Tiger Woods#Marital infidelity and career break

File:Tiger and Earl Woods Fort Bragg 2004.jpg at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in 2004]]

Woods was born on December 30, 1975, in Cypress, California,{{cite web|url=http://www.notablebiographies.com/We-Z/Woods-Tiger.html |title=Tiger Woods Biography – childhood, children, parents, name, history, mother, young, son, old, information, born |publisher=Notablebiographies.com |access-date=December 16, 2017}} to Earl{{Cite web |date=May 5, 2006 |title=Tiger Woods' father, Earl, succumbs to cancer |url=http://www.espn.com/golf/news/story?id=2431912 |access-date=December 16, 2017 |website=ESPN|agency=Associated Press}} and Kultida "Tida" Woods.{{Cite web |last=Kelley |first=Brent |date=May 6, 2019 |title=Tiger Woods' Parents: Meet Mom and Dad |url=https://www.thoughtco.com/tiger-woods-parents-1566393 |access-date=December 16, 2017 |publisher=Thoughtco.com |archive-date=December 17, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171217014952/https://www.thoughtco.com/tiger-woods-parents-1566393 |url-status=dead }} He is their only child, though he has two half-brothers and a half-sister from his father's first marriage.His Father's Son: Earl and Tiger Woods, by Tom Callahan, 2010; The Wicked Game, by Howard Sounes, 2004 Earl was a retired U.S. Army officer and Vietnam War veteran. Earl was born to African-American parents and was also said to have had European and Native American descent.{{cite news |last=Younge |first=Gary |authorlink=Gary Younge |quote=Woods is indeed a rich mix of racial and ethnic heritage. His father, Earl, was of African-American, Chinese and Native American descent. His mother, Kultida, is of Thai, Chinese and Dutch descent |title=Tiger Woods: Black, white, other {{!}} racial politics |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2010/may/29/tiger-woods-racial-politics |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=May 12, 2019 |date=May 28, 2010}}[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1517444/Earl-Woods.html "Earl Woods" (obituary)]. The Daily Telegraph (June 5, 2006). Retrieved June 19, 2012. Kultida (née Punsawad) is originally from Thailand, where Earl met her when he was on a tour of duty there in 1968. She is of mixed Thai, Chinese, and Dutch ancestry.{{cite news|title=Earning His Stripes |magazine=AsianWeek |url=http://www.asianweek.com/101196/tigerwoods.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980116011139/http://www.asianweek.com/101196/tigerwoods.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 16, 1998 |date=October 11, 1996 |access-date=June 18, 2009}} In 2002, ESPN claimed: "For the record, he is one-quarter Thai, one-quarter Chinese, one-quarter African American, one-eighth Caucasian and one-eighth Native American."{{cite news |last=Garber |first=Greg |title=Will Tiger ever show the color of his stripes? |work=ESPN |date=May 22, 2002 |url=https://www.espn.com/gen/s/2002/0521/1385355.html |access-date=September 2, 2022}} Tiger has described his ethnic make-up as "Cablinasian{{-"}} (a syllabic abbreviation he coined from Caucasian, Black, American Indian, and Asian).{{Cite news |date=April 23, 1997 |title=Woods stars on Oprah, says he's 'Cablinasian' |url=http://www.lubbockonline.com/news/042397/woods.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071212010355/http://www.lubbockonline.com/news/042397/woods.htm |archive-date=December 12, 2007 |access-date=June 18, 2009 |work=Lubbock Avalanche-Journal |agency=Associated Press}}

Woods's first name, Eldrick, was chosen by his mother because it began with "E" (for Earl) and ended with "K" (for Kultida). His middle name Tont is a traditional Thai name. He was nicknamed Tiger in honor of his father's friend, South Vietnamese Colonel Vuong Dang Phong, who had also been known as Tiger.{{cite web |title=Tiger's dad gave us all some lessons to remember |work=Golf Digest |last=Callahan |first=Tom |url=https://www.espn.com/golf/news/story?id=2431953 |date=May 9, 2006 |access-date=January 24, 2012}} Woods has a niece, Cheyenne Woods, who played for the Wake Forest University golf team and turned professional in 2012 when she made her pro debut in the LPGA Championship.{{cite web |url=http://offthebench.nbcsports.com/2012/06/07/tiger-woods-niece-makes-her-major-pro-golf-tourney-debut-today/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120608222704/http://offthebench.nbcsports.com/2012/06/07/tiger-woods-niece-makes-her-major-pro-golf-tourney-debut-today/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 8, 2012 |title=Tiger Woods' niece makes her major pro golf tourney debut today |access-date=June 7, 2012 |date=June 7, 2012 |website=Off the Bench |publisher=NBC Sports |last=Chandler |first=Rick}}

Earl Woods died on May 3, 2006. Kultida Woods died on February 4, 2025. Woods paid tribute to his mother after her death, saying "without her none of my personal achievements would have been possible."{{cite news |last=Hauser |first=Christine |title=Kultida Woods, Mother of Tiger Woods, Is Dead |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/04/sports/kultida-woods-dead-tiger-woods-mom.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=February 4, 2025 |access-date=February 4, 2025}}

Woods grew up in Orange County, California. He was a child prodigy who was introduced to golf before the age of two by his athletic father Earl Woods. Earl was a single-digit handicap amateur golfer who also was one of the earliest African-American college baseball players at Kansas State University.Training a Tiger: Raising a Winner in Golf and in Life, by Earl Woods and Pete McDaniel, 1997. Woods told reporters he had wanted to be a baseball player like his father but abandoned that goal after tearing his rotator cuff.{{cite news |last1=Rogers |first1=Carroll |title=Smoltz, Woods change their games for day |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112530448/smoltz-woods-change-their-games-for-day/ |access-date=4 November 2022 |work=The Atlanta Constitution |date=11 March 1999 |page=E2}} His father was a member of the military and had playing privileges at the Navy golf course beside the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos, which allowed Tiger to play there. Tiger also played at the par 3 Heartwell golf course in Long Beach, as well as some of the municipals in Long Beach.{{cite magazine |url=http://www.golf.com/courses-and-travel/play-golf-where-tiger-became-tiger |title=Play Golf Where Tiger Became Tiger |magazine=Golf Magazine}}

In 1978, Woods putted against comedian Bob Hope in a television appearance on The Mike Douglas Show. At age three, he shot a 48 over nine holes at the Navy course. At age five, he appeared in Golf Digest and on ABC's That's Incredible!{{cite web|title = Tiger Woods Timeline|work=Infoplease|url=http://www.infoplease.com/spot/tigertime1.html|access-date =May 12, 2007}}{{unreliable source?|date=April 2019}} Before turning seven, Woods won the Under Age 10 section of the Drive, Pitch, and Putt competition, held at the Navy Golf Course in Cypress.Training A Tiger, by Earl Woods and Pete McDaniel, 1997, p. 64. In 1984 at the age of eight, he won the 9–10 boys' event, the youngest age group available, at the Junior World Golf Championships.{{cite web|title = 1984 Champions|publisher = Junior World Golf Championships|url = http://www.juniorworldgolf.com/pchamps.php?pg=1984|access-date = May 13, 2007|archive-date = December 17, 2010|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101217074510/http://juniorworldgolf.com/pchamps.php?pg=1984|url-status = dead}} He first broke 80 at age eight.The Wicked Game: Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and the Story of Modern Golf, by Howard Sounes, 2004, William Morrow, New York, {{ISBN|0-06-051386-1}}, p. 187; originally appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Nike's Tiger Woods professional career launch advertisement, August 1996. He went on to win the Junior World Championships six times, including four consecutive wins from 1988 to 1991.{{cite web|title = 1985 Champions|publisher = Junior World Golf Championships|url = http://www.juniorworldgolf.com/pchamps.php?pg=1985|access-date = May 13, 2007|archive-date = December 17, 2010|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101217074347/http://juniorworldgolf.com/pchamps.php?pg=1985|url-status = dead}}{{cite web|title = 1988 Champions|publisher = Junior World Golf Championships|url = http://www.juniorworldgolf.com/pchamps.php?pg=1988|access-date = May 13, 2007|archive-date = December 17, 2010|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101217074015/http://juniorworldgolf.com/pchamps.php?pg=1988|url-status = dead}}{{cite web|title = 1989 Champions|publisher = Junior World Golf Championships|url = http://www.juniorworldgolf.com/pchamps.php?pg=1989.|access-date = May 13, 2007|archive-date = September 21, 2007|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070921185528/http://www.juniorworldgolf.com/pchamps.php?pg=1989.|url-status = dead}}{{cite web|title = 1990 Champions|publisher = Junior World Golf Championships|url = http://www.juniorworldgolf.com/pchamps.php?pg=1990|access-date = May 13, 2007|archive-date = December 17, 2010|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101217075146/http://juniorworldgolf.com/pchamps.php?pg=1990|url-status = dead}}{{cite web|title = 1991 Champions|publisher = Junior World Golf Championships|url = http://www.juniorworldgolf.com/pchamps.php?pg=1991|access-date = May 13, 2007|archive-date = December 17, 2010|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101217075035/http://juniorworldgolf.com/pchamps.php?pg=1991|url-status = dead}} Woods's father Earl wrote that Tiger first defeated him at the age of 11 years, with Earl trying his best. He lost to Woods every time from then on.

• Training A Tiger: A Father's Guide to Raising a Winner in Both Golf and Life, by Earl Woods with Pete McDaniel, 1997, HarperCollins, New York, {{ISBN|0-06-270178-9}}, p. 23;
• The Wicked Game: Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and the Story of Modern Golf, by Howard Sounes. Woods first broke 70 on a regulation golf course at age 12.His Father's Son: Earl and Tiger Woods, by Tom Callahan, 2010

When Woods was 13 years old, he played in the 1989 Big I, which was his first major national junior tournament. In the final round, he was paired with pro John Daly, who was then relatively unknown. The event's format placed a professional with each group of juniors who had qualified. Daly birdied three of the last four holes to beat him by only one stroke.Training A Tiger: A Father's Guide to Raising a Winner in Both Golf and Life, by Earl Woods with Pete McDaniel, 1997, HarperCollins, New York, {{ISBN|0-06-270178-9}}, p. 180. As a young teenager, Woods first met Jack Nicklaus in Los Angeles at the Bel-Air Country Club, when Nicklaus was performing a clinic for the club's members. Woods was part of the show, and he impressed Nicklaus and the crowd with his skills and potential.Jack Nicklaus: Memories and Mementos from Golf's Golden Bear, by Jack Nicklaus with David Shedloski, 2007, Stewart, Tabori & Chang, New York, {{ISBN|1-58479-564-6}}, p. 130. Earl Woods had researched in detail the records and accomplishments of Nicklaus and had set his young son the goals of breaking those records.

Woods was 15 years old and a student at Western High School in Anaheim when he became the youngest U.S. Junior Amateur champion; this was a record that stood until it was broken by Jim Liu in 2010.{{cite web|title = 1991 U.S. Junior Amateur|publisher=U.S. Junior Amateur|url = http://www.usjunioram.org/2002/history/champions/1991.html|access-date =May 13, 2007}} He was named 1991's Southern California Amateur Player of the Year (for the second consecutive year) and Golf Digest Junior Amateur Player of the Year. In 1992, he defended his title at the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, becoming the tournament's first two-time winner. He also competed in his first PGA Tour event, the Nissan Los Angeles Open (he missed the 36-hole cut), and was named Golf Digest Amateur Player of the Year, Golf World Player of the Year, and Golfweek National Amateur of the Year.{{cite web|title = 1992 U.S. Junior Amateur|publisher=U.S. Junior Amateur|url = http://www.usjunioram.org/2002/history/champions/1992.html|access-date =May 12, 2007}}{{cite web|title = Tiger Woods|publisher=IMG Speakers|url = http://www.imgspeakers.com/speakers/tiger_woods.aspx|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070429145830/http://www.imgspeakers.com/speakers/tiger_woods.aspx|archive-date = April 29, 2007|access-date =June 18, 2009}}

The following year, Woods won his third consecutive U.S. Junior Amateur; he remains the event's only three-time winner.{{cite web|title = 1993 U.S. Junior Amateur|publisher=U.S. Junior Amateur|url = http://www.usjunioram.org/2002/history/champions/1993.html|access-date =May 12, 2007}} In 1994, at the TPC at Sawgrass in Florida, he became the youngest winner of the U.S. Amateur, a record he held until 2008 when it was broken by Danny Lee.Sounes, p. 277.{{Cite web |last=Ramasubramanian |first=Deepa |date=2023-08-20 |title=This unique Tiger Woods record is sure to make your jaw drop |url=https://www.sportskeeda.com/golf/this-unique-tiger-woods-record-sure-make-jaw-drop |access-date=2023-09-23 |website=www.sportskeeda.com}} He was a member of the American team at the 1994 Eisenhower Trophy World Amateur Golf Team Championships (winning), and the 1995 Walker Cup (losing).{{cite web|title = Notable Past Players|publisher=International Golf Federation|url = http://www.internationalgolffederation.org/History/notables.html|access-date =May 13, 2007}}{{cite news |title=Ailing Woods Unsure for Walker Cup |newspaper=International Herald Tribune |last=Thomsen |first=Ian |date=September 9, 1995 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/09/09/sports/09iht-golf.t_0.html |access-date=January 4, 2011}}

Woods graduated from Western High School at age 18 in 1994 and was voted "Most Likely to Succeed" among the graduating class. He starred for the high school's golf team under coach Don Crosby.The Wicked Game: Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and the Story of Modern Golf, by Howard Sounes, 2004, William Morrow, New York, {{ISBN|0-06-051386-1}}, information listed on inset photos between pages 168 and 169. Woods learned to manage his stuttering as a boy.

• {{cite web |title=Famous People – Speech Differences and Stutter |url=http://www.disabled-world.com/artman/publish/speech-famous.shtml |publisher=Disabled World |access-date=May 24, 2015}}
• {{cite news |title=Tiger Woods writes letter of support to fellow stutterer |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/may/12/tiger-woods-writes-letter-of-support-to-fellow-stutterer |access-date=May 24, 2015 |date=May 12, 2015 |newspaper=The Guardian}}
• {{cite magazine |last=Sirak |first=Ron |title=Former stutterer Tiger Woods writes letter to young boy being bullied |url=http://www.golfdigest.com/blogs/the-loop/2015/05/former-stutterer-tiger-woods-w.html |magazine=Golf Digest |date=May 12, 2015 |access-date=May 24, 2015}} This was not widely known until he wrote a letter to a boy who contemplated suicide. Woods wrote, "I know what it's like to be different and to sometimes not fit in. I also stuttered as a child and I would talk to my dog and he would sit there and listen until he fell asleep. I also took a class for two years to help me, and I finally learned to stop."{{cite news |title=Tiger Woods Writes Letter to Boy With Stuttering Problem |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/tiger-woods-writes-letter-boy-stuttering-problem-30995741 |date=May 12, 2015 |access-date=May 24, 2015 |work=ABC News}}

Woods was heavily recruited by college golf powers and chose Stanford University, the reigning NCAA champions.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=K8IjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BtEFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6433%2C1423009 |work=Moscow-Pullman Daily News |location=(Idaho-Washington) |title=Woods balances putter with textbooks |agency=Associated Press |date=September 14, 1994 |page=4B}} He enrolled at Stanford in the fall of 1994 under a golf scholarship and won his first collegiate event, the 40th Annual William H. Tucker Invitational, that September.{{cite web |title=Stanford Men's Golf Team Tiger Woods |publisher=Stanford Men's Golf Team |date=April 8, 2003 |url=http://www.stanfordmensgolf.com/stanford_greats/tigerwoods.htm |access-date=July 19, 2009}} He selected a major in economics and was nicknamed "Urkel" by college teammate Notah Begay III.{{cite book |last=Rosaforte |first=Tim |title=Tiger Woods: The Makings of a Champion |publisher=St. Martin's Press |year=1997 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780312964375/page/84 84, 101] |isbn=0-312-96437-4 |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780312964375/page/84 }} In 1995, he successfully defended his U.S. Amateur title at the Newport Country Club in Rhode Island and was voted Pac-10 Player of the Year, NCAA First Team All-American, and Stanford's Male Freshman of the Year (an award that encompasses all sports).{{cite web|title = PAC-10 Men's Golf|publisher = PAC-10 Conference|url = http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/pac10/sports/c-golf/auto_pdf/m-golf-records.pdf|access-date = May 13, 2007|archive-date = January 11, 2012|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120111011734/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/pac10/sports/c-golf/auto_pdf/m-golf-records.pdf|url-status = dead}}{{cite web| title = Tiger Woods through the Ages...|publisher=Geocities|url = http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/2396/tigerwatch.html| access-date =May 12, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090730221824/http://geocities.com/Colosseum/2396/tigerwatch.html|archive-date=July 30, 2009}}

At age 19, Woods participated in his first PGA Tour major, the 1995 Masters, and tied for 41st as the only amateur to make the cut. At age 20 in 1996, he became the first golfer to win three consecutive U.S. Amateur titlesSounes, p. 277 and won the NCAA individual golf championship.{{cite web|title=Tiger Woods Captures 1996 NCAA Individual Title |publisher=Stanford University |url=http://gostanford.cstv.com/sports/m-golf/archive/stan-m-golf-96woodsncaa.html |access-date=May 13, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061029151406/http://gostanford.cstv.com/sports/m-golf/archive/stan-m-golf-96woodsncaa.html |archive-date=October 29, 2006}} In winning the silver medal as leading amateur at The Open Championship, he tied the record for an amateur aggregate score of 281.Rosaforte 1997, p. 160. He left college after two years in order to turn professional in the golf industry. In 1996, Woods moved out of California, stating in 2013 that it was due to the state's high tax rate.{{cite news |title=Tiger Woods Moved Too, Says Mickelson Was Right About Taxes |first=Robert W. |last=Wood |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertwood/2013/01/23/tiger-woods-moved-too-says-mickelson-was-right-about-taxes/ |newspaper=Forbes |date=January 23, 2013 |access-date=January 26, 2013|ref=none}}

{{main|Professional golf career of Tiger Woods}}

File:TigerWoods1997.jpg

Woods turned professional at age 20 in August 1996 and immediately signed advertising deals with Nike, Inc. and Titleist that ranked as the most lucrative endorsement contracts in golf history at that time.{{cite web |title=10 Years of Tiger Woods Part 1 |work=Golf Digest |first=Ron |last=Sirak |url=http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/features/tigerwoods/index |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060901221542/http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/features/tigerwoods/index |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 1, 2006 |access-date=May 21, 2007}}{{cite web|title=Golf's first Billion-Dollar Man |work=Golf Digest |first=Ron |last=Sirak |url=http://www.golfdigest.com/features/index.ssf?/features/gd200602top50.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070513225510/http://www.golfdigest.com/features/index.ssf?%2Ffeatures%2Fgd200602top50.html |archive-date=May 13, 2007 |access-date=May 12, 2007 |url-status=dead}} Woods was named Sports Illustrated{{'}}s 1996 Sportsman of the Year and PGA Tour Rookie of the Year.{{cite magazine |title=1996: Tiger Woods |magazine=Sports Illustrated |first=Rick |last=Reilly |date=December 23, 1996 |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/features/2000/sportsman/1996/ |access-date=May 13, 2007 |archive-date=April 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140422162937/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/features/2000/sportsman/1996/ |url-status=dead }} On April 13, 1997, he won his first major, the Masters, in record-breaking fashion and became the tournament's youngest winner at age 21.{{cite web |title=10 Years of Tiger Woods Part 2 |work=Golf Digest |first=Ron |last=Sirak |url=http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/features/tigerwoods/index?part=2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210185254/http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/features/tigerwoods/index?part=2 |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 10, 2008 |access-date=May 21, 2007}} Two months later, he set the record for the fastest ascent to No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking.{{cite news|title = Woods scoops world rankings award|work=BBC Sport |date =March 15, 2006|url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/golf/4811212.stm |access-date =May 12, 2007 |location=London}} After a lackluster 1998, Woods finished the 1999 season with eight wins, including the PGA Championship, a feat not achieved since Johnny Miller did it in 1974.{{cite web|title=The Truth about Tiger |work=Golf Digest |first=Jaime |last=Diaz |url=http://www.golfdigest.com/features/index.ssf?/features/gd200501tigerdiaz1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070415073152/http://www.golfdigest.com/features/index.ssf?%2Ffeatures%2Fgd200501tigerdiaz1.html |archive-date=April 15, 2007 |access-date=May 12, 2007 |url-status=dead}}{{cite news |title=Woods is PGA Tour player of year |newspaper=The Topeka Capital-Journal |agency=Associated Press |url=http://www.cjonline.com/stories/120199/spo_tiger01.shtml |access-date=May 10, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100403065030/http://cjonline.com/stories/120199/spo_tiger01.shtml |archive-date=April 3, 2010}}

Woods was severely myopic; his eyesight had a rating of 11 diopters. In order to correct this problem, he underwent successful laser eye surgery in 1999,{{cite news |url=http://www.golftoday.co.uk/news/yeartodate/news_07/tiger_woods_30.html |title=Tiger Woods undergoes second laser eye surgery |work=Golf Today |date=May 15, 2007 |access-date=June 19, 2012 |archive-date=May 16, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120516181515/http://golftoday.co.uk/news/yeartodate/news_07/tiger_woods_30.html |url-status=dead }} and he immediately resumed winning tour events. In 2007, his vision again began to deteriorate, and he underwent laser eye surgery a second time.{{cite magazine |url=http://www.golf.com/ap-news/woods-has-second-laser-eye-surgery |title=Woods has second laser eye surgery |magazine=Golf Magazine |date=May 15, 2007 |access-date=June 19, 2012}} In 2000, Woods won six consecutive events on the PGA Tour, which was the longest winning streak since Ben Hogan did it in 1948. One of these was the U.S. Open, where he broke or tied nine tournament records in what Sports Illustrated called "the greatest performance in golf history", in which Woods won the tournament by a record 15-stroke margin and earned a check for $800,000.{{cite magazine |title=Open and Shut |first=John |last=Garrity |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/golf/specials/tiger/2005/06/09/tiger.2000usopen/index.html |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=June 26, 2000 |access-date=August 15, 2007 |archive-date=June 22, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622051915/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/golf/specials/tiger/2005/06/09/tiger.2000usopen/index.html |url-status=dead }} At age 24, he became the youngest golfer to achieve the Career Grand Slam.{{cite web |title=10 Years of Tiger Woods Part 3 |work=Golf Digest |first=Ron |last=Sirak |url=http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/features/tigerwoods/index?part=3 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210212400/http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/features/tigerwoods/index?part=3 |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 10, 2008 |access-date=May 21, 2007}} At the end of 2000, Woods had won nine of the twenty PGA Tour events he entered and had broken the record for lowest scoring average in tour history. He was named the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year, the only athlete to be honored twice, and was ranked by Golf Digest magazine as the twelfth-best golfer of all time.*{{cite magazine |title=Tunnel Vision |magazine=Sports Illustrated |first=S.L. |last=Price |date=April 3, 2000 |ref=none |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/features/2000/sportsman/flashbacks/woods/tunnel_vision/ |access-date=May 13, 2007 |archive-date=June 22, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622051929/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/features/2000/sportsman/flashbacks/woods/tunnel_vision/ |url-status=dead }}

• {{cite news |ref=none |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0HFI/is_7_51/ai_63015233 |title=50 Greatest Golfers of All Time: And What They Taught Us |access-date=December 5, 2007 |last=Yocom |first=Guy |date=July 2000 |work=Golf Digest |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071217174706/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0HFI/is_7_51/ai_63015233 |archive-date=December 17, 2007 }}

File:TigerWoods2004RyderCup1.jpg]]

When Woods won the 2001 Masters, he became the only player to win four consecutive major professional golf titles, although not in the same calendar year. This achievement came to be known as the "Tiger Slam".{{cite news|title=The remarkable drive of Tiger Woods|work=CNN|url=http://edition.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/people/shows/tiger/profile.html|access-date=March 27, 2012}} Following a stellar 2001 and 2002 in which he continued to dominate the tour, Woods's career hit a slump.{{cite web|title=Woods is starting to own his swing |publisher=PGA Tour |first=Dave |last=Shedloski |date=July 27, 2006 |url=http://www.pgatour.com/story/9574086/ |access-date=May 12, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070922060222/http://www.pgatour.com/story/9574086/ |archive-date=September 22, 2007}} He did not win a major in 2003 or 2004. In September 2004, Vijay Singh overtook Woods in the Official World Golf Rankings, ending Woods's record streak of 264 weeks at No. 1.{{cite web|title=Hard labor pays off for Singh |magazine=Sports Illustrated |agency=Reuters |date=September 7, 2004 |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/golf/09/07/bc.sport.golf.singh/ |access-date=May 10, 2009 |archive-date=November 13, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111113014058/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/golf/09/07/bc.sport.golf.singh/ |url-status=dead}}

Woods rebounded in 2005, winning six PGA Tour events and reclaiming the top spot in July after swapping it back and forth with Singh over the first half of the year.{{cite magazine |title=A Rivalry is Reborn |magazine=Golf World |first=Bob |last=Verdi |url=http://www.golfdigest.com/newsandtour/index.ssf?/newsandtour/gw20050311doral.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070514223355/http://www.golfdigest.com/newsandtour/index.ssf?%2Fnewsandtour%2Fgw20050311doral.html |archive-date=May 14, 2007 |access-date=May 21, 2007 |url-status=dead}}

Woods began dominantly in 2006, winning his first two PGA tournaments but failing to capture his fifth Masters championship in April.

• {{cite magazine|last=Morfit |first=Cameron |title=Tiger Woods's Rivals Will Be Back. Eventually. |magazine=Golf Magazine |date=March 6, 2006 |url=http://www.golf.com/golf/tours_news/article/0,28136,1578436,00.html |access-date=May 11, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110919012621/http://www.golf.com/golf/tours_news/article/0%2C28136%2C1578436%2C00.html |archive-date=September 19, 2011|ref=none}}
• {{cite news|last=Hack|first=Damon|title=Golf: Notebook; Trouble on Greens Keeps Woods From His Fifth Green Jacket|work=The New York Times|date=April 10, 2006|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D01E4DA1E30F933A25757C0A9609C8B63|access-date=May 11, 2009|ref=none}} Following the death of his father in May, Woods took some time off from the tour and appeared rusty upon his return at the U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club, where he missed the cut.{{cite news|last=Litsky|first=Frank|title=Earl Woods, 74, Father of Tiger Woods, Dies|work=The New York Times|date=May 4, 2006|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/04/sports/golf/04woods.html|access-date=May 12, 2009}} However, he quickly returned to form and ended the year by winning six consecutive tour events. At the season's close, Woods had 54 total wins that included 12 majors; he broke the tour records for both total wins and total majors wins over eleven seasons.{{cite news|title = Man of the Year|publisher = PGA|agency = Associated Press|url = http://www1.pga.com/news/tours/pga-tour/woods122506.cfm|access-date = June 18, 2009|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110824103702/http://www.pga.com/news/tours/pga-tour/woods122506.cfm|archive-date = August 24, 2011|url-status = dead}}

File:Tiger Woods Masters 2006.jpg]]

Woods continued to excel in 2007 and the first part of 2008. In April 2008, he underwent knee surgery and missed the next two months on the tour.{{cite news|title=Tiger Woods undergoes knee surgery |agency=Agence France-Presse |date=April 15, 2008 |url=http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hPuabYvDiDWueCDOns9r7AE_yo5g |access-date=December 10, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081212224712/http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hPuabYvDiDWueCDOns9r7AE_yo5g |archive-date=December 12, 2008}} Woods returned for the 2008 U.S. Open, where he struggled the first day but ultimately claimed a dramatic sudden death victory over Rocco Mediate that followed an 18-hole playoff, after which Mediate said, "This guy does things that are just not normal by any stretch of the imagination," and Kenny Perry added, "He beat everybody on one leg."*{{cite news|title = Tiger puts away Mediate on 91st hole to win U.S. Open|agency = Associated Press|publisher = ESPN|date = June 16, 2008|url = https://www.espn.com/golf/usopen08/news/story?id=3446435|access-date = December 30, 2008|ref = none}}

• {{cite news|last=Savage|first=Brendan|ref=none|title=Rocco Mediate still riding U.S. Open high into Buick Open|work=The Flint Journal|date=June 25, 2008|url=http://www.mlive.com/sports/flint/index.ssf/2008/06/rocco_mediate_still_riding_us.html|access-date=June 19, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120505134823/http://www.mlive.com/sports/flint/index.ssf/2008/06/rocco_mediate_still_riding_us.html|archive-date=May 5, 2012}}
• {{cite news |ref=none |url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2008018380_apglfbuickopen.html |url-status=dead |title=Mediate makes the most of his brush with Tiger |first=Larry |last=Lage |newspaper=The Seattle Times |agency=Associated Press |date=June 26, 2008 |access-date=June 19, 2009 |archive-date=June 4, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604073330/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2008018380_apglfbuickopen.html }} Two days later, Woods announced that he would miss the remainder of the season due to additional knee surgery, and that his knee was more severely damaged than previously revealed, prompting even greater praise for his U.S. Open performance. Woods called it "my greatest ever championship."
• {{cite web|title=Tiger Woods to Undergo Reconstructive Knee Surgery and Miss Remainder of 2008 Season |publisher=TigerWoods.com |date=June 18, 2008 |access-date=June 18, 2008 |url=http://www.tigerwoods.com/defaultflash.sps |first=Mark |last=Steinberg |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080617152335/http://www.tigerwoods.com/defaultflash.sps |archive-date=June 17, 2008 |ref=none}}
• {{cite news |last=Dorman |first=Larry |title=Woods to Have Knee Surgery, Ending His Season |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/19/sports/golf/19golf.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=June 19, 2008 |access-date=October 13, 2009|ref=none}}
• {{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2008/jun/17/usopengolf.tigerwoods |title=Woods savours 'greatest triumph' after epic duel with brave Mediate |ref=none|first=Lawrence |last=Donegan |work=The Guardian |location=UK |date=June 17, 2008 |access-date=June 30, 2008}} In Woods's absence, television ratings for the remainder of the season suffered a huge decline from 2007.{{cite web |title = Tiger's Return Expected To Make PGA Ratings Roar |date = February 25, 2009 |access-date = March 30, 2009 |url = http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/tag/accenture-match-play-championship/ |publisher = The Nielsen Company 2009 |ref = none |archive-date = July 21, 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110721063745/http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/tag/accenture-match-play-championship/ |url-status = dead }}

File:Tiger Woods - AT&T National tournament 2009.jpg

Woods had a much anticipated return to golf in 2009, when he performed well. His comeback included a spectacular performance at the 2009 Presidents Cup, but he failed to win a major, the first year since 2004 that he did not do so.

• {{cite news |last=Dahlberg |first=Tim |title = Anything can happen: It did in Tiger's return |url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/01/SP691669HN.DTL |date = March 1, 2009 |work=San Francisco Chronicle |access-date =July 1, 2009|ref=none}}
• {{cite news|last=Ferguson |first=Doug |title=Americans win the Presidents Cup |date=October 12, 2009 |url=http://www.times-news.com/localgolf/local_story_285000117.html/resources_printstory |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120604213407/http://www.times-news.com/localgolf/local_story_285000117.html/resources_printstory |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 4, 2012 |newspaper=Cumberland Times-News |access-date=December 17, 2009 |ref=none}}
• {{cite news|last=Barber |first=Phil |title=Americans win the Presidents Cup |work=The Press Democrat |date=October 11, 2009 |url=http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20091011/SPORTS/910119981/1010/SPORTS?Title=Americans-win-the-Presidents-Cup |access-date=October 27, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003002716/http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20091011/SPORTS/910119981/1010/SPORTS?Title=Americans-win-the-Presidents-Cup |archive-date=October 3, 2011|ref=none}} After his marital infidelities came to light and received massive media coverage at the end of 2009 (see further details below), Woods announced in December that he would be taking an indefinite break from competitive golf. In February 2010, he delivered a televised apology for his behavior, saying "I was wrong and I was foolish." During this period, several companies ended their endorsement deals with Woods.

Woods returned to competition in April at the 2010 Masters, where he finished tied for fourth place.{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/golf/masters10/news/story?id=5075606|title=Mickelson wins Masters; Tiger 5 back|date=April 11, 2010|work=ESPN |access-date=April 12, 2010}} He followed the Masters with poor showings at the Quail Hollow Championship and the Players Championship, where he withdrew in the fourth round, citing injury.{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/golf/news/story?id=5152134|title=Woods misses sixth PGA Tour cut|date=May 1, 2010|work=ESPN |first=Bob|last=Harig|access-date=May 1, 2010}} Shortly afterward, Hank Haney, Woods's coach since 2003, resigned the position. In August, Woods hired Sean Foley as Haney's replacement. The rest of the season went badly for Woods, who failed to win a single event for the first time since turning professional, while nevertheless finishing the season ranked No. 2 in the world.

File:TigerWoodsOct2011.jpg charity event (2011)]]

In 2011, Woods's performance continued to suffer; this took its toll on his ranking. After falling to No. 7 in March, he rebounded to No. 5 with a strong showing at the 2011 Masters, where he tied for fourth place.

• pgatour.com, Official World Golf Ranking for March 27, 2011
• pgatour.com, Official World Golf Ranking for April 11, 2011
• pgatour.com, 2011 Masters tournament data Due to leg injuries incurred at the Masters, he missed several summer stops on the PGA Tour. In July, he fired his longtime caddie Steve Williams (who was shocked by the dismissal), and replaced him on an interim basis with friend Bryon Bell until he hired Joe LaCava.
• http://www.tigerwoods.com, June 7, 2011{{failed verification|date=March 2021}}
• Howard Sounes: The Wicked Game{{full citation needed|date=March 2021}} After returning to tournament play in August, Woods continued to falter, and his ranking gradually fell to a low of #58.{{Cite news |last=Schlabach |first=Mark |date=November 13, 2011 |title=Tiger Woods moves to 50th in rankings |url=https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/7231583/tiger-woods-moves-50th-official-world-golf-rankings |access-date=November 14, 2011 |work=ESPN}} He rose to No. 50 in mid-November after a third-place finish at the Emirates Australian Open, and broke his winless streak with a victory at December's Chevron World Challenge.{{Cite web |title=Tiger Woods' impressive history at Bay Hill |url=https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/equipment-report/2021/03/03/golf-clubs-equipment-tiger-woods-impressive-history-at-bay-hill |publisher=PGA Tour |date=March 3, 2021 |access-date=2023-09-23}}{{Cite news |last=Crouse |first=Karen |title=After Two-Year Drought, Woods Wins With Flourish |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/05/sports/golf/tiger-woods-wins-chevron-world-challenge-by-1-stroke.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=December 4, 2011}}

Woods began his 2012 season with two tournaments (the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship and the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am) where he started off well but struggled on the final rounds. Following the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, where he was knocked out in the second round by missing a 5-foot putt,{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/7608618/nick-watney-ousts-tiger-woods-match-play-championship-second-round |title=Nick Watney eliminates Tiger Woods |first=Farrell |last=Evans |date=February 24, 2012 |work=ESPN |access-date=February 24, 2012}} Woods revised his putting technique and tied for second at The Honda Classic, with the lowest final-round score in his PGA Tour career. After a short time off due to another leg injury, Woods won the Arnold Palmer Invitational, his first win on the PGA Tour since the BMW Championship in September 2009. Following several dismal performances, Woods notched his 73rd PGA Tour win at the Memorial Tournament in June, tying Jack Nicklaus in second place for most PGA Tour victories;{{cite news |url=http://www.weeklytimesofindia.com/sports-news/tiger-wins-memorial-to-match-nicklaus-on-73-wins/ |title=Tiger wins Memorial to match Nicklaus on 73 wins |newspaper=The Times of India |date=June 4, 2012 |access-date=June 7, 2012 |archive-date=August 11, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160811082157/http://www.weeklytimesofindia.com/sports-news/tiger-wins-memorial-to-match-nicklaus-on-73-wins/ |url-status=dead }} a month later, Woods surpassed Nicklaus with a win at the AT&T National, to trail only Sam Snead, who accumulated 82 PGA tour wins.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/golf/18668946 |title=Tiger Woods wins AT&T to pass Jack Nicklaus record |work=BBC Sport |date=July 2, 2012 |access-date=July 6, 2012}}

The year 2013 brought a return of Woods's dominating play. In January, he won the Farmers Insurance Open by four shots for his 75th PGA Tour win. It was the seventh time he won the event.{{cite news |url=https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/8890930/tiger-takes-torrey-record-7th-time-farmers-insurance-open-golf |title=Tiger takes Torrey for 75th tour win |date=January 29, 2013 |first=Farrell |last=Evans |work=ESPN |access-date=March 20, 2013}} In March, he won the WGC-Cadillac Championship, also for the seventh time, giving him his 17th WGC title and first since 2009.{{cite news |url=https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/9037944/tiger-woods-wins-wgc-cadillac-championship-76th-pga-tour-victory |title=Tiger Woods prevails at Doral |work=ESPN |agency=Associated Press |date=March 10, 2013 |access-date=March 20, 2013}} Two weeks later, he won the Arnold Palmer Invitational, winning the event for a record-tying 8th time. The win moved him back to the top of the world rankings.{{cite news |url=https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/9096561/tiger-woods-back-world-no-1-golf-wins-arnold-palmer-invitational |title=Tiger returns to No. 1, wins Bay Hill |work=ESPN |agency=Associated Press |date=March 25, 2013 |access-date=March 25, 2013}} To commemorate that achievement, Nike was quick to launch an ad with the tagline "winning takes care of everything".{{cite news|newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/early-lead/wp/2013/03/27/tiger-woods-nike-ad-causes-a-stir-with-winning-takes-care-of-everything-message/ |title=Tiger Woods Nike ad causes a stir with 'winning takes care of everything' message |first=Cindy |last=Boren |date=March 27, 2013 }}

During the 2013 Masters, Woods faced disqualification after unwittingly admitting in a post-round interview with ESPN that he took an illegal drop on the par-5 15th hole when his third shot bounced off the pin and into the water. After further review of television footage, Woods was assessed a two-stroke penalty for the drop but was not disqualified.{{cite web |title=Is Tiger Woods facing disqualification at Masters? |url=http://www.cbssports.com/golf/blog/eye-on-golf/22059739/is-tiger-woods-facing-disqualification-at-masters |work=CBS Sports |access-date=April 13, 2013}} He finished tied for fourth in the event. Woods won The Players Championship in May 2013, his second career win at the event, notching his fourth win of the 2013 season. It was the quickest he got to four wins in any season of his professional career.

File:Tiger Woods 2014.jpg]]

Woods had a poor showing at the 2013 U.S. Open as a result of an elbow injury that he sustained at The Players Championship. In finishing at 13-over-par, he recorded his worst score as a professional and finished 12 strokes behind winner Justin Rose. After a prolonged break because of the injury, during which he missed the Greenbrier Classic and his own AT&T National, he returned at the Open Championship at Muirfield. Despite being in contention all week and beginning the final round only two strokes behind Lee Westwood, he struggled with the speed of the greens and could only manage a 3-over-par 74 that left him tied for 6th place, five strokes behind eventual winner Phil Mickelson. Two weeks later, Woods returned to form at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, recording his 5th win of the season and 8th win at the event in its 15-year history. His second-round 61 matched his record score on the PGA Tour and could easily have been a 59 were it not for some short missed birdie putts on the closing holes. This gave him a seven-stroke lead that he held onto for the rest of the tournament. But at the PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club, Woods never was in contention, making 2013 his fifth full season where he did not win a major; he was in contention in only two of the four majors in 2013.

After a slow start to 2014, Woods sustained an injury during the final round of The Honda Classic and was unable to finish the tournament. He withdrew after the 13th hole, citing back pain.{{cite magazine |title=Tiger Woods walks off at Honda Classic |magazine=bunkered |date=March 3, 2014 |url=http://www.bunkered.co.uk/golf-news/tiger-woods-walks-off-at-honda-classic |access-date=April 1, 2014}} He subsequently competed in the WGC-Cadillac Championship but was visibly in pain during much of the last round. He was forced to skip the Arnold Palmer Invitational at the end of March 2014,{{cite magazine |title=Tiger Woods a doubt for the Masters |magazine=bunkered |date=March 19, 2014 |url=http://www.bunkered.co.uk/golf-news/tiger-woods-a-doubt-for-the-masters |access-date=April 1, 2014}} and after undergoing back surgery, he announced on April 1 that he would miss the Masters for the first time since 1994.{{cite magazine |title=Tiger Woods out of the Masters |magazine=bunkered |date=April 1, 2014 |url=http://www.bunkered.co.uk/golf-news/tiger-woods-out-of-the-masters |access-date=April 1, 2014}} Woods returned at the Quicken Loans National in June, however he said that his expectations for the week were low. He struggled with nearly every aspect of his game and missed the cut. He next played at The Open Championship, contested at Hoylake, where Woods had won eight years prior. Woods fired a brilliant 69 in the first round to put himself in contention, but shot 77 on Friday and eventually finished 69th. Despite his back pain, he played at the 2014 PGA Championship where he failed to make the cut. On August 25, 2014, Woods and his swing coach Sean Foley parted ways. In the four years under Foley, he won eight times but no majors. He had previously won eight majors with Harmon and six with Haney. Woods said there was currently no timetable to find a replacement swing coach.{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/golf/2014/08/25/tiger-woods-sean-foley-coach-split/14561331/ |title=Tiger Woods splits with swing coach Sean Foley |newspaper=USA Today |date=August 25, 2014}}

On February 5, 2015, Woods withdrew from the Farmers Insurance Open after another back injury.{{cite news |url=http://www.golf.com/tour-and-news/tiger-woods-withdraws-farmers-insurance-open |title=Tiger Withdraws From the Farmers Insurance Open With Bad Back |work=Golf Magazine |first=Gary |last=Van Sickle |date=February 5, 2015}} Woods stated on his website that it was unrelated to his previous surgery and he would take a break from golf until his back healed.{{cite web |url=http://www.tigerwoods.com/news/2015/02/11/108976880/his-back-feeling-better-tiger-plans-to-work-on-his-game-and-play-again-soon/ |title=His back feeling better, Tiger plans to work on his game and play again soon |date=February 11, 2015 |publisher=tigerwoods.com}} He returned for the Masters, finishing in a tie for 17th. In the final round, Woods injured his wrist after his club hit a tree root. He later stated that a bone popped out of his wrist, but he adjusted it back into place and finished the round.{{cite news |url=http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/04/tiger-woods-masters-root-injury |title=Tiger Woods hurts his wrist after hitting a root at the Masters |first=Nick |last=Schwartz |date=April 12, 2015 |newspaper=USA Today}} Woods then missed the cut at the 2015 U.S. Open and Open Championship, the first time Woods missed the cut at consecutive majors, finishing near the bottom of the leaderboard both times.*{{cite news |url=http://www.cbssports.com/golf/eye-on-golf/25219845/tiger-woods-rebounds-with-76-at-us-open-misses-cut-badly |title=Tiger Woods improves with 76, but misses cut badly at 2015 US Open |first=Kyle |last=Porter |date=June 19, 2015 |work=CBS Sports |url-status=dead |ref=none |access-date=July 18, 2015 |archive-date=July 21, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150721234721/http://www.cbssports.com/golf/eye-on-golf/25219845/tiger-woods-rebounds-with-76-at-us-open-misses-cut-badly }}

• {{cite news |url=http://www.cbssports.com/golf/eye-on-golf/25244426/2015-british-open-tiger-woods-misses-consecutive-major-cuts-for-first-time |title=2015 British Open: Tiger Woods cut at consecutive majors for first time |first=Kyle |last=Porter |date=July 18, 2015 |work=CBS Sports |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150721234853/http://www.cbssports.com/golf/eye-on-golf/25244426/2015-british-open-tiger-woods-misses-consecutive-major-cuts-for-first-time |archive-date=July 21, 2015 |ref=none }} He finished tied for 18th at the Quicken Loans National on August 2.{{cite news |url=https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/13364714/tiger-woods-confident-results-quicken-loans-national |title=Tiger confident after results at Quicken Loans National |access-date=August 13, 2015 |date=August 2, 2015 |publisher=ESPN |last=Harig |first=Bob}} In late August 2015, Woods played quite well at the Wyndham Championship finishing the tournament at 13-under, only four strokes behind the winner, and tied for 10th place.{{cite news |last=Velin |first=Bob |date=August 24, 2015 |title=Tiger Woods falls short, ends season at Wyndham |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/golf/2015/08/23/tiger-woods-falls-short-ends-season-wyndham/32238819/ |newspaper=USA Today |location=Tyson's Corners, Virginia |access-date=April 6, 2015}} Woods offered only a brief comment on the speculation that he was still recovering from back surgery, saying it was "just my hip" but offering no specifics.{{cite news |url=http://www.cbssports.com/golf/eye-on-golf/25278663/tiger-woods-sputters-in-final-round-shoots-70-at-wyndham-championship |title=Tiger Woods sputters in final round, shoots 70 at Wyndham Championship |last=Kalland |first=Bobby |date=August 23, 2015 |work=CBS Sports |access-date=April 6, 2016 |archive-date=April 19, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160419070904/http://www.cbssports.com/golf/eye-on-golf/25278663/tiger-woods-sputters-in-final-round-shoots-70-at-wyndham-championship |url-status=dead }}

File:Tiger Woods 2018 US Open 26.jpg at the 2018 U.S. Open]]

Woods had back surgery on September 16, 2015. In late March 2016, he announced that he would miss the Masters while he recovered from the surgery;{{cite web |url=http://www.tigerwoods.com/news/2015/09/18/150314592/tiger-undergoes-successful-back-surgery-is-hopeful-to-return-in-early-2016/ |title=Tiger Undergoes Successful Back Surgery, Is Hopeful To Return in Early 2016 |date=September 18, 2015 |publisher=TigerWoods.com |access-date=April 6, 2015}} he had also missed the 2014 Masters due to a back problem.{{cite web |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2016/04/02/golf/tiger-woods-masters-withdraws-injury/ |title=Tiger Woods: Golfer to miss the Masters |last=Grez |first=Matias |date=April 2, 2016 |website=CNN International |access-date=April 6, 2016}} "I'm absolutely making progress, and I'm really happy with how far I've come," he explained in a statement. "But I still have no timetable to return to competitive golf."{{cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/tiger-woods-chooses-health-masters/story?id=38104954 |title=Tiger Woods chooses health over Masters |last=Harig |first=Bob |date=April 2, 2016 |work=ABC News |access-date=April 5, 2016 }} However, he did attend the Masters Champions Dinner on April 5, 2016.{{cite news |first=Christine |last=Brennan |date=April 5, 2016 |title=Brennan: Tiger Woods isn't playing in Masters but still very much present |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/brennan/2016/04/05/tiger-woods-adam-scott-jason-day-masters/82670306/ |newspaper=USA Today |access-date=April 5, 2016}} For the first time in his career, he missed all four majors in one year due to problems with his back. In October 2016, he told Charlie Rose on PBS that he still wanted to break Jack Nicklaus's record of 18 major titles.{{cite news |url=http://www.golfchannel.com/news/golf-central-blog/woods-still-believes-hell-break-nicklaus-record/ |title=Tiger Wood's bold vision to break Jack Nicklaus's record of 18 major titles |date=October 20, 2016 |work=Golf Channel |access-date=October 24, 2016 |archive-date=October 24, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161024175414/http://www.golfchannel.com/news/golf-central-blog/woods-still-believes-hell-break-nicklaus-record |url-status=dead }} Woods underwent back surgery in December 2016 and spent the next 15 months off the Tour. He made his return to competitive golf in the Hero World Challenge.{{cite news |url=http://www.independent.ie/sport/golf/tiger-woods-looks-to-the-positives-after-fading-following-flying-start-35262225.html |title=Tiger Woods looks to the positives after fading following flying start |date=December 2, 2016 |work=Irish Independent |agency=Press Association |access-date=December 6, 2016}}

Woods's back problems continued to hinder him in 2017. He missed the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open in January and pulled out of a European Tour event in Dubai on February 3. On March 31, Woods announced on his website that he would not be playing in the 2017 Masters Tournament despite being cleared to play by his doctors. Woods said that although he was happy with his rehabilitation, he did not feel "tournament ready."{{cite news |last=Harig |first=Bob |url=http://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/19048513/tiger-woods-play-2017-masters |title=Tiger Woods to miss Masters for third time in four years |work=ESPN |date=April 1, 2017 |access-date=April 14, 2017}}{{cite web |url=http://www.tigerwoods.com/news/2017/03/31/221697808/tiger-not-tournament-ready-will-miss-masters/ |title=Tiger not 'tournament ready,' will miss Masters |website=tigerwoods.com |date=March 31, 2017 |access-date=April 14, 2017}} Woods subsequently told friends, "I'm done".{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/apr/15/us-briefing-tiger-woods-amazing-comeback-ilhan-omar-and-mayor-pete |title=US briefing: Tiger Woods' amazing comeback, Ilhan Omar and Mayor Pete |newspaper=The Guardian |first=Tim |last=Walker |date=April 15, 2019}} On April 20, Woods announced that he had undergone his fourth back surgery since 2014 to alleviate back and leg pain. Recovery time required up to six months, meaning that Woods would spend the rest of the year without playing any professional golf.*{{cite magazine |url=http://www.golf.com/tour-news/2017/04/20/breaking-tiger-woods-undergoes-back-surgery-alleviate-ongoing-pain?xid=socialflow_twitter_si |magazine=Golf Magazine |title=Breaking: Tiger Woods undergoes back surgery to alleviate ongoing pain |last=Zak |first=Sean |date=April 20, 2017 |access-date=April 20, 2017 |ref=none |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 21, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170421092504/http://www.golf.com/tour-news/2017/04/20/breaking-tiger-woods-undergoes-back-surgery-alleviate-ongoing-pain?xid=socialflow_twitter_si }}

• {{cite web |title=Tiger Woods has a 4th back surgery |url=https://www.msn.com/en-ca/sports/golf/tiger-woods-has-a-4th-back-surgery/ar-BBA5KBi |publisher=MSN News |access-date=April 20, 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170422033535/http://www.msn.com/en-ca/sports/golf/tiger-woods-has-a-4th-back-surgery/ar-BBA5KBi |archive-date=April 22, 2017 }} Woods returned to competitive golf at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas. He shot rounds of 69–68–75–68 and finished tied for 9th place. His world ranking went from 1,199th to 668th, which was the biggest jump in the world rankings in his career.

On March 11, 2018, he finished one-shot back and tied for second at the Valspar Championship in Florida, his first top-five finish on the PGA Tour since 2013.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/11/sports/golf/tiger-woods-valspar-championship.html |title=He Stuck to Golf: Tiger Woods, Roaring Back, Ties for 2nd |date=March 11, 2018 |newspaper=The New York Times |first=Karen |last=Crouse}} He then tied for sixth with a score of five under par at the 2018 Open Championship.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2018/jul/22/the-open-2018-final-round-live |title=The Open 2018: Francesco Molinari wins title on day of drama – as it happened |newspaper=The Guardian |first=Scott |last=Murray |date=July 22, 2018}} At the last major of the year, the 2018 PGA Championship, Woods finished second, two shots behind the winner Brooks Koepka. It was his best result in a major since 2009 (second at the 2009 PGA Championship) and moved him up to 26th in the world rankings. His final round of 64 was his best-ever final round in a major.{{cite news |last=Jurejko |first=Jonathan |title=US PGA Championship: Brooks Koepka holds off Tiger Woods to win at Bellerive |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/golf/45164851 |work=BBC Sport |date=August 13, 2018}}

Woods returned to the winner's circle for the 80th time in his PGA Tour career on September 23, 2018, when he won the season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club for the second time and that tournament for the third time. He shot rounds of 65–68–65–71 to win by two strokes over Billy Horschel.{{cite news |url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/23/golf/tiger-woods-tour-championship-spt-intl/index.html |title=Tiger Woods wins a PGA Tour event for the first time since 2013 |work=CNN|first1=Tom |last1=McGowan |first2=John |last2=Sinnott |date=September 24, 2018}}

On April 14, 2019, Woods won the Masters, which was his first major championship win in eleven years and his 15th major overall. He finished 13 under par to win by one stroke over Dustin Johnson, Xander Schauffele and Brooks Koepka.{{Cite news |last=Scrivener |first=Peter |date=April 14, 2019 |title=Masters 2019: Tiger Woods wins 15th major with thrilling Augusta victory |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/golf/47927647 |access-date=April 14, 2019 |work=BBC Sport}} At age 43, he became the second oldest golfer ever to win the Masters, after Jack Nicklaus who was 46 when he triumphed in 1986.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/14/sports/tiger-woods-wins-masters.html |title=In a Stirring Return to the Top, Tiger Woods Captures the Masters at 43 |first=Karen |last=Crouse |access-date=April 14, 2019 |date=April 14, 2019 |newspaper=The New York Times }} In August 2019, Woods announced via social media that he underwent knee surgery to repair minor cartilage damage and that he had an arthroscopic procedure during the Tour Championship. In his statement, Woods also confirmed that he was walking and intends on traveling and playing in Japan in October.{{cite magazine |url=https://news.theceomagazine.com/featured/tiger-woods-knee-surgery-remains-japan-bound/ |title=Tiger Woods has surgery but still Japan-bound |magazine=CEO Magazine |first=Ian |last=Horswill |date=August 28, 2019 |access-date=August 28, 2019}}

Woods played in his first 2020 PGA Tour event at the Zozo Championship in October 2019, which was the first-ever PGA Tour event played in Japan. Woods, who played a highly publicized skins game earlier in the week at the same course as the Championship, held at least a share of the lead after every round of the rain-delayed tournament, giving him a three stroke victory over Hideki Matsuyama.{{Cite news |url=https://www.golfchannel.com/news/jason-day-keeps-tiger-woods-winless-skins-games-wins-challenge-japan |title=Jason Day keeps Tiger Woods winless in skins games, wins The Challenge in Japan |work=Golf Channel |first=Rex |last=Hoggard |date=October 21, 2019 |access-date=October 28, 2019}} The win was Woods's 82nd on Tour, tying him with Sam Snead for the most victories all time on the PGA Tour.{{Cite news |url=https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/27945812/tiger-woods-takes-82nd-pga-tour-title-tying-sam-snead-atop-list |title=Woods wins Zozo, ties Snead with 82nd Tour title |date=October 27, 2019 |work=ESPN |first=Bob |last=Harig |access-date=October 28, 2019}}{{Cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/golf/2019/10/27/tiger-woods-ties-sam-sneads-record-of-82-pga-tour-wins/40449413/ |title=Tiger Woods ties Sam Snead's record of 82 PGA Tour wins |newspaper=USA Today |agency=Associated Press |date=October 28, 2019 |access-date=October 28, 2019}}

In December 2020, Woods had microdiscectomy surgery on his back for the fifth time.{{Cite news |last=Hoggard |first=Rex |title=Tiger Woods announces another back surgery, to miss Farmers and Genesis |url=https://www.golfchannel.com/news/tiger-woods-announces-another-back-surgery-miss-farmers-and-genesis |access-date=February 15, 2021 |work=Golf Channel}} The operation was to remove a pressurized disc fragment that was pinching his nerve and causing him pain during the PNC Championship. Woods returned to play in his first professional tournament since his 2021 motor vehicle crash at the 2022 Masters Tournament. He made the cut and finished in 47th place at 13-over par, 23 shots behind the winner Scottie Scheffler.{{Cite news |last=Torchinsky |first=Rina |title=Scottie Scheffler wins the Masters while Tiger Woods finishes 47th |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/04/10/1091931747/the-masters-tiger-woods-leaderboard |date=April 10, 2022 |access-date=2022-04-11 |work=NPR}}

In August 2022, Woods, Rory McIlroy, Mike McCarley, and the PGA Tour announced the formation of TGL, a six-team virtual golfing league.{{Cite web |title=Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy's TMRW Sports announces TGL, a new tech-infused golf league in partnership with the PGA Tour |url=https://www.pgatour.com/news/2022/08/24/tiger-woods-rory-mcilroy-tmrw-sports-announces-tgl-new-tech-infused-golf-league-in-partnership-with-the-pga-tour.html |access-date=2023-01-23 |publisher=PGA Tour |date=August 24, 2022}} In November 2023, Woods revealed himself as an co-owner and player for Jupiter Links Golf Club, founded with investments by David Blitzer.{{cite magazine |last=Zak |first=Sean |title=Tiger Woods now has his own TGL team. Here's what we know |url=https://golf.com/news/tiger-woods-tgl-team-everything-we-know/ |magazine=Golf Magazine |access-date=November 11, 2023 |date=November 7, 2023}}

File:President Trump Presents the Medal of Freedom to Tiger Woods (47796274401).jpg from President Donald Trump in May 2019]]

On August 20, 2007, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife Maria Shriver announced that Woods would be inducted into the California Hall of Fame. He was inducted December 5, 2007 at The California Museum for History, Women and the Arts in Sacramento.

• {{cite news|title=Apple CEO among latest inductees to California Hall of Fame|work=U-T San Diego|date=August 20, 2007|url=http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20070820-1459-ca-brf-norcal-halloffame.html|access-date=July 15, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070829150534/http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20070820-1459-ca-brf-norcal-halloffame.html|archive-date=August 29, 2007}}
• [http://www.californiamuseum.org/Exhibits/Hall-of-Fame/inductees.html "California Hall of Fame: 2007 Inductees"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080110182937/http://www.californiamuseum.org/Exhibits/Hall-of-Fame/inductees.html|date=January 10, 2008 }}, californiamuseum.org. Retrieved September 11, 2007. In May 2019, following his 2019 Masters Tournament win, Woods was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Donald Trump.{{Cite news |date=May 7, 2018 |title=Medal of Freedom awarded to 'true legend' Tiger |url=http://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/26686972/medal-freedom-awarded-true-legend-tiger |access-date=2024-09-21 |work=ESPN|agency=Associated Press}}

File:Tiger Woods figure at Madame Tussauds London (12329858684).jpg, London]]

In 2000 and 2001, Woods was named the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, becoming the inaugural recipient of the award.{{Cite web | url = https://www.iaaf.org/news/news/woods-and-jones-sweep-sporting-oscars | publisher = International Association of Athletics Federations| title = Woods and Jones sweep Sporting Oscars | date = May 25, 2000 | access-date = October 18, 2017 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171018140534/https://www.iaaf.org/news/news/woods-and-jones-sweep-sporting-oscars | archive-date = October 18, 2017 |first= Paul| last=Radford| agency=Reuters}} In 2000 he received the BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year, an award given to a non-British sportsperson considered to have made the most substantial contribution to a sport.{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/keyfacts/stories/spoty_overseas.shtml|title=Sports Personality of the Year: overseas winners|date=December 2007|publisher=BBC|access-date=November 9, 2018| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090115045536/http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/keyfacts/stories/spoty_overseas.shtml| archive-date= January 15, 2009 | url-status= live}} Domestically, Woods has also been recognized by U.S. publications. He was named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year a record-tying four times, was named "Athlete of the Decade" by the Associated Press in 2009, and is one of only two people to be named Sports Illustrated{{'}}s Sportsman of the Year more than once.{{Cite news |date=December 17, 2009 |title=Woods named top athlete of decade |url=https://www.espn.com/golf/news/story?id=4747530 |access-date=January 19, 2010 |work=ESPN|agency=Associated Press}}{{Cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more-sports/tiger-woods-named-athlete-decade-press-article-1.436911 |title=Tiger named AP's Athlete of the Decade |newspaper=Daily News|location=New York |agency=Associated Press |date=December 16, 2009 |access-date=August 3, 2017}}

Since his record-breaking win at the 1997 Masters, Woods has been the biggest name in golf and his presence in tournaments has drawn a huge fan following. Some sources have credited him for dramatically increasing prize money in golf, generating interest in new PGA tournament audiences, and for drawing the largest TV ratings in golf history.*{{cite news|title=Tiger's Tour, 10 years after his Masters breakthrough|last=Slezak|first=Carol|date=April 1, 2007|access-date=March 30, 2009|newspaper=Chicago Sun-Times|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-5840440.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025061052/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-5840440.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 25, 2012}}

• {{cite magazine |title=Tiger 1997: The buzz that rocked the cradle |last1=Reilly |first1=Rick |last2=Garrity |first2=John |last3=Diaz |first3=Jaime |date=April 1, 1997 |access-date=March 30, 2009 |magazine=Golf Magazine |url=http://www.golf.com/tour-and-news/tiger-1997-buzz-rocked-cradle |ref=none |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 1, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301015038/http://www.golf.com/tour-and-news/tiger-1997-buzz-rocked-cradle }}
• {{cite news |title = With Tiger not a factor, preliminary ratings down for PGA |agency = Associated Press |date = August 20, 2001 |access-date = March 30, 2009 |magazine = Sports Illustrated |url = http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/golf/2001/pga_championship/news/2001/08/20/pga_ratings_ap/ |ref = none |url-status = dead |archive-date = January 22, 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100122232735/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/golf/2001/pga_championship/news/2001/08/20/pga_ratings_ap/ }}
• {{cite news |title=PGA jungle needs its Tiger on prowl |last=Ziemer |first=Tom |date=April 8, 2005 |access-date=March 30, 2009 |newspaper=The Badger Herald |url=http://badgerherald.com/sports/2005/04/08/pga_jungle_needs_its.php |ref=none |archive-date=September 4, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130904010520/http://badgerherald.com/sports/2005/04/08/pga_jungle_needs_its.php |url-status=dead }}
• {{cite news|last=Whitmer|first=Michael|title=Woods shows mettle again|newspaper=The Boston Globe|date=April 2, 2009|access-date=August 11, 2009|url=https://www.boston.com/sports/golf/articles/2009/04/02/woods_shows_mettle_again/?page=full|ref=none}} His recognition as one of the most famous athletes in modern history includes being depicted in a wax sculpture at Madame Tussauds.{{cite news |title=Madame Tussauds |url=https://visit-london.info/things-to-see-in-london/madame-tussauds |access-date=July 15, 2023 |work=Visit London}}

During the first decade of his professional career, Woods was the world's most marketable athlete.Berger, Brian., [http://www.sportsbusinessradio.com/?q=node/616 "Nike Golf Extends Contract with Tiger Woods"], Sports Business Radio, December 11, 2006. Retrieved September 14, 2007. Shortly after his 21st birthday in 1996, he signed endorsement deals with numerous companies, including General Motors, Titleist, General Mills, American Express, Accenture, and Nike. In 2000, he signed a 5-year, $105 million contract extension with Nike, which was the largest endorsement package signed by a professional athlete at that time.{{cite magazine |title=Six Degrees of Tiger Woods |last=DiCarlo |first=Lisa |magazine=Forbes |date=March 18, 2004 |url=https://www.forbes.com/2004/03/18/cx_ld_0318nike.html |access-date=December 17, 2009}} Woods's endorsement has been credited with playing a significant role in taking the Nike Golf brand from a "start-up" golf company earlier in the previous decade to becoming the leading golf apparel company in the world and a major player in the equipment and golf ball market.[http://www.venturerepublic.com/resources/Branding_celebrities_brand_endorsements_brand_leadership.asp " Branding and Celebrity Endorsements"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014182656/https://venturerepublic.com/resources/Branding_celebrities_brand_endorsements_brand_leadership.asp |date=October 14, 2007 }}, VentureRepublic.com. Retrieved September 14, 2007. Nike Golf is one of the fastest growing brands in the sport, with an estimated $600 million in sales.Park, Alice., [https://web.archive.org/web/20070707155844/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1609776,00.html "Member of the Club"], Time, April 12, 2007. Retrieved September 12, 2007. Woods has been described as the "ultimate endorser" for Nike Golf, frequently seen wearing Nike gear during tournaments, and even in advertisements for other products. Woods receives a percentage from the sales of Nike Golf apparel, footwear, golf equipment, golf balls, and has a building named after him at Nike's headquarters campus in Beaverton, Oregon.{{cite news |url=http://dailyiowan.lib.uiowa.edu/DI/2005/di2005-04-14.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221010/http://dailyiowan.lib.uiowa.edu/DI/2005/di2005-04-14.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-10 |url-status=live |page=3B |title=Nike sees dollar signs in Woods' magical shot |newspaper=Daily Iowan |first=Anne M. |last=Peterson |date=April 14, 2005 |access-date=November 7, 2019 |agency=Associated Press}}

File:US Navy 040303-N-5319A-001 Tiger Woods meets Commander Carrier Group Eight (CCG-8) Rear Adm. Denby H. Starling II, on the flag bridge aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73).jpg before participating in the 2004 Dubai Desert Classic ]]

In 2002, Woods was involved in every aspect of the launch of Buick's Rendezvous SUV. A company spokesman stated that Buick was happy with the value of Woods's endorsement, pointing out that more than 130,000 Rendezvous vehicles were sold in 2002 and 2003. "That exceeded our forecasts," he was quoted as saying, "It has to be in recognition of Tiger." In February 2004, Buick renewed Woods's endorsement contract for another five years, in a deal reportedly worth $40 million.

Woods collaborated closely with TAG Heuer to develop the world's first professional golf watch, which was released in April 2005.Krakow, Gary., [https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20060421064434/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9773121/ "Tiger Woods watch is a technological stroke"], MSNBC.com, November 7, 2005. Retrieved June 17, 2007. The lightweight, titanium-construction watch, incorporates features to facilitate wearing the watch while playing the game. It is capable of absorbing up to 5,000 Gs of shock, far in excess of the forces generated by a normal golf swing. In 2006, the TAG Heuer Professional Golf Watch won the prestigious iF product design award in the Leisure/Lifestyle category.{{cite web |url=http://www.best-watch.net/news/tag-heuer-monaco-calibre.html |title="Tag Heuer's Innovative Creation Wins Prestigious Award" |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070909093123/http://www.best-watch.net/news/tag-heuer-monaco-calibre.html |archive-date=2007-09-09 |website=best-watch.net Watch News |date=January 31, 2007 |accessdate=September 11, 2007}}

File:Woods photo shoot.jpg

Woods also endorsed the Tiger Woods PGA Tour series of video games; he has done so since 1999.{{cite magazine |last1=Woods |first1=Tiger |last2=Rothman |first2=Wilson |title=Q&A with Tiger Woods |magazine=Time |date=September 26, 2004 |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101041004-702139,00.html |access-date=July 8, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120126101605/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101041004-702139,00.html |archive-date=January 26, 2012 |url-status=dead}} In 2006, he signed a six-year contract with Electronic Arts, the series' publisher.{{cite web |title=Tiger Woods to play another six with EA |website=GameSpot |date=February 2, 2006 |url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/6143591.html |access-date=July 8, 2009 |first=Tim |last=Surette}}

In February 2007, Woods, Roger Federer, and Thierry Henry became ambassadors for the "Gillette Champions" marketing campaign. Gillette did not disclose financial terms, though an expert estimated the deal could total between $10 million and $20 million.{{cite news |title=Gillette lands a trio of star endorsers |first=Jenn |last=Abelson |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=February 5, 2007 |access-date=October 17, 2007 |url=https://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2007/02/05/gillette_lands_a_trio_of_star_endorsers/}}

In October 2007, Gatorade announced that Woods would have his own brand of sports drink starting in March 2008. "Gatorade Tiger" was his first U.S. deal with a beverage company and his first licensing agreement. Although no figures were officially disclosed, Golfweek magazine reported that it was for five years and could pay him as much as $100 million.{{cite news|title=Gatorade Unveils a Taste of Tiger|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=October 17, 2007|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/16/AR2007101601764.html|access-date=June 25, 2009}} The company decided in early fall 2009 to discontinue the drink due to weak sales.{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-ap-us-tiger-woods-gatorade,0,4088989.story|title=Gatorade confirms it is dropping Tiger Woods drink, but decided to before fateful car wreck|date=December 9, 2009|agency=Associated Press|access-date=December 9, 2009|work=Chicago Tribune|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091213013648/http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-ap-us-tiger-woods-gatorade,0,4088989.story|archive-date=December 13, 2009}}

In October 2012, it was announced that Woods signed an exclusive endorsement deal with Fuse Science, Inc, a sports nutrition firm.{{cite news |url=http://www.pga.com/news/industry-news/sports-nutrition-firm-fuse-science-signs-sponsor-tiger-woods-bag |title=Sports nutrition firm Fuse Science signs on as sponsor of Woods' bag |publisher=PGA of America |agency=Associated Press |access-date=October 25, 2012 }}

In 1997, Woods and fellow golfer Arnold Palmer initiated a civil case against Bruce Matthews (the owner of Gotta Have It Golf, Inc.) and others in the effort to stop the unauthorized sale of their images and alleged signatures in the memorabilia market. Matthews and associated parties counterclaimed that Woods and his company, ETW Corporation, committed several acts including breach of contract, breach of implied duty of good faith, and violations of Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.{{cite web |title=Palmer v. Gotta Have It Golf Collectibles, Inc. |url=http://leagle.com/decision/20001395106FSupp2d1289_11249.xml/PALMER%20v.%20GOTTA%20HAVE%20IT%20GOLF%20COLLECTIBLES,%20INC|work=106 F.Supp.2d 1289 (2000) United States District Court, S.D. Florida. June 22, 2000 |access-date=May 24, 2014}} Palmer also was named in the counter-suit, accused of violating the same licensing agreement in conjunction with his company Arnold Palmer Enterprises.

On March 12, 2014, a Florida jury found in favor of Gotta Have It on its breach of contract and other related claims, rejected ETW's counterclaims, and awarded Gotta Have It $668,346 in damages.

• {{cite news |last1=Batterman |first1=L. Robert |title=Tiger Woods Misses the Cut in Golf Memorabilia Dispute |url=http://www.natlawreview.com/article/tiger-woods-misses-cut-golf-memorabilia-dispute |access-date=May 24, 2014 |work=National Law Review |date=May 17, 2014 |first2=Michael |last2=Cardozo |first3=Robert E. |last3=Freeman |first4=Howard L. |last4=Ganz |first5=Wayne D. |last5=Katz |first6=Joseph M. |last6=Leccese |agency=Proskauer Rose LLP|ref=none}}
• Gotta Have It Golf, Inc. v. Arnold Palmer Enterprises, Inc., No. 03-19490 (Fla. Cir. Ct. Jury Verdict), March 12, 2014 The award may end up exceeding $1 million once interest has been factored in, though the ruling may be appealed.

In August 2016, Woods announced that he would be seeking a new golf equipment partner{{cite magazine |url=http://www.bunkered.co.uk/golf-news/tiger-woods-to-seek-new-equipment-partner |title=Tiger Woods to seek new equipment partner |date=August 4, 2016 |magazine=bunkered |first=Michael |last=McEwan}} after the news of Nike's exit from the equipment industry.{{cite magazine |url=http://www.bunkered.co.uk/golf-news/nike-to-exit-golf-equipment-industry |title=Nike to exit golf equipment industry |date=August 3, 2016 |magazine=bunkered |first=Craig |last=Dennett}} It was announced on January 25, 2017, that he would be signing a new club deal with TaylorMade.{{cite news |url=http://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/18550546/after-long-run-nike-tiger-woods-signs-taylormade |title=Tiger Woods' move to TaylorMade |last=Harig |first=Bob |date=January 25, 2017 |work=ESPN}} He added the 2016 M2 driver along with the 2017 M1 fairway woods, with irons to be custom made at a later date. He also added his Scotty Cameron Newport 2 GSS, a club he used to win 13 of his 15 majors.{{cite news |url=http://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/18544732/golf-tiger-woods-scotty-cameron-world-most-famous-putter |title=Tiger adds Cameron back into bag |last=Sobel |first=Jason |date=January 25, 2017 |work=ESPN}} Also, in late 2016, he would add Monster Energy as his primary bag sponsor, replacing MusclePharm.{{cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/tiger-woods-picks-monster-energy-sponsor/story?id=43912844 |title=Tiger Woods picks up Monster Energy |work=ABC News |last=Rovell |first=Darren |date=December 1, 2016}}

On January 8, 2024, Woods announced that he would be parting ways with Nike after 27 years, ending one of the most lucrative endorsements any athlete has had.{{Cite magazine |title=Tiger Woods Confirms He Is Splitting With Nike After Over 27 Years |url=https://www.golfmonthly.com/news/tiger-woods-confirms-he-is-splitting-with-nike-after-27-years |magazine=Golf Monthly |first=Jonny |last=Leighfield |date=January 8, 2024}}

Woods has appeared on Forbes list of the world's highest-paid athletes.{{Cite book |title=The Wicked Game: Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and the Story of Modern Golf |last=Sounes |first=Howard |author-link=Howard Sounes |publisher=HarperCollins |year=2004 |isbn=0-06-051386-1 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/wickedgame00howa/page/120 120–121, 293] |url=https://archive.org/details/wickedgame00howa/page/120 }} According to Golf Digest, Woods earned $769,440,709 from 1996 to 2007,{{cite magazine |title=The Fortunate 50 |first=Jonah |last=Freedman |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/more/specials/fortunate50/2007/ |magazine=Sports Illustrated |year=2007 |access-date=May 20, 2008 |archive-date=May 5, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110505010328/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/more/specials/fortunate50/2007/ |url-status=dead }} and the magazine predicted that Woods would pass a billion dollars in earnings by 2010.{{cite news |title=The Golf Digest 50 |work=Golf Digest |url=http://www.golfdigest.com/magazine/2008/02/gd50 |access-date=January 11, 2007 |date=February 2008 |first=Ron |last=Sirak |archive-date=January 18, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100118205423/http://www.golfdigest.com/magazine/2008/02/gd50 |url-status=dead }} In 2009, Forbes confirmed that Woods was indeed the world's first professional athlete to earn over a billion dollars in his career, after accounting for the $10 million bonus Woods received for the FedEx Cup title.

• {{cite web|title=Report: Tiger richest athlete in history|work=ESPN|date=October 2, 2009|url=https://www.espn.com/golf/news/story?id=4524640|access-date=October 2, 2009|ref=none}}
• {{cite web |title=Woods is sports' first billion-dollar man |work=Forbes |publisher=Yahoo! Sports |date=October 1, 2009 |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/golf/pga/news?slug=ys-forbestiger100109&prov=yhoo&type=lgns |access-date=October 2, 2009 |first=Kurt |last=Badenhausen |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091006033934/http://sports.yahoo.com/golf/pga/news?slug=ys-forbestiger100109&prov=yhoo&type=lgns |archive-date=October 6, 2009|ref=none}} The same year, Forbes estimated his net worth to be $600 million, making him the second richest person of color in the United States, behind only Oprah Winfrey.{{cite magazine |title=The Wealthiest Black Americans |last=Miller |first=Matthew |magazine=Forbes |date=May 6, 2009 |url=https://www.forbes.com/2009/05/06/richest-black-americans-busienss-billionaires-richest-black-americans.html |access-date=December 17, 2009}} In 2015, Woods ranked ninth in Forbes list of the world's highest-paid athletes, being the top among Asian Americans or the fourth among African Americans.[https://www.forbes.com/athletes/ Forbes' list of world's highest-paid athletes], Forbes. As of 2017, Woods was considered to be the highest-paid golfer in the world.{{cite news|url=https://noobnorm.com/golfers/|title=How Much Do The World's Top 10 Golfers Earn Per Shot?|date=November 20, 2017|first1=David|last1=McSweeney|newspaper=Noobnorm|access-date=April 3, 2018|archive-date=April 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180403234921/https://noobnorm.com/golfers/|url-status=dead}} In 2022, Woods was the first golfer to have a net worth over one billion dollars,{{Cite magazine |title=Tiger Woods reaches another mind-blowing milestone: $1 billion in net worth, according to Forbes |url=https://www.golfdigest.com/story/tiger-woods-reaches-1-billion-dollars-in-net-worth-according-to-forbes |magazine=Golf Digest |first=Tod |last=Leonard |date=June 10, 2022 |access-date=2022-07-13}} making him one of the richest celebrities.

Early in Woods's career, a small number of golf industry analysts expressed concern about his impact on the competitiveness of the game and the public appeal of professional golf. Sportswriter Bill Lyon of Knight Ridder asked in a column, "Isn't Tiger Woods actually bad for golf?" (though Lyon ultimately concluded that he was not).{{cite news |title=Woods bad for golf? There's an unplayable lie |newspaper=The Philadelphia Inquirer |last=Lyon |first=Bill |date=August 16, 2000 }} At first, some pundits feared that Woods would drive the spirit of competition out of the game of golf by making existing courses obsolete and relegating opponents to simply competing for second place each week.

A related effect was measured by University of California economist Jennifer Brown, who found that other golfers scored worse when competing against Woods than when he was not in the tournament. The scores of highly skilled golfers are nearly one stroke higher when playing against Woods. This effect was larger when he was on winning streaks and disappeared during his well-publicized slump in 2003–04. Brown explains the results by noting that competitors of similar skill can hope to win by increasing their level of effort, but that, when facing a "superstar" competitor, extra exertion does not significantly raise one's level of winning while increasing risk of injury or exhaustion, leading to reduced effort.Brown, Jennifer; [http://home.business.utah.edu/finmh/Brown_Quitters_Never_Win.pdf Quitters Never Win: The (Adverse) Incentive Effects of Competing with Superstars] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120417030936/http://home.business.utah.edu/finmh/Brown_Quitters_Never_Win.pdf |date=April 17, 2012 }}, Job Market Paper, November 2007 Many courses in the PGA Tour rotation (including major championship sites like Augusta National) have added yardage to their tees in an effort to reduce the advantage of long hitters like Woods, in a strategy that became known as "Tiger-proofing".{{cite web |last1=Harig |first1=Bob |title='Tiger-proofing' Augusta took a toll on all |date=March 27, 2011 |url=https://www.espn.com/golf/masters11/columns/story?columnist=harig_bob&page=110329-RTTMasters |work=ESPN |access-date=April 13, 2020}} Woods said he welcomed the change, in that adding yardage to courses did not affect his ability to win.{{cite news|title=Tiger Woods Press Conference:The Open Championship |publisher=TigerWoods.com |agency=ASAP Sports |date=July 12, 2005 |url=http://www.tigerwoods.com/defaultflash.sps?page=fullstorynews&iNewsID=199184&categoryID=&pagenumber=1&cat=0 |access-date=May 13, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070316104728/http://www.tigerwoods.com/defaultflash.sps?page=fullstorynews&iNewsID=199184&categoryID=&pagenumber=1&cat=0 |archive-date=March 16, 2007}}

{{Main|List of career achievements by Tiger Woods}}

Woods has won 82 official PGA Tour events, including 15 majors. He is 14–1 when going into the final round of a major with at least a share of the lead. Multiple golf experts have heralded Woods as "the greatest closer in history".*{{cite web |title=Tiger is greatest closer ever |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14002254/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070521213603/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14002254/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 21, 2007 |first=Mike |last=Celizic |publisher=MSNBC |date=July 24, 2006 |access-date=August 12, 2007 }}

• {{cite web |title=Goliath will surely fall one day. Or will he? |url=http://www.pga.com/pgachampionship/2007/news/pga_maginnes_081207.html |url-status=dead |ref=none |first=John |last=Maginnes |publisher=PGA Tour |date=August 12, 2007 |access-date=August 12, 2007 |archive-date=December 4, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101204115036/http://www.pga.com/pgachampionship/2007/news/pga_maginnes_081207.html }}
• {{cite news |title=Cabrera wins devilish battle at U.S. Open |url=https://www.espn.com/golf/usopen07/news/story?id=2907111 |agency=Associated Press |work=ESPN |date=June 20, 2007 |access-date=August 12, 2007 |ref=none }} He has the lowest career scoring average and the largest career earnings of any player in PGA Tour history.

Woods's victory at the 2013 Players Championship also marked a win in his 300th PGA Tour start.{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/9268544/tiger-woods-shows-command-game-win-players |title=Tiger Woods shows off his command |access-date=May 15, 2013 |date=May 13, 2013 |work=ESPN |last=Harig |first=Bob}} He also won golf tournaments in his 100th (in 2000) and 200th (in 2006) tour starts.*{{cite magazine |url=http://golfweek.com/news/2013/may/12/tiger-woods-pga-tour-players-championship/ |title=5 Things: Woods captures fourth Tour title in '13 |access-date=May 15, 2013 |date=May 12, 2013 |magazine=Golfweek |last=Romine |first=Brentley |ref=none |archive-date=June 7, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130607060517/http://golfweek.com/news/2013/may/12/tiger-woods-pga-tour-players-championship/ |url-status=dead }}

• {{cite web |url=http://www.golfchannel.com/media/golf-central-live-from-sunday-feature-1/ |title=Highlights: How Dufner won the 95th PGA Champ. |work=Golf Channel |date=August 11, 2013 |ref=none }}{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

Woods has spent the most consecutive and cumulative weeks atop the world rankings. He is one of six players (along with Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Rory McIlroy) to have won all four major championships in his career, known as the Career Grand Slam, and was the youngest to do so.{{cite news |last=Farrell |first=Andy |title=Woods moves majestically to grand slam |work=The Independent |date=July 24, 2000 |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/golf/woods-moves-majestically-to-grand-slam-708668.html |access-date=May 20, 2009 |archive-date=January 29, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120129001028/http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/golf/woods-moves-majestically-to-grand-slam-708668.html |url-status=dead }} Woods is the only player to have consecutively won all four major championships open to professionals, accomplishing the feat in the 2000–2001 seasons.

• PGA Tour wins (82)
• European Tour wins (41)
• Japan Golf Tour wins (3)
• Asian PGA Tour wins (2)
• PGA Tour of Australasia wins (3)
• Other wins (17)
• Amateur wins (21)

¹Defeated May in three-hole playoff by 1 stroke: Woods (3–4–5=12), May (4–4–5=13)

²Defeated DiMarco in a sudden-death playoff: Woods (3), DiMarco (4).

³Defeated Mediate with a par on 1st sudden death hole after 18-hole playoff was tied at even par. This was the final time an 18-hole playoff was used in competition.

Results not in chronological order in 2020.

{{legend|lime|Win}}

{{legend|yellow|Top 10}}

{{legend|#eeeeee|Did not play}}

LA = low amateur

CUT = missed the half-way cut

WD = withdrew

"T" indicates a tie for a place.

NT = no tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic

• Most consecutive cuts made – 39 (1996 U.S. Open – 2006 Masters)
• Longest streak of top-10s – 8 (1999 U.S. Open – 2001 Masters)

{{legend|lime|Win}}

{{legend|yellow|Top 10}}

{{legend|#eeeeee|Did not play}}

WD = withdrew

"T" indicates a tie for a place.

Results not in chronological order before 2015.

¹Cancelled due to 9/11

{{legend|lime|Win}}

{{legend|yellow|Top 10}}

{{legend|#eeeeee|Did not play}}

QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play

WD = withdrew

NT = No tournament

"T" = tied

Note that the HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009.

*As of 2024 season

File:TigerWoods2004RyderCup3.jpg at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Township, Michigan]]

When Woods first joined the PGA Tour in 1996, his long drives had a large impact on the world of golf,*{{cite news |title=Woods threatens all records at the Masters |agency=Associated Press |url=http://slam.canoe.ca/SlamGolf97Masters/apr12_mastersthird.html |publisher=Canadian Online Explorer |date=April 12, 1997 |access-date=August 6, 2007 }}

• {{cite news |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/augusta/stories/041497/20Woods.html |agency=Associated Press |title=Tiger had more than just length in annihilating Augusta |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=April 14, 1997 |access-date=June 20, 2009 |archive-date=August 4, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090804124518/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/augusta/stories/041497/20Woods.html |url-status=dead }} but he did not upgrade his equipment in the following years. He insisted upon the use of True Temper Dynamic Gold steel-shafted clubs and smaller steel clubheads that promoted accuracy over distance.{{cite web |url=http://www.golftransactions.com/equipment/truetemper070903.html |first=Cara |last=Polinski |work=The Wire |title=True Temper Wins Again! |date=July 8, 2003 |access-date=August 6, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927163826/http://www.golftransactions.com/equipment/truetemper070903.html |archive-date=September 27, 2007}} Many opponents caught up to him, and Phil Mickelson even made a joke in 2003 about Woods using "inferior equipment", which did not sit well with Nike, Titleist, or Woods.*{{cite news |url=https://www.espn.com/golf/story?id=1507979 |title=Woods, Mickelson clear the air, put spat behind them |work=ESPN |date=February 13, 2003 |access-date=August 6, 2007 }}
• {{cite news |url=http://www.golftoday.co.uk/news/yeartodate/news03/mickelson1.html |title=Phil Mickelson clarifies Tiger comments |work=Golf Today |access-date=August 6, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526141134/http://www.golftoday.co.uk/news/yeartodate/news03/mickelson1.html |archive-date=May 26, 2011 |url-status=dead }} During 2004, Woods finally upgraded his driver technology to a larger clubhead and graphite shaft, which, coupled with his clubhead speed, again made him one of the tour's longest players off the tee.

Despite his power advantage, Woods has always focused on developing an excellent all-around game. Although in recent years{{when|date=May 2017}} he has typically been near the bottom of the Tour rankings in driving accuracy, his iron play is generally accurate, his recovery and bunker play is very strong, and his putting (especially under pressure) is possibly his greatest asset. He is largely responsible for a shift to higher standards of athleticism amongst professional golfers, and is known for utilizing more hours of practice than most.{{cite web |title=Case Study: Tiger Woods |publisher=Linkage Incorporated |url=http://www.linkageinc.com/company/news_events/link_learn_enewsletter/archive/2002/03_02_case_study_tiger_woods.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061015151438/http://www.linkageinc.com/company/news_events/link_learn_enewsletter/archive/2002/03_02_case_study_tiger_woods.aspx |archive-date=October 15, 2006 |access-date=June 24, 2009}}{{cite web |title=When Par isn't good enough |website=APMP.org |url=http://www.apmp.org/fv-63.aspx |access-date=May 12, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080720081846/http://www.apmp.org/fv-63.aspx |archive-date=July 20, 2008}}{{cite news |title=Tiger Woods Up Close And Personal |publisher=CBS News |first=Ed |last=Bradley |date=September 3, 2006 |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tiger-woods-up-close-and-personal/ |access-date=May 13, 2007 |archive-date=July 3, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070703171325/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/03/23/60minutes/main1433767_page5.shtml |url-status=live }}

From mid-1993 (while he was still an amateur) until 2004, Woods worked almost exclusively with leading swing coach Butch Harmon. From mid-1997, Harmon and Woods fashioned a major redevelopment of Woods's full swing, achieving greater consistency, better distance control, and better kinesiology. The changes began to pay off in 1999.{{Cite book |title=The Pro: Lessons About Golf and Life from My Father, Claude Harmon, Sr. |last=Harmon |first=Butch |author-link=Butch Harmon |year=2006 |publisher=Three Rivers Press |isbn=0-307-33804-5}} Woods and Harmon eventually parted ways. From March 2004 to 2010, Woods was coached by Hank Haney, who worked on flattening his swing plane. Woods continued to win tournaments with Haney, but his driving accuracy dropped significantly. Haney resigned under questionable circumstances in May 2010{{cite magazine |url=https://www.golfdigest.com/story/golf-tiger-haney-0511 |title=Haney Resigns; Who Will Be Next? |magazine=Golf Digest |first=Tim |last=Rosaforte |date=May 10, 2010}} and was replaced by Sean Foley.{{cite news |url=https://www.tsn.ca/golf/story/?id=330104 |title=Canadian Swing Coach Foley Helping Tiger at PGA Championship |agency=The Canadian Press |date=August 10, 2010 |access-date=August 10, 2010 |archive-date=June 29, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629075143/http://www.tsn.ca/golf/story/?id=330104 |url-status=dead }}

Fluff Cowan served as Woods's caddie from the start of his professional career until Woods dismissed him in March 1999.{{cite news |title=Woods Dismisses His Caddie Cowan |newspaper=The New York Times |date=March 9, 1999 |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C04E1DA113FF93AA35750C0A96F958260 |access-date=May 13, 2007}} He was replaced by Steve Williams, who became a close friend of Woods and is often credited with helping him with key shots and putts.{{cite news |title=Tiger's Caddie Reflects on "Defining" Moment at Medinah |url-status=dead |work=Golf Channel |agency=Associated Press |date=August 8, 2006 |url=http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=15101&select=20332 |access-date=May 13, 2007 |archive-date=June 10, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080610084617/http://www.thegolfchannel.com/core.aspx?page=15101&select=20332 }} In June 2011, Woods dismissed Williams after he caddied for Adam Scott in the U.S. Open{{cite news |last=Porter |first=Kyle |title=Steve Williams tells the story about how Tiger Woods fired him |work=CBS Sports |date=2014-01-03 |url=https://www.cbssports.com/golf/news/steve-williams-tells-the-story-about-how-tiger-woods-fired-him/ |access-date=2024-07-24}} and replaced him with friend Bryon Bell on an interim basis. Joe LaCava, a former caddie of both Fred Couples and Dustin Johnson, was hired by Woods shortly after{{cite news |last=Schlabach |first=Mark |title=Tiger hires ex-Johnson, Couples caddie LaCava |work=ESPN |date=2011-09-25 |url=https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/7019948/tiger-woods-hire-dustin-johnson-caddie-joe-lacava |access-date=2024-07-24}} and has remained Woods's caddie since then.

The TGR Foundation was established in 1996 by Woods and his father Earl as the Tiger Woods Foundation with the primary goal of promoting golf among inner-city children.

• {{cite news |title=Mattingly Expected to Retire After Sitting Out 1996 Season |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=January 22, 1997}}
• {{cite news |last=Brennan |first=Patricia |title=The Changing Face of Golf; A CBS Profile of the Hottest Guy on the Links. |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=April 13, 1997}} The foundation has conducted junior golf clinics across the country, and sponsors the Tiger Woods Foundation National Junior Golf Team in the Junior World Golf Championships.{{cite web |title=With Clinton at his side, Woods opens his learning center |publisher=GolfWeb Wire Services |date=February 10, 2006 |url=http://www.pgatour.com/story/9223725/ |access-date=January 20, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525185623/http://www.pgatour.com/story/9223725/ |archive-date=May 25, 2011}}{{cite web |title=Programs: TWLC: Junior Golf Team |publisher=Tiger Woods Foundation |url=http://web.tigerwoodsfoundation.org/programs/twlc/juniorGolfTeam |access-date=January 20, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120128055151/http://web.tigerwoodsfoundation.org/programs/twlc/juniorGolfTeam |archive-date=January 28, 2012}} As of December 2010, TWF employed approximately 55 people.{{cite web |last=Harig |first=Bob |title=Tiger Woods' foundation suffered greatly |work=ESPN |date=December 1, 2010 |url=https://www.espn.com/golf/columns/story?columnist=harig_bob&id=5865712 |access-date=January 20, 2011}}{{cite news |last=Lamport-Stokes |first=Mark |title=Tiger eyes legacy away from sport |work=Reuters |date=December 17, 2007 |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-golf-tiger-idUSSP9924320071217 |access-date=January 20, 2011 |archive-date=May 12, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512133843/http://www.reuters.com/article/2007/12/17/us-golf-tiger-idUSSP9924320071217 |url-status=live }}

The foundation operates the Tiger Woods Learning Center, a $50-million, {{convert|35000|sqft|sqm|adj=on}} facility in Anaheim, California, providing college-access programs for underserved youth.{{cite web |title=Tiger visits new TWLC Florida campus in Stuart |publisher=Tiger Woods Foundation |date=December 9, 2011 |url=http://web.tigerwoodsfoundation.org/news/article/2011120926138040/twlc/ |access-date=January 20, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120107133941/http://web.tigerwoodsfoundation.org/news/article/2011120926138040/twlc |archive-date=January 7, 2012}} The TWLC opened in 2006 and features seven classrooms, extensive multi-media facilities and an outdoor golf teaching area. The center has since expanded to four additional campuses: two in Washington, D.C.; one in Philadelphia; and one in Stuart, Florida.

File:Tiger Woods speaks at We Are One.JPG (January 2009)]]

The foundation benefits from the annual Chevron World Challenge and AT&T National golf tournaments hosted by Woods. In October 2011, the foundation hosted the first Tiger Woods Invitational at Pebble Beach.{{cite web |title=Events: Tiger Woods Invitational |publisher=Tiger Woods Foundation |url=http://web.tigerwoodsfoundation.org/events/pebbleBeachInvitational/index |access-date=January 20, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120126183102/http://web.tigerwoodsfoundation.org/events/pebbleBeachInvitational/index |archive-date=January 26, 2012}} Other annual fundraisers have included the concert events Block Party, last held in 2009 in Anaheim, and Tiger Jam, last held in 2011 in Las Vegas after a one-year hiatus.* {{cite web |date=October 18, 2009 |title=The fifth annual Block Party raises more than $500,000 |url=http://web.tigerwoodsfoundation.org/news/article/200912247854336/block_party/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120513224819/http://web.tigerwoodsfoundation.org/news/article/200912247854336/block_party/ |archive-date=May 13, 2012 |access-date=January 20, 2012 |publisher=Tiger Woods Foundation}}

• {{cite web |date=April 30, 2011 |title=Tiger Woods Speaks About Injury, PGA Tour Athletes During Jam |url=http://www.golflasvegasnow.com/las-vegas-golf-news-news-96/67-news/1639-tiger-woods-speaks-about-injury-pga-tour-athletes-during-jam.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110503202758/http://www.golflasvegasnow.com/las-vegas-golf-news-news-96/67-news/1639-tiger-woods-speaks-about-injury-pga-tour-athletes-during-jam.html |archive-date=May 3, 2011 |access-date=January 20, 2011 |publisher=GolfLasVegasNow.com}}
• {{cite news |last=Carpenter |first=Eric |date=December 14, 2009 |title=Tiger Woods takes hiatus from OC foundation |url=http://www.ocregister.com/news/woods-224136-foundation-tiger.html |access-date=January 20, 2011 |newspaper=The Orange County Register}}

In November 2006, Woods announced his intention to begin designing golf courses around the world through a new company, Tiger Woods Design.{{cite news |last=Soltau |first=Mark |title=Tiger Woods' next step: Design golf courses |work=ESPN |date=November 6, 2006 |url=https://www.espn.com/golf/news/story?id=2651591 |access-date=January 20, 2011}} A month later, he announced that the company's first course would be in Dubai as part of a 25.3-million-square-foot development, The Tiger Woods Dubai.{{cite news |last=Wolfensberger |first=Marc |title=Tiger Woods Will Design First Golf Course in Dubai |publisher=Bloomberg |date=December 3, 2006 |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aNvm0ZjXUZ3M |access-date=January 20, 2011}} The Al Ruwaya Golf Course was initially expected to finish construction in 2009. As of February 2010, only seven holes had been completed; in April 2011, The New York Times reported that the project had been shelved permanently.{{cite news |last=Fattah |first=Zainab |title=Tiger Woods's Dubai Golf Resort Will Be Completed, Builder Says |publisher=Bloomberg |date=February 1, 2010 |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=a3KSfSvghqjA |access-date=January 20, 2011}}{{cite news |last=Sullivan |first=Paul |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/03/business/03tiger.html|title=For Tiger Woods, a Golf Course Design Business Is in the Rough |newspaper=The New York Times |date=April 2, 2011 |access-date=June 19, 2013}} In 2013, the partnership between Tiger Woods Design and Dubai Holding was dissolved.{{cite magazine |url=http://www.arabianbusiness.com/dubai-holding-dissolves-tiger-woods-partnership-508322.html |date=July 9, 2013 |first=Shane |last=McGinley |title=Dubai Holding 'dissolves' Tiger Woods partnership |magazine=Arabian Business }}

Tiger Woods Design has taken on two other courses, neither of which has materialized. In August 2007, Woods announced The Cliffs at High Carolina, a private course in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Asheville, North Carolina.{{cite news |title=Tiger to design his first U.S. course |work=ESPN |agency=Associated Press |url=https://www.espn.com/golf/news/story?id=2974491 |access-date =August 15, 2007}} After a groundbreaking in November 2008, the project suffered cash flow problems and suspended construction. In 2019 the 800-acre site was sold for $19.3 million and in 2024 550 acres of that were listed for about the same price. While no evidence of Woods' involvement has been found, the listing shows that development plans are still on file.{{cite news |last=Hofmann |first=Will |title=Former Tiger Woods golf course site for sale at $19M near Asheville; has old site plans |work=Asheville Citizen-Times |date=February 3, 2024 |url= https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2024/01/30/former-tiger-woods-cliffs-golf-course-site-hits-market-for-19m/72406689007/}} A third course, in Punta Brava, Mexico, was announced in October 2008, but incurred delays due to issues with permits and an environmental impact study.{{cite news |last1=Louis |first1=Brian |last2=Taub |first2=Daniel |title=Tiger Woods and Flagship to Build Mexico Golf Resort |publisher=Bloomberg |date=October 7, 2008 |url= https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=ao2vcPf3MUek&refer=us |access-date=January 5, 2010}} Construction on the Punta Brava course has not yet begun.

These projects have encountered problems that have been attributed to factors that include overly optimistic estimates of their value, declines throughout the global economy (particularly the U.S. crash in home prices), and the decreased appeal and marketability of Woods following his 2009 infidelity scandal.

Woods wrote a golf instruction column for Golf Digest magazine from 1997 to February 2011.{{cite news |title=New deal includes instruction, Web pieces |agency=Associated Press |date=May 8, 2002 |work=ESPN |url=https://www.espn.com/golf/story?id=1380039 |access-date=June 18, 2008}} In 2001, he wrote a best-selling golf instruction book, How I Play Golf, which had the largest print run of any golf book for its first edition, 1.5 million copies.{{cite news |last=Snider |first=Mike |date=October 9, 2001 |title=Tiger Woods joins the club of golf book authors |newspaper=USA Today |url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/books/2001-10-09-tiger-woods.htm |access-date=June 20, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206105229/https://www.usatoday.com/life/books/2001-10-09-tiger-woods.htm |archive-date=December 6, 2008}} In March 2017, he published a memoir, The 1997 Masters: My Story, co-authored by Lorne Rubenstein, which focuses on his first Masters win.{{cite magazine |last=Stachura |first=Mike |title=Tiger Woods' new book is a vivid but cautious reflection on his landmark win |url=http://www.golfdigest.com/story/tiger-woods-new-book-is-a-vivid-but-cautious-reflection-on-his-landmark-win |magazine=Golf Digest |date=March 14, 2017 |access-date=March 19, 2017}} In October 2019, Woods announced he would be writing a memoir book titled Back.{{cite magazine |url=https://golf.com/news/tiger-woods-book-memoir-titled-back/ |title='This book is my definitive story': Tiger Woods working on release of memoir 'Back' |magazine=Golf Magazine |date=October 15, 2019 |last=Berhow |first=Josh |access-date=January 6, 2021}}

Tiger Woods' "Iconic Fist Pumps Collection" is his first digital Non-fungible token (NFT) collection that launched on the DraftKings Marketplace in collaboration with Autograph.io on September 28, 2021. Autograph is an NFT platform that was co-founded by Tom Brady that helped launch NFT projects with some of the biggest names in sports, including Usain Bolt, Rafael Nadal, Wayne Gretzky, and Tony Hawk. Woods' first collection offered 10,000 digital pictures of Tiger Woods' iconic moments ranging from $12 to $1,500, and 300 of those NFTs were also accompanied by his official digital signature.{{cite news |last=VanHaaren |first=Tom |title=Golfer Tiger Woods joins NFT craze, releases 10,000 digital images to be sold through company co-founded by Tom Brady |url=https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/32249432/golfer-tiger-woods-releases-10000-digital-images-sold-company-co-founded-tom-brady |work=ESPN |date=September 21, 2021 |access-date=October 28, 2022}} The NFTs launched on the Autograph platform grants fans unique access to exclusive content, first dibs on digital collectibles, custom-made merchandise, and access to private in-person events depending on the varying utility of each NFT.{{cite web |last=Grader |title=16 Athletes That Have Their Own NFT Collections |url=https://wgmimedia.com/these-sixteen-legendary-athletes-have-their-own-licensed-nft-collections/ |website=WGMIMedia |date=October 18, 2021 |access-date=October 28, 2022}}

Woods partnered with TaylorMade to launch his golf apparel line, dubbed "Sun Day Red". The line was announced on February 12, 2024, and featured Woods' signature red shirt.{{cite magazine |last=Romero |first=Brittany |url=https://www.golfdigest.com/story/tiger-woods-apparel-announcement-taylormade-sunday-red |title=Tiger Woods announces new apparel line Sun Day Red |magazine=Golf Digest |date=February 12, 2024 |access-date=February 12, 2024}}{{cite news |last1=Hirsch |first1=Lauren |last2=Friedman |first2=Vanessa |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/12/business/tiger-woods-sun-day-red.html |title=Tiger Woods Introduces His New Brand: Sun Day Red |newspaper=The New York Times |date=February 12, 2024 |access-date=February 12, 2024}}

File:President Trump Presents the Medal of Freedom to Tiger Woods (47813420571) (cropped).jpg

In November 2003, Woods became engaged to Elin Nordegren, a Swedish former model and daughter of former minister of migration Barbro Holmberg and radio journalist Thomas Nordegren.{{cite news |date=December 4, 2009 |url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/12/03/elin.five.things.to.know/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

|title=Five things you didn't know about Elin Nordegren |work=CNN|access-date=December 15, 2009}} They were introduced during The Open Championship in 2001 by Swedish golfer Jesper Parnevik, who had employed her as an au pair. They married on October 5, 2004, at the Sandy Lane resort in Barbados, and lived at Isleworth, a community in Windermere, a suburb of Orlando, Florida.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/golf/3715694.stm |title=Woods ties the knot |work=BBC Sport |date=October 6, 2004 |access-date=August 23, 2010}}{{cite news |title=Tiger Woods buys $40 million estate |date=January 1, 2006 |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/01/realestate/01iht-web.propbrfs2.html |access-date=August 23, 2010}} In 2006, they purchased a $39-million estate in Jupiter Island, Florida, and began constructing a 10,000-square-foot home; Woods moved there in 2010 following the couple's divorce.{{cite web |url=http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/08/23/final.judgment.pdf |title=Divorce decree |date=August 23, 2010 |access-date=September 28, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517115228/http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/08/23/final.judgment.pdf |archive-date=May 17, 2014 |url-status=live}}

Woods and Nordegren's first child was a daughter born in 2007, whom they named Sam Alexis Woods. Woods chose the name because his own father had always called him Sam.{{cite news |title=Woods played U.S. Open while wife was in hospital |last=White |first=Joseph |newspaper=USA Today |agency=Associated Press |date=July 3, 2007 |url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/golf/2007-07-03-2162604389_x.htm |access-date=December 2, 2009}} Their son, Charlie Axel Woods, was born in 2009.{{cite news |title=Tiger becomes dad for second time |url=https://www.espn.com/golf/news/story?id=3893647 |work=ESPN |agency=Associated Press |date=February 8, 2009 |access-date=February 9, 2009}}

In November 2009, the National Enquirer published a story claiming that Woods had an extramarital affair with New York City nightclub manager Rachel Uchitel, who denied the claim.{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/golf-woods-idUSGEE5B11VL20091202 |title=Tiger Woods admits "transgressions," apologizes |date=December 2, 2009 |work=Reuters |access-date=January 23, 2012 |archive-date=April 14, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120414012656/http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/12/02/golf-woods-idUSGEE5B11VL20091202 |url-status=live }} Two days later, around 2:30 a.m. on November 27, Woods was driving from his Florida mansion in his Cadillac Escalade SUV when he collided with a fire hydrant, a tree, and several hedges near his home.{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/golf/pga/2009-12-02-woods-crash-damage_N.htm |title=Woods crash did $3,200 damage to hydrant, tree |last=DiMeglio |first=Steve |date=December 3, 2009 |newspaper=USA Today |access-date=January 23, 2012}} He was treated for minor facial lacerations and received a ticket for careless driving.{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/golf/tiger-injured-in-latenight-car-accident-1830059.html |title=Tiger injured in late-night car accident |newspaper=The Independent |date=November 28, 2009 |access-date=January 23, 2012 |first=James |last=Corrigan |archive-date=May 22, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120522132418/http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/golf/tiger-injured-in-latenight-car-accident-1830059.html |url-status=dead }} Following intense media speculation about the cause of the crash, Woods released a statement on his website and took sole responsibility for the crash, calling it a "private matter" and crediting his wife for helping him from the car.

• {{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/golf/2009-11-29-4208750340_x.htm |title=Tiger Woods issues statement on crash |agency=Associated Press |date=November 30, 2009 |newspaper=USA Today| access-date=January 23, 2012}}
• {{cite web |url=http://web.tigerwoods.com/news/article/200911297726222/news/ |title=Statement from Tiger Woods |date=November 29, 2009 |publisher=TigerWoods.com |access-date=January 23, 2012 |first=Tiger |last=Woods |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120211235132/http://web.tigerwoods.com/news/article/200911297726222/news/ |archive-date=February 11, 2012 }} On November 30, Woods announced that he would not be appearing at his own charity golf tournament (the Chevron World Challenge) or any other tournaments in 2009 because of his injuries.{{Cite news |date=November 30, 2009 |title=Tiger Woods Cancels Tourney Appearance |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tiger-woods-cancels-tourney-appearance/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130723143556/https://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/11/30/sportsline/main5838742.shtml |archive-date=July 23, 2013 |access-date=September 21, 2010 |work=CBS News}}

On December 2, following Us Weekly magazine's previous day reporting of a purported mistress and subsequent release of a voicemail message allegedly left by Woods for the woman,{{cite web |url=http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/hear-tiger-panic-to-mistress-my-wife-may-be-calling-you-2009212 |title=Hear Tiger Panic to Mistress: "My Wife May Be Calling You" |date=December 2, 2009 |work=Us Weekly |access-date=April 8, 2016}} Woods released a further statement. He admitted transgressions and apologized to "all of those who have supported [him] over the years", while reiterating his and his family's right to privacy.{{cite web |url=http://web.tigerwoods.com/news/article/200912027740572/news/ |title=Tiger comments on current events |date=December 2, 2009 |publisher=TigerWoods.com |access-date=December 4, 2009 |first=Tiger |last=Woods |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091203095255/http://web.tigerwoods.com/news/article/200912027740572/news/ |archive-date=December 3, 2009 }} Over the next few days, more than a dozen women claimed in various media outlets to have had affairs with Woods.{{cite news |last=Dahlberg |first=Tim |date=December 12, 2009 |title=Two weeks that shattered the legend of Tiger Woods |work=Fox News |agency=Associated Press |url=http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2009Dec12/0,4670,GLFTigerapossTerribleTime,00.html |access-date=January 23, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101127033910/https://www.foxnews.com/wires/2009Dec12/0,4670,GLFTigerapossTerribleTime,00.html |archive-date=November 27, 2010}} On December 11, he released a third statement admitting to infidelity and he apologized again. He also announced that he would be taking "an indefinite break from professional golf."

In the days and months following Woods's admission of multiple infidelities, several companies re-evaluated their relationships with him. Accenture, AT&T, Gatorade, and General Motors completely ended their sponsorship deals, while Gillette suspended advertising featuring Woods.{{cite news |url=https://www.espn.com/golf/news/story?id=4784720|title=AT&T cuts connection with Woods |date=January 1, 2010 |agency=Associated Press |work=ESPN |access-date=January 23, 2012}}

• {{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8458194.stm |title=GM ends car loans for Tiger Woods |work=BBC News |date=January 13, 2010 |access-date=January 13, 2010 |location=London}}
• {{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8540167.stm |title=Tiger Woods loses Gatorade sponsorship |work=BBC News |date=February 27, 2010 |access-date=September 5, 2010}} TAG Heuer dropped Woods from advertising in December 2009 and officially ended their deal when his contract expired in August 2011. Golf Digest magazine suspended Woods's monthly column beginning with the February 2010 issue.Golf Digest, February 2010. In contrast, Nike continued to support Woods, as did Electronic Arts, which was working with Woods on the game Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online.{{cite news |url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/golf-woods-idUKN0420745020100105 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170130211144/http://uk.reuters.com/article/golf-woods-idUKN0420745020100105 |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 30, 2017 |title=EA Sports moves forward with Tiger game rollout |last=Klayman |first=Ben |date=January 4, 2010 |work=Reuters |access-date=January 23, 2012}} A December 2009 study estimated the shareholder loss caused by Woods' affairs to be between $5 billion and $12 billion.{{cite news |newspaper=Daily News|location=New York |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/tiger-woods-mistress-scandal-costs-shareholders-sponsors-nike-gatorade-12-billion-article-1.432269 |title=Tiger Woods' mistress scandal costs shareholders of sponsors like Nike, Gatorade $12 billion |date=December 29, 2012 |first=Dave |last=Goldiner}}

On February 19, 2010, Woods gave a televised statement in which he said he went through a 45-day therapy program that began at the end of December. He again apologized for his actions. "I thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to", he said. "I felt that I had worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me. I felt I was entitled. Thanks to money and fame, I didn't have to go far to find them. I was wrong. I was foolish." He said he did not know yet when he would be returning to golf.{{cite news |title=Tiger Woods apologises to wife Elin for affairs |work=BBC Sport |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/golf/8521060.stm |access-date=February 23, 2010 |date=February 19, 2010 |location=London}}{{cite news |agency=ASAP Sports |url=http://web.tigerwoods.com/news/article/201002198096934/news/ |title=Transcript: Tiger's public statement |publisher=Web.tigerwoods.com |date=February 19, 2010 |access-date=September 5, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100920054125/http://web.tigerwoods.com/news/article/201002198096934/news |archive-date=September 20, 2010 }} On March 16, he announced that he would play in the 2010 Masters.{{cite news |title=Woods' return shows he's ready to win |work=Fox Sports |date=March 17, 2010 |url=http://www.foxsports.com/golf/story/Tiger-Woods-return-at-Masters-shows-he-is-ready-to-win-031710 |access-date=March 23, 2010 |first=Jeff |last=Rude}}

After six years of marriage, Woods and Nordegren divorced on August 23, 2010.{{cite magazine |url=https://people.com/celebrity/tiger-woods-and-elin-nordegrens-divorce-is-final/ |title=Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren's Divorce Is Final |magazine=People |date=August 23, 2010 |access-date=September 5, 2010 |first=Steve |last=Helling}}

On March 18, 2013, Woods announced that he and Olympic gold medal skier Lindsey Vonn were dating.{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/gameon/2013/03/18/tiger-woods-lindsey-vonn-facebook-photos/1996839/ |title=Tiger Woods announces his relationship with Lindsey Vonn |newspaper=USA Today |first=Chris |last=Chase |date=March 18, 2013 |access-date=March 18, 2013}} They split up in May 2015.{{cite web |url=https://www.pgatour.com/news/2015/05/03/tiger-woods-lindsey-vonn-end-relationship.html |title=Woods, Vonn end relationship |publisher=PGA Tour |agency=Associated Press |date=May 3, 2015 |access-date=August 16, 2018 |archive-date=August 17, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180817055933/https://www.pgatour.com/news/2015/05/03/tiger-woods-lindsey-vonn-end-relationship.html |url-status=dead }} From November 2016 to August 2017, Woods was rumored to be in a relationship with stylist Kristin Smith.{{Cite web |date=August 10, 2017|title=Tiger Woods Clarifies His Relationship Status With Stylist Kristin Smith|url=https://www.eonline.com/news/872798/tiger-woods-clarifies-his-relationship-status-with-stylist-kristin-smith |access-date=August 11, 2020 |publisher=E! |first=Kendall |last=Fisher}} Between late 2017 and late 2022, Woods was in a relationship with restaurant manager Erica Herman. However, in early 2023, Herman filed suit against Woods in relation to a non-disclosure agreement, alleging that it violates the Speak Out Act. Herman claimed that she was owed $30 million after an oral agreement was breached when Woods' trust's employees "locked her out of the Residence, removed her personal belongings, and informed her she could not return."{{Cite magazine |title=Lawsuit Against Tiger Woods Reveals Ups and Downs with Ex-Girlfriend Erica Herman: All the Details |url=https://people.com/sports/tiger-woods-lawsuit-details-relationship-with-ex-erica-herman/ |magazine=People |first=Natasha |last=Dye |date=March 9, 2023 |access-date=2023-03-09}} On March 23, 2025, he confirmed his relationship with Vanessa Trump.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm2n7d03x8xo |title=Tiger Woods confirms relationship with Trump's ex daughter-in-law |last=Mao |first=Frances |date=March 24, 2025 |work=BBC News |access-date=March 25, 2025}}

File:Dashboard camera video of Tiger Woods' DUI arrest, May 29, 2017.webm

On May 29, 2017, Woods was arrested near his home in Jupiter Island, Florida, by the Jupiter Police Department at about 3:00 am. EDT for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. He was asleep in his car, which was stationary in a traffic lane with its engine running. He later stated that he took prescription drugs and did not realize how they might interact together.{{cite web |title=Booking Blotter |publisher=Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office |date=May 29, 2017 |url=https://www2.pbso.org/blotter/index.cfm?fa=searchresults1&fr=1&f=1&xisi=420d16c7-1318-4ead-b4a0-f0b6aa68a5a9&start_date=05%2F28%2F2017&end_date=05%2F29%2F2017&lastName=woods&firstName=&Address1=&City=&Statute=&arrestingAgency=&process=Process+Search }}{{Dead link|date=April 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite news |first1=Harriet |last1=Alexander |first2=Ben |last2=Curtis |date=May 29, 2017 |title=Tiger Woods blames driving arrest on 'prescribed medications', not alcohol |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/golf/2017/05/29/tiger-woodsarrested-charges-driving-influence/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/golf/2017/05/29/tiger-woodsarrested-charges-driving-influence/ |archive-date=January 10, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |work=The Telegraph }}{{cite news |last=Schlabach |first=Mark |title=Tiger found asleep at wheel, blew 0.00 on test |work=ESPN |date=2017-05-30 |url=https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/19496396/tiger-woods-found-asleep-car-arrest-dui-charge |access-date=2024-07-24}} On July 3, 2017, Woods tweeted that he completed an out-of-state intensive program to tackle an unspecified issue.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2017/07/03/tiger-woods-announces-that-hes-completed-a-private-intensive-program/ |title=Tiger Woods announces that he's completed a 'private intensive program' |first=Des |last=Bieler |date=July 3, 2017 |newspaper=The Washington Post}} At his arraignment on August 9, 2017, Woods had his attorney Douglas Duncan submit a not guilty plea for him and agreed to take part in a first-time driving under the influence offender program and attend another arraignment on October 25.{{cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/tiger-woods-skips-florida-dui-hearing-pleads-guilty/story?id=49111680 |title=Tiger Woods pleads not guilty to DUI charges |work=ABC News |first=Morgan |last=Winsor |date=August 9, 2017}}{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/crime/2017/08/09/tiger-woods-entered-into-dui-first-offender-program-videos/550039001/ |title=Tiger Woods to take part in DUI first-offender program – Videos |newspaper=USA Today |first=Will |last=Greenlee |date=August 10, 2017}}

At a hearing on October 27, 2017, Woods pleaded guilty to reckless driving. He received a year of probation, was fined $250, and ordered to undergo 50 hours of community service along with regular drug tests. He was not allowed to drink alcohol during the probation, and if he violated the probation he would be sentenced to 90 days in jail with an additional $500 fine.{{cite news |title=Tiger Woods found guilty of reckless driving |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/golf/ct-tiger-woods-pleads-guilty-reckless-driving-20171027-story.html |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |first1=Curt |last1=Anderson |first2=Terry |last2=Spencer |agency=Associated Press |date=October 27, 2017 |access-date=April 17, 2020 |archive-date=November 3, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181103070913/https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/golf/ct-tiger-woods-pleads-guilty-reckless-driving-20171027-story.html |url-status=dead }}

On February 23, 2021, Woods survived a serious rollover car crash in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.{{Cite news |url=https://www.cbssports.com/golf/news/tiger-woods-involved-in-serious-car-wreck-pulled-out-with-jaws-of-life-with-major-damage-to-vehicle/ |title=Tiger Woods involved in serious car wreck, pulled out with jaws of life with major damage to vehicle |date=February 23, 2021 |last=Porter |first=Kyle |work=CBS Sports |access-date=February 23, 2021}} The wreck was a single-vehicle collision and Woods was the sole occupant of the vehicle, which was traveling north along Hawthorne Boulevard.{{Cite news |last1=Bogel-Burroughs |first1=Nicholas |last2=Pennington |first2=Bill |last3=Draper |first3=Kevin |date=February 23, 2021 |title=Tiger Woods Is Hospitalized After Car Crash |url=https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/02/23/sports/tiger-woods-crash |access-date=July 16, 2021 |newspaper=The New York Times |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/23/tiger-woods-injured-in-vehicle-crash-officers-used-jaws-of-life-to-rescue-him.html |title=Tiger Woods injured in crash, jaws of life were used to rescue him |date=February 23, 2021 |last=Mangan |first=Dan |work=NBC Sports |access-date=February 23, 2021}}{{Cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/graphics/2021/02/23/tiger-woods-injured-car-crash-updates-and-location-crash-site/4564251001/ |title=Tiger Woods injured in car wreck: Maps, updates, and location of crash site |date=February 23, 2021 |last=Padilla |first=Ramon |newspaper=USA Today |access-date=February 24, 2021}}

He was taken to the Harbor–UCLA Medical Center by ambulance.{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Hayley |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-02-23/tiger-woods-injured-after-car-accident-la |title=Tiger Woods hospitalized after serious rollover crash near Rancho Palos Verdes |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=February 23, 2021 |access-date=February 23, 2021}} The incident was under investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which said the car "sustained major damage", and that Woods was driving over {{convert|80|mph|km/h|0}}, nearly twice the speed limit, before he crashed. No charges were filed.{{Cite news |last=Winton |first=Richard |date=April 7, 2021 |title=Tiger Woods was driving over 80 mph, nearly twice the speed limit, before he crashed |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-04-07/la-county-sherriff-says-speeding-caused-tiger-woods-crash |access-date=April 7, 2021 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times}}{{Cite news |last=Harig |first=Bob |date=February 23, 2021 |title=Tiger Woods hospitalized after vehicle rolls over in crash |work=ESPN |url=https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/30951717/tiger-woods-hospitalized-vehicle-rolls-crash |access-date=February 23, 2021}}{{Cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/tiger-woods-hurt-rollover-crash-california-sheriff/story?id=76070661 |title=Tiger Woods hurt in rollover crash in California: Sheriff |date=February 23, 2021 |last=Shapiro |first=Emily |work=ABC News |access-date=February 23, 2021}} Woods's agent later said that he sustained multiple leg injuries and had surgery for non-life-threatening injuries.

File:Barack Obama meets Tiger Woods 4-20-09.jpg in the Oval Office, April 2009]]

Woods was raised as a Buddhist. He actively practiced his faith from childhood until well into his adult professional golf career.{{cite news |title=Tiger Woods makes emotional apology for infidelity |work=BBC News |date=February 19, 2010 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/golf/8521060.stm |access-date=February 26, 2010 |location=London}} In a 2000 article, Woods was quoted as saying that he "believes in Buddhism ... not every aspect, but most of it."{{cite magazine |title=Gandhi and Tiger Woods |last=Wright |first=Robert |date=July 24, 2000 |magazine=Slate |url=http://www.slate.com/id/86898/ |access-date=August 13, 2007}} He has attributed his deviations and infidelity to his losing track of Buddhism. He said, "Buddhism teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint. Obviously I lost track of what I was taught."{{cite web |url=http://news.iskcon.org/node/2559/2010-02-23/tiger_woods_returns_to_buddhism |title=Tiger Woods Returns to Buddhism |access-date=March 11, 2010 |date=February 20, 2010 |publisher=ISKCON News |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100412005422/http://news.iskcon.org/node/2559/2010-02-23/tiger_woods_returns_to_buddhism |archive-date=April 12, 2010}}

Woods is registered as an independent voter.{{cite news |url=https://latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-na-tiger-woods13-2009dec13,0,1748884.story?track=rss |title=How did Tiger keep his secrets? |date=December 13, 2009 |first=Robin |last=Abcarian |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |access-date=December 13, 2009}} In January 2009, Woods delivered a speech commemorating the military at the We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial.*{{cite news |title=Tiger to speak at Lincoln Memorial |agency=Associated Press |work=ESPN |date=January 16, 2009 |url=https://www.espn.com/golf/news/story?id=3838781 |access-date=January 20, 2009 }}

• {{cite web |url=http://www.golftoday.co.uk/news/yeartodate/news_09/tiger_woods_1.html |title=Tiger Woods gives speech at Obama inauguration |work=Golf Today |date=January 21, 2009 |access-date=May 4, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526142209/http://www.golftoday.co.uk/news/yeartodate/news_09/tiger_woods_1.html |archive-date=May 26, 2011 |url-status=dead }} In April 2009, Woods visited the White House while promoting the golf tournament he hosts, the AT&T National.{{cite news |title=Tiger Woods in the White House |work=CBS News |date=April 23, 2009 |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/04/23/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry4964474.shtml |access-date=May 3, 2009 |first=Brian |last=Montopoli |archive-date=April 26, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090426043302/http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/04/23/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry4964474.shtml |url-status=dead }} In December 2016 and again in November 2017, Woods played golf with President Donald Trump at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach.{{cite news |last=Porter |first=Kyle |title=President Trump plays post-Thanksgiving golf with Tiger Woods and Dustin Johnson |url=https://www.cbssports.com/golf/news/president-trump-plays-post-thanksgiving-golf-with-tiger-woods-and-dustin-johnson/ |access-date=November 25, 2017 |publisher=CBS News |date=November 24, 2017}}

Amazon MGM Studios acquired the film rights to The Tiger Slam: The Inside Story of the Greatest Golf Ever Played by Kevin Cook. Reinaldo Marcus Green was set to direct the film, which would chronicle Woods' rise from a child prodigy to a dominant figure in professional golf.{{Cite magazine |last=Rubin |first=Rebecca |date=2025-03-12 |title=Tiger Woods Biopic Set at Amazon MGM, Obamas to Produce |url=https://variety.com/2025/film/news/tiger-woods-movie-biopic-amazon-1236335379/ |access-date=2025-03-12 |magazine =Variety}} Barack and Michelle Obama's Higher Ground Productions was in discussions to produce alongside veteran producer Irwin Winkler. The film is expected to focus on Woods' achievement of winning four consecutive major championships, known as the "Tiger Slam." The book presents the story through the perspectives of Woods' caddie, coach, idols, and opponents, offering insight into his career and approach to the game.{{Cite web |last=Fleming |first=Mike Jr |date=2025-03-12 |title=Tiger Woods' Formative Rise Set As Amazon MGM Film; Obamas' Higher Ground & 'King Richard's Reinaldo Marcus Green Circling 'The Tiger Slam' |url=https://deadline.com/2025/03/tiger-woods-movie-amazon-mgm-barack-obama-higher-ground-1236323297/ |access-date=2025-03-12 |website=Deadline Hollywood}}

• 2001: How I Play Golf, Warner Books, {{ISBN|978-0-446-52931-0}}
• 2017: The 1997 Masters: My Story (with Lorne Rubenstein), Grand Central Publishing, {{ISBN|978-1-4555-4358-8}}

• Career Grand Slam Champions
• List of golfers with most European Tour wins
• List of golfers with most PGA Tour wins
• List of golfers with most wins in one PGA Tour event
• List of longest PGA Tour win streaks
• List of men's major championships winning golfers
• List of world number one male golfers
• Most PGA Tour wins in a year

{{notelist}}

{{reflist}}

{{refbegin}}

• {{Cite book |last=Andrisani |first=John |title=The Tiger Woods Way: An Analysis of Tiger Woods' Power-Swing Technique |publisher=Three Rivers Press |location=New York |year=1997 |isbn=0-609-80139-2 |oclc=55124056 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/tigerwoodsway00john |ref=none}}
• {{Cite book |last=Clary |first=Jack |title=Tiger Woods |publisher=Tiger Books International |location=Twickenham, England |year=1997 |isbn=978-1-85501-954-6 |oclc=40859379|ref=none}}
• {{Cite book |title=Training a Tiger: A Father's Guide to Raising a Winner in Both Golf and Life |last1=Woods |first1=Earl |author-link1=Earl Woods |last2=McDaniel |first2=Pete |year=1997 |publisher=HarperCollins Publishers |location=New York |isbn=978-0-06-270178-7 |oclc=35925055 |url=https://archive.org/details/trainingtigerfat00wood |ref=none}}
• {{Cite book |last=Feinstein |first=John |author-link=John Feinstein |title=The Majors: In Pursuit of Golf's Holy Grail |publisher=Little, Brown |location=Boston |year=1999 |isbn=978-0-316-27971-0 |oclc=40602886 |url=https://archive.org/details/majorsinpursuito00fein |ref=none}}
• {{Cite book |title=Tiger Woods: A Biography |last=Londino |first=Lawrence J. |year=2006 |publisher=Greenwood Press |location=Westport, Connecticut |isbn=978-0-313-33121-3 |oclc=61109403 |url=https://archive.org/details/tigerwoodsbiogra00lond |ref=none}}
• {{Cite book |last=Rosaforte |first=Tim |title=Raising the Bar: The Championship Years of Tiger Woods |publisher=Thomas Dunne Books |location=New York |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-312-27212-8 |oclc=45248211 |url=https://archive.org/details/raisingbarchampi00rosa|ref=none }}
• {{cite book | title=Chasing Tiger | last=Sampson | first=Curt | author-link=Curt Sampson | year=2002 | isbn= 978-0743442121 | publisher=Atria |ref=none}}
• {{cite book | title=Tiger Woods | last1=Benedict | first1=Jeff | author-link1=Jeff Benedict | last2=Keteyian | first2=Armen | author-link2=Armen Keteyian | year=2018 | publisher=Simon & Schuster | isbn= 978-1501126420 |ref=none}}
• {{cite book | title=Roaring Back: The Fall and Rise of Tiger Woods | last=Sampson | first=Curt | author-link=Curt Sampson | year=2019 | publisher=Diversion Books | location=New York | isbn=978-1-63576-683-7 |ref=none}}
• {{cite book | title=Tiger, Tiger: The untold story of the G.O.A.T | last1=Patterson | first1=James |last2=de Jonge |first2=Peter | author-link1=James Patterson | author-link2=Peter de Jonge | year=2024 | publisher=Little, Brown and Company | location=New York | isbn= 978-0316438605 |ref=none}}

{{refend}}

{{Sister project links|wikt=no|b=no|q=Tiger Woods|s=no|commons=Category:Tiger Woods|n=Tiger Woods|v=no |voy=no }}

• {{official website|http://www.tigerwoods.com/}}
• {{PGATour player|08793}}
• {{EuroTour player|218}}
• {{JapanTour player|10875}}
• {{OWGR|5321}}
• {{IMDb name|971329}}

{{Tiger Woods}}

{{navboxes|title=Tiger Woods in the major championships

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{{The Masters champions}}

{{PGA Champions}}

{{U.S. Open champions}}

{{The Open champions}}

{{Men's Career Grand Slam Champion Golfers}}

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{{World Golf Championships winners|s|s|s||s}}

{{Players Championship champions}}

{{navboxes|title=Tiger Woods in the Ryder Cup

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{{1997 United States Ryder Cup team}}

{{1999 United States Ryder Cup team}}

{{2002 United States Ryder Cup team}}

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{{2006 United States Ryder Cup team}}

{{2010 United States Ryder Cup team}}

{{2012 United States Ryder Cup team}}

{{2018 United States Ryder Cup team}}

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{{navboxes|title=Tiger Woods in the Presidents Cup

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{{1998 United States Presidents Cup team}}

{{2000 United States Presidents Cup team}}

{{2003 United States Presidents Cup team}}

{{2005 United States Presidents Cup team}}

{{2007 United States Presidents Cup team}}

{{2009 United States Presidents Cup team}}

{{2011 United States Presidents Cup team}}

{{2013 United States Presidents Cup team}}

{{2019 United States Presidents Cup team}}

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{{U.S. Amateur champions}}

{{navboxes|title=Tiger Woods awards and achievements

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{{Golf world number ones (men)}}

{{PGA Players of the Year}}

{{FedEx Cup Playoffs}}

{{PGA Tour Rookie of the Year}}

{{Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year navbox}}

{{SI Sportsman of the Year}}

{{ESPY Male Athlete}}

{{Laureus World Sportsman of the Year}}

{{Laureus World Sports Award for Comeback of the Year}}

{{L'Équipe Champion of Champions}}

{{BBC Sports Personality World Sport Star of the Year}}

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{{s-bef|before={{flagicon|USA}} Maurice Greene}}

{{s-ttl|title=BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year|years=2000}}

{{s-aft|after={{flagicon|CRO}} Goran Ivanišević}}

{{s-bef|before={{flagicon|USA}} Andre Agassi}}

{{s-ttl|title=L'Équipe Champion of Champions|years=2000}}

{{s-aft|after={{flagicon|GER}} Michael Schumacher}}

{{s-end}}

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{{Portalbar|Biography|Sports|United States}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Woods, Tiger}}

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