one ranking for a record number of weeks and winning major championships across all four of golf's most prestigious tournaments.

His combination of power, precision, and competitiveness, together with his crossover popularity, brought unprecedented attention, prize money, and a broader audience to professional golf. He completed the so-called "Tiger Slam", holding all four major titles at once across the 2000 and 2001 seasons.

His career was interrupted by a series of injuries, particularly to his back and knee, and by a widely reported personal scandal in 2009 that affected his public image and his form. After multiple surgeries and several years without a major, he won the Masters again in 2019, a comeback widely regarded as one of the most remarkable in the sport's history. A serious car accident in 2021 caused further significant injuries.

With fifteen major championships, he stands among the most successful golfers ever, behind only Jack Nicklaus in the all-time major count. Tiger Woods is regarded as one of the most influential athletes of his era, a figure whose career reshaped the economics and reach of professional golf.