Tiger Woods

Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods transformed golf from a country club sport into a global phenomenon and became arguably the most famous athlete on Earth. With 15 major championships and 82 PGA Tour victories, he is statistically one of the two greatest golfers in history. His dominance was so complete that the term "Tiger-proofing" entered the lexicon as courses were redesigned to counter his extraordinary length and precision.

Born in Cypress, California, in 1975, Woods was a prodigy from infancy — he appeared on The Mike Douglas Show demonstrating his putting at age two. His father Earl, a Green Beret veteran, trained him with military discipline. Woods won the U.S. Amateur three consecutive times before turning professional in 1996, and his first Masters victory in 1997 — won by 12 strokes, the largest margin in tournament history — announced the arrival of a force that would reshape the sport.

Woods's impact on golf extended far beyond his own play. He brought Black and multiracial visibility to a sport that had excluded Black members from most of its clubs within living memory. Television ratings soared when he played and cratered when he didn't. His 2019 Masters victory — a comeback after years of injuries, surgeries, and personal turmoil — is considered one of the greatest moments in sports history.