WOODS, TIGER

born December 30, 1975, Cypress, Calif., U.S. byname of Eldrick Woods American golfer who enjoyed one of the greatest amateur careers in the history of the game and became a dominant player on the professional circuit in the late 1990s. On April 13, 1997, he became the first golfer of African American descent to win the Masters Tournament, one of the most prestigious events in the sport. On July 23, 2000, Woods became the fifth player in golf history, and the youngest, to complete the Grand Slam of the four major championships by winning the British Open. This milestone came after only four years of professional competition, and Woods was universally acknowledged to be golf's greatest player. Woods was the only child of Earl Woods, an African American who served as an officer in the U.S. Army, and Kultida Woods, a native of Thailand. A naturally gifted player, Woods took up golfing at a very young age and soon became a prodigy, taking swings on a television program when he was two years old and shooting a 48 over nine holes at age three. In 1991, at age 15, he became the youngest winner of the U.S. Junior Amateur championship; he also captured the 1992 and 1993 Junior Amateur titles. In 1994 he came from six holes behind to win the first of his three consecutive U.S. Amateur championships. He enrolled at Stanford University in 1994 and won the collegiate title in 1996. After claiming his third U.S. Amateur title, Woods left college and turned professional on August 29, 1996. Playing as a pro in eight Professional Golfers' Association of America events in 1996, he won two titles and was named the PGA Tour's outstanding rookie. Woods's slender build and graceful swing allowed him to generate such club speed that he routinely hit drives of more than 300 yards. His booming long game, coupled with his expert putting and chipping and his reputation for mental toughness, made him an intimidating opponent and a popular player among fans. At the 1997 Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, Woods shot a tournament record 270 over 72 holes and finished 12 strokes ahead of the rest of the field in one of the most dominating performances in the history of professional golf. In 1999 he became the first golfer in more than two decades to win eight PGA tournaments in a year. His six consecutive 19992000 victories tied Ben Hogan's 1948 streak, the second longest in PGA history; Byron Nelson holds the record with 11 straight wins. Woods earned more than $6 million in prize money, the most ever won in a single season. In June 2000 he again made history with his record-breaking win at the U.S. Open. He became the first player to finish the tournament at 12 under par, tying Jack Nicklaus for the lowest 72-hole score (272), and his 15-stroke victory was the largest winning margin at a major championship. His victory in the 2000 British Open by a comfortable 8 strokes was a record-setting 19 strokes under par.