1. The Tiger Woods Show
On October 6, 1978, aged 2, Tiger made his first TV appearance, on The Mike Douglas Show, a daytime variety program. Douglas’ other guests were Bob Hope and Jimmy Stewart, who watched Tiger make a few putts and hit some drives off an artificial turf mat.
2. Junior Amateur
Tiger won three straight US Junior Amateur titles between 1991 and 1993. He remained the only multiple winner until Jordan Spieth’s wins in 2011 and 2013.
3. Triple Treat
In 1994, at TPC Sawgrass, Tiger became the youngest winner of the US Amateur Championship. Two years later, he became the first golfer to win it three times in a row.
4. Major Debut
Tiger’s first Major was the 1995 Masters. His downhill putt at the first rolled off the green. An inauspicious start, but he recovered to finish as the low amateur, in a tie for 41st.
5. Hole-in-One
Tiger’s pro career began at the 1996 Greater Milwaukee. He started with three birdies in his first five holes but finished T60. The highlight was a hole-in-one during his final round 68.
6. Top Billing
The 1996 Presidents Cup wasn’t decided until the final match, but America’s top golf writers had all left by then to watch the final day of the Quad City Classic. Tiger, in his third start as a professional and seeking his first pro victory, was leading by three strokes after 54 holes. He finished T5.
7. Opening Win as a Pro
In a sudden-death playoff for the history books, on October 6, 1996, Tiger outlasted world No.11 Davis Love III to claim the Las Vegas Invitational.
8. The 1997 Masters (Day 1)
Tiger began his first Major as a professional by going out in 40, 4-over par. He came back 10 shots better, to finish 2-under and only three behind leader John Huston.
9. The 1997 Masters (Day 4)
Tiger emerged from his shaky start to record an emphatic 12-stroke victory. He finished 18-under, setting Masters records for winning margin, lowest four-round score and youngest champion.
10. Tigermania
Tiger’s mother is Thai, and in 1997 he won his first overseas victory at the Asian Honda Classic in Thailand. Local newspapers reported scenes of ‘Tigermania’, while he chatted with the Thai prime minister and received a royal decoration.
11. Sergio
At the 1999 US PGA Championship, Tiger had to dig deep to hold off a young challenger, Sergio Garcia, and win his second Major. He’d win a dozen more. Sergio is still to break his Major drought.
12. Four Straight
Tiger ended 1999 by winning four consecutive tournaments, the first time this had been achieved since Ben Hogan in 1953. During this streak, Tiger was also part of a US Ryder Cup victory at Brookline.
13. Demolition at Pebble Beach
Tiger’s 15-shot triumph at the 2000 US Open was arguably golf’s most dominant performance. It remains the largest winning margin in Major championship golf.
14. Tiger by Eight
The most extraordinary part of Tiger’s victory at St Andrews in 2000 was that his eight-shot winning margin – coming so soon after his US Open at Pebble Beach – seemed almost commonplace. His 19-under finish established a new Open scoring record.
15. Career Grand Slam
In winning at St Andrews, 24-year-old Tiger became the youngest player to achieve a career Grand Slam.
16. Under Par
In 2000, Tiger’s non-adjusted scoring average of 68.17 was the best in US PGA Tour history. He finished the year with 47 straight rounds of par or better and was under par at all 20 tournaments he played.
17. Matching Hogan
At the 2000 PGA, Tiger birdied the final two holes to make a three-hole playoff with Bob May. He birdied the first playoff hole and held on to become the second man after Ben Hogan to win three Majors in a calendar year.
18. Sports Illustrated
Tiger was named Sports Illustrated’s ‘Sportsman of the Year’ in 1996 and 2000. He remains the only individual or team to win the award more than once.
19. The Tiger Slam
Tiger won the final three majors of 2000, and then claimed his second Masters in April 2001, becoming the first golfer to hold all four major trophies at once.
20. Greatest Putt
During the third round of the 2001 Players Championship, Tiger was on the fringe at the back of the 17th’s infamous ‘island’ green. The pin was the best part of 20 metres away, all downhill, right to left to right, water beyond. Tiger made it. Next day, he beat Vijay Singh by one shot.
21. Grand Double
In 1960, Arnold Palmer launched the idea of winning a ‘Grand Slam’ – Masters, US Open, British Open and PGA – in the one year. Since then, only Jack Nicklaus (1972), Tiger (2002) and Jordan Spieth have won the first two legs in the same calendar year.
22. Wire to Wire
Tiger’s win at Bethpage Black in 2002 was the sixth wire-to-wire victory in US Open history. It was his seventh win in 11 Majors, going back to the 1999 PGA.
23. Bunkered
During the second round of the 2002 PGA at Hazeltine, Tiger was in a fairway bunker at 18 with a downhill lie, impeded stance, tree blocking his path to the green, 192m to the hole. He promptly hooked a 3-iron against the wind to within three metres of the flagstick, a shot he has described as the most memorable of his career.
24. Cutting Edge
Tiger only finished 26th at the 2003 Tour Championship, but by making the cut for the 114th time in a row he broke Byron Nelson’s record for most consecutive cuts. Tiger would extend his streak to 142, before missing the cut at the 2005 Byron Nelson Championship.
25. The Perfect Chip
The shot that’s been replayed millions of times. On the Sunday at Augusta in 2005, from beyond the par-3 16th green, Tiger judged the slope perfectly, his Nike ball pausing on the lip before disappearing triumphantly into the cup.
26. Double Slam
Tiger was 29 when he won his second British Open at St Andrews in 2005, becoming the youngest man to win each of the four Majors twice. Jack Nicklaus was 18 months older when he completed the feat in 1971.
27. The Ultimate Tribute
In 2006, 12 weeks after the death of his father and mentor, Earl Woods, Tiger wept on the 72nd green at Royal Liverpool, having won his third Open Championship after an absorbing duel with Chris DiMarco.
28. Three Bogeys
Tiger finished 18-under at the 2006 PGA Championship to secure his 12th Major, dropping shots at only three holes over the course of his four rounds.
29. 63
At the 2007 US PGA, at Southern Hills, Tiger became the fifth man to shoot 63 at a Major and win, after Johnny Miller, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman and Ray Floyd.
30. FedExCup
In 2007, Tiger was the inaugural winner of the FedExCup, an achievement crowned by an eight-shot win at the Tour Championship. His 23-under 257 score remains a tournament record, by six shots.
31. On One Leg
Tiger’s most recent Major victory, the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines, took 91 holes to win. He had to birdie the 72nd and 90th holes to survive. Soon after, he was being operated on for a ruptured ACL and a fractured tibia.
32. 70 Wins
In 2009, Tiger became the third man to win 70 times on the US PGA Tour, after Sam Snead and Jack Nicklaus. He was nearly seven years younger than Snead and Nicklaus when they reached the milestone.
33. Clean Sweep
At the 2009 Presidents Cup, Tiger became the third man to win all five of his matches, after Mark O’Meara (1996) and Shigeki Maruyama (1998).
34. $3 million Dollar Man
The controversial decision by Australian Masters organisers to pay Tiger a $3 million appearance fee in 2009 was justified by attracting huge crowds and winning the tournament by two shots.
35. Eye of the Storm
The sex scandal that embroiled Tiger in 2009-10 put him at the centre of a huge media scrum at the 2010 Masters. It was his first tournament of the year. In the circumstances, his T4 finish was a remarkable result.
36. Bay Hill
Tiger won the Arnold Palmer Invitational eight times (a feat for any US PGA Tour event matched only by Sam Snead at the Greater Greensboro Open), with arguably the most notable coming in 2012. It was his first tournament win in 923 days.
37. The Comeback
Tiger’s return to world No.1 in 2013 came on the back of five wins, including two World Golf Championships and another Players Championship. He collected the US PGA Tour player-of-the-year award for a record 11th time.
38. World Domination
Where do you start? June 15, 1997, when he became the youngest No.1? The 264 consecutive weeks on top from August 1999 to August 2004? The longest reign of any golfer, 281 weeks from June 2005 to October 2010? The record 683 weeks in total?
39. A Ratings Disaster
Tiger played every Masters from 1995 to 2013, for four wins, two seconds, a third and six other top-10 finishes. When injury kept him out in 2014, the American TV ratings for the final round were the worst since 1957.
40. Alone
Tiger has won the Memorial Tournament five times. In 2015, he shot a third-round 85, his worst ever round, and had to play on his own on the Sunday, starting six shots last. More than 1,000 fans watched him finish with a 74.
