Woods had his first brush with fame when he was just 2 years old. The young golfing prodigy appeared on “The Mike Douglas Show” in 1978, winning a putting contest with comedian Bob Hope.
Woods, 6, sizes 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 alongside 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 won the event in 1992 and 1993 as well.
Woods, 16, tees off at the Los Angeles Open in 1992. That was his first taste of PGA Tour competition, albeit as an amateur. He missed the 36-hole cut.
Woods played for the United States during the World Amateur Team Cup, which took place in France in 1994.
Woods hits a tee shot during the 1995 Walker Cup, an international team event.
Woods talks to the media after winning his third-straight US Amateur in 1996. Throughout his life, Woods has worn red on the final day of a big tournament.
Woods played two years of college golf at Stanford University. He won the NCAA individual golf title in 1996.
Woods turned professional in August 1996, and it didn’t take long for him to win his first tournament. Six weeks after he announced he was going 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 on the PGA Tour and a spot in the following year’s Masters tournament.
Woods made history at the 1997 Masters, blowing away 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 be the ultimate competitor.
Woods arrives at an airport in Hamburg, Germany, in May 2000.
Woods plays a shot from the ninth fairway during the…
Source : cnn
