Woods had his first brush of fame when he was just 2 years old. The young golf prodigy appeared on “The Mike Douglas Show” in 1978, winning a putting match with comedian Bob Hope.
Woods, 6, picks up a putt in Los Alamitos, California, in 1982. His real name is Eldrick, but his father nicknamed him “Tiger” after a South Vietnamese soldier he fought with during the Vietnam War.
Woods and his father, Earl, celebrate after a 15-year-old Tiger won the US Junior Amateur Championship in 1991. He also won the event in 1992 and 1993.
Woods (16) tee off at the Los Angeles Open in 1992. That was his first foray into PGA Tour competition, albeit as an amateur. He missed the 36-hole cut.
Woods played for the United States in the 1994 World Amateur Team Cup, which took place in France.
Woods hits a tee shot during the 1995 Walker Cup, an international team event.
Woods talks to the media after winning his third straight American amateur in 1996. All his life, Woods has worn red on the last day of a major tournament.
Woods played college golf for two years at Stanford University. He won the NCAA individual golf title in 1996.
Woods turned pro in August 1996 and it wasn’t long before he won his first tournament. Six weeks after announcing he was turning pro – with a famous “Hello, world” ad campaign for Nike – Woods won the Las Vegas Invitational. That earned him this big check, a two-year exemption from the PGA Tour and a spot in the following year’s Masters tournament.
Woods made history at the 1997 Masters, blowing the field by 12 strokes to win his first major. At the time, it was also a record-low Masters score of 18 under par.
Woods hugs his father, Earl, after winning the 1997 Masters. Earl, a former green beret, was widely credited with developing his son’s prodigious talent and pushing him to become the ultimate competitor.
Woods arrives at an airport in Hamburg, Germany, in May 2000.
Woods plays a shot from the ninth fairway during the 2000 US Open in Pebble Beach, California. Woods won the tournament by 15 shots, a record for any major. It was at this point Woods’ third major title; he had also won the 1999 PGA Championship.
A month after the US Open, Woods won the British Open in 2000 at the Old Course in St Andrews, Scotland. That earned him the career Grand Slam — a win in each of the four different majors — at age 24.
Woods breaks through during the 2000 PGA Championship in Louisville, Kentucky. Throughout his career, Woods has always had the largest galleries, with thousands of people flocking from hole to hole to watch him play. He is also credited with bringing in millions of new fans for the sport.
Woods reacts when he sinks a putt during a playoff at the 2000 PGA Championship. Woods defeated Bob May in the playoff to win his third consecutive major.
Fans watch Woods tee off on the 18th hole at the 2001 Masters. Woods won the event, completing what is now called the Tiger Slam – four consecutive major titles.
Woods talks to golfing legend Jack Nicklaus at the Memorial tournament in June 2001. The two are widely regarded as the two greatest golfers in history, and only Nicklaus has won more major titles than Woods.
Woods arrives in a military vehicle for a golf exhibition in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in 2004. Woods spent the week training with Army troops before hosting a junior golf clinic for his Tiger Woods Foundation. Woods’ father, Earl, was stationed at the base in the 1960s.
Woods and Phil Mickelson line up their putts at the final round of the Ford Championship in March 2005. For much of Woods’ career, Mickelson was considered his greatest rival.
Woods celebrates with his caddy, Steve Williams, after his famous chip-in at the 2005 Masters. Woods won his fourth green jacket.
Woods hugs Williams after winning the British Open in Hoylake, England in 2006. It was Woods’ first major win since his father’s death just a few months earlier.
Woods stands with his mother, Kultida, and his daughter, Sam, as a statue of him and his father is unveiled at the Tiger Woods Learning Center in Anaheim, California, in January 2008.
Woods suffered a broken tibia and a torn ligament in his knee, but he won the playoffs over Rocco Mediate at the 2008 US Open. It was his third US Open win and his 14th major title.
President Barack Obama received Woods in the White House Oval Office in April 2009.
Woods fires a shot during a PGA Championship practice round in August 2009.
Woods holds his daughter Sam while he and his wife Elin attend a Stanford football game in November 2009. Woods married Elin, a model, in 2004. The couple also has a son, Charlie.
Woods plays virtual golf with talk show host Jimmy Fallon in 2011.
Woods jokes with golf great Arnold Palmer after winning the Bay Hill Invitational in March 2013 and regaining his spot as the world’s top-ranked golfer.
Woods falls to the floor in pain after hitting a shot at The Barclays in August 2013. A few months later, he would have back surgery because of a pinched nerve.
From left, Woods, Jason Dufner and Mickelson hang out at the Muirfield Village Golf Club, where the Presidents Cup took place in Dublin, Ohio, in October 2013.
Woods kissed his then-girlfriend, ski superstar Lindsey Vonn, at an event in Beaver Creek, Colorado, in 2015. The two dated for a few years.
Woods led the U.S. team to a Presidents Cup victory in December 2019.
Woods putts in the second round of the Masters in November 2020.