Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods, born December 30, 1975, in Cypress, California, is an American professional golfer widely regarded as one of the most significant and influential figures in the history of the sport. Throughout his career, he has achieved unprecedented levels of success, redefining golf’s popularity and commercial scope. Woods is tied with Sam Snead for the most PGA Tour victories in history, with 82 wins, and ranks second all-time with 15 major championship titles. The son of Earl Woods, an African American U.S. Army officer, and Kultida Woods, a native of Thailand, Tiger Woods was a child prodigy. Introduced to golf before the age of two, he quickly gained national attention for his exceptional talent. He enjoyed a historic amateur career, becoming the youngest winner of the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at age 15 in 1991, and subsequently winning three consecutive U.S. Amateur titles from 1994 to 1996. Woods attended Stanford University, where he won the NCAA individual golf championship in 1996, before leaving to pursue a professional career. Woods turned professional in August 1996 and made an immediate impact, earning PGA Tour Rookie of the Year honors that same season. His breakthrough came at the 1997 Masters Tournament, where he won his first major championship by a record-breaking 12 strokes at the age of 21. This victory made him the youngest Masters champion and the first person of African American or Asian descent to win a major. Over the next decade, Woods dominated the sport. In 2000, he achieved the career Grand Slam—winning all four professional major championships—becoming the youngest player to do so. His performance during this era, particularly his consecutive victories in the four majors between 2000 and 2001, is often cited as one of the greatest feats in golf history. Despite his unparalleled success, Woods’s career has faced significant interruptions due to personal challenges and a series of severe physical injuries. In 2009, his personal life became the subject of intense media scrutiny following a well-publicized infidelity scandal, which led to his divorce from Elin Nordegren in 2010 and a temporary hiatus from competitive golf. Over the following decade, he endured multiple back and leg surgeries, leading to prolonged absences from the tour. In February 2021, he suffered serious injuries in a single-car accident in California, which required extensive rehabilitation. Despite these setbacks, Woods made a notable return to competitive golf, including an emotional victory at the 2019 Masters, which marked his first major win in 11 years. In recent years, Woods has transitioned into a more administrative and strategic role within professional golf. In 2025, he was appointed chairman of the PGA Tour’s Future Competition Committee, focusing on the long-term evolution of the sport's competitive structure. Beyond his athletic achievements, Woods is a prominent entrepreneur and philanthropist. He serves as the Founder and CEO of TGR, a multi-brand enterprise that oversees diverse ventures including TGR Design, a golf course design firm, and The TGR Foundation, which focuses on educational initiatives. With a career spanning three decades, Woods’s legacy is defined not only by his statistical dominance—including 110 worldwide professional wins—but also by his role in elevating the profile of golf to a global audience. An inductee of the World Golf Hall of Fame and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, he remains a central figure in the sport, balancing a part-time playing schedule with his evolving responsibilities as a leader and advocate for the future of professional golf.