Tiger Woods, Man, Myth, Legend

Tiger Woods, the world's premier golfer, was born as Eldrick Woods on December 30 1975. His parents have an array of various ethnicities between them, an exotic cocktail that Woods refers to as Cablinasian. His nickname was given to him by his father, as an homage to a Vietnamese soldier, who had become close friends with. Tiger did not spring miraculously forth to golfing stardom. He was a prodigy, from a young age, he showed astonishing talent for the game of golf, even appearing on the famous Mike Douglas Show, putting against the legendary comedian and golf enthusiast, Bob Hope. He continued to pave a path towards stardom during his teenage years, before becoming to only player to win the U.S Junior Amateur Championship three years in a row. His first participation at a golfing Major was in the 1995 Masters Tournament. He was the only amateur to make the cut that year. In 1996, he again finished as the leading amateur in a Major, this time in the British Open, where he took home a silver medal.

He turned professional in August 1996, signing deals with Nike and golf giant Titleist for a combined $60 million dollars. His first Major tournament victory was a memorable one, winning the 1997 Masters by an incredible 12 shots, a record margin for the event. Soon after, he rose to become the number one golf in the world rankings. He achieved this in just 42 weeks, another all-time record, this time for the fastest ever rise to top spot in golf. He continued winning tournaments and majors, and the year 2000 proved to be an annus mirabilis for Tiger. He succeeded in winning six tournaments in a row, three majors in a row, and finished the year having finished top three in 14 of 20 events he entered. In winning the 2001 Masters, he became the only player in modern history to hold all four major golf titles simultaneously, a feat that became known as 'The Tiger Slam'. The rest of the decade saw peaks and troughs, and was marked by the death of his beloved father, Earl, in 2006.
　
The end of 2009 saw an end to the squeaky clean image that Woods had carefully crafted for himself. His activities outside of golf, were alleged to has consisted of extra-marital affairs with as many as a dozen women claiming to have been his mistress. This caused Tiger to take a break from golf, and he has not appeared on the tee at all this season. He has recently made an emotional speech asking for forgiveness, and failed to give a definitive answer as to when he will return to golf. What is certain, is that with 14 majors and 71 PGA Tournaments to his name, he will return some day soon, to regain his position as the world's greatest golfer.