Tiger Woods

American golfer who is perhaps the best young golfer in history. On April 13, 1997 he catapulted to fame when he gave a record-setting performance the likes of which golf had never seen. With a record-setting score of 270, he became the youngest winner and the first person of mixed race in the 61-year history of the Masters to achieve such glory. He followed his victory with several more. In 1999, he won the World Cup for both individual and team performance. With his eight-stroke victory at the British Open, Woods became the youngest player to complete a Grand Slam on July 24, 2000, winning all four major championships: the Masters, the U.S. Open, the British Open and the PGA. In his unprecedented career, he is the first player since 1937 to repeat a win in the PGA Championships. With his victory in Augusta, GA on April 8, 2001, Tiger Woods swept modern golf's four major championships. No one has succeeded in this sport more quickly or decisively than Woods. Before his 1996 professional debut, he was the youngest player to win the U.S. Junior Amateur title at the age of 15 and the first to win three of them. He left his amateur status and moved on to the pro circuit on August 28, 1996. In December 1996 and in 2000, he was named Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year, becoming the first athlete to ever be accorded that honor twice. In 1997 he signed endorsements with both Nike and Titleist that were worth $60 million over five years. His coach since 1992 is Butch Harmon (born August 28, 1943 in Detroit, MI). Woods is known as a fine man who was raised with love, rules, respect, confidence, and pride in his heritage that includes one-eighth Black, one-eighth American Indian, one-fourth White, one-fourth Chinese and one-fourth Thai, an All-American mixture. His parents raised their only child to take a productive place in society. His father Earl Woods, a retired military man, gave him his first golf club at the age of three and taught him concentration. When Tiger practiced as a kid, his dad would shout, wave things, run around and do whatever he could to distract him, from which the young Woods learned to focus. Now as a professional on the green, he will smile and wave at people, but when he turns his attention to his game, he moves into a zone that is focused. Earl Woods wrote a book about his famous son aptly named "Training a Tiger," published in June 1997. A Buddhist, Woods confirms that he meditates, but not as much as he used to. Though his world has become a glittering succession of private jets, chauffeured limos and room service, friends say that he is still his own easy-going, video-game-loving young self. Before his 25th birthday, Tiger broke up with former girlfriend Joanna Jogoda and his dad remarked that he’d probably not marry before 30. Young Woods had other things on his mind that year, including his game. In October his book, “How I Play Golf,” was published. Showing that he enjoys a good time, he dyed his hair blond on a short-lived whim while he was partying at a resort with his pal Michael Jordan over New Year’s. On April 14, 2002, at Georgia's Augusta National Golf Club, the golfing great captured his third Masters crown -- joining Jack Nicklaus (who won in 1965 and '66) and Nick Faldo ('89 and '90) as the only men to win back-to-back Masters tournaments. With a final round 71, Woods shot 12-under-par 276 for the tournament and collected $1,008,000. Later that year, in July, Tiger met his new girlfriend, Elin Nordegren, 22, a gorgeous blond model and nanny. On November 25, 2003, they became engaged at a game reserve in South Africa, and they married on October 5, 2004 at Sandy Lane Beach resort in Saint James Parish, Barbados. The couple said "I do" at 5:40 PM local time according to a Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation reporter quoted on CNN. In 2004, Woods lost his #1 world ranking to Vijay Singh, but he continues to astound. By late 2004, Woods had accumulated over $53,000,000 in prize money alone. He won his first ever championship match in Japan on November 21, 2004, bringing to 10 the number of countries in which he has won a title. Still a young man, he has many more matches to win and records to break. His beloved father and mentor, Earl Woods, died on May 3, 2006 at age 74 of prostate cancer in Cypress, CA. On August 6, 2006, Woods won another PGA Tour championship, adding another “youngest player ever ...” to his name. This win confers upon him “the youngest player ever to win 50 titles.” On August 20, 2006 he captured his 12th major title when he won the 88th PGA Championship in Illinois.Woods took another PGA championship on August 12, 2007. Woods and his wife welcomed their first child, a daughter named Sam Alexis Woods, born “early Monday morning” on June 18, 2007 according to Woods on his website.Their second child, a son named Charlie Axel, was born on February 8, 2009. At about 2:30 AM on November 27, 2009, Woods left Florida home in his SUV and crashed into a nearby tree and fire hydrant. He sustained lacerations and other injuries and reports of extra-marital affairs took hold of the news almost immediately afterward. Divorce proceedings ensued and the legal end of his marriage was pronounced on August 23, 2010. On March 18, 2013, Woods announced that he and skier Lindsey Vonn were dating.[ Link to Wikipedia biography Link to Astrodienst discussion forum