Golf Alarab · Icon profile · Updated 28 October 2026
Tiger Woods
The champion who changed the game.
From a history-making Masters victory at 21 to a record-tying 82 PGA TOUR wins, Tiger Woods reshaped expectations of what a golfer could achieve—and how far the game could reach. His story combines extraordinary dominance, defining comebacks and a legacy that extends beyond the course.
Built for the biggest stage
A prodigy who became a defining competitor of his generation.
Born Eldrick Tont Woods on 30 December 1975 in Cypress, California, Tiger Woods showed remarkable skill from an early age. Before turning professional, he won three consecutive U.S. Junior Amateur titles from 1991 to 1993 and then three consecutive U.S. Amateur titles from 1994 to 1996. He also won the 1996 NCAA individual championship while attending Stanford University.
Woods turned professional in 1996. His first full season quickly changed the conversation around golf: in April 1997, aged 21, he won the Masters Tournament by 12 strokes, setting a then-record winning margin and becoming the youngest champion in the tournament’s history. The performance announced not just a new star, but a player capable of changing the sport’s competitive and cultural landscape.
His best years were built on a rare blend of power, precise iron play, a formidable short game and relentless control under pressure. Woods did not simply win often; at his peak, he frequently separated himself from fields that already contained the world’s best players.
A feat with its own name
The Tiger Slam · 2000–01
Woods won the U.S. Open, The Open Championship and PGA Championship in 2000, then captured the 2001 Masters. That sequence meant he held all four professional men’s major titles at the same time—a remarkable run commonly known as the “Tiger Slam”. The titles crossed two seasons, so it was not a calendar-year Grand Slam.
A career told in defining moments
The milestones that shaped the record—and the wider story.
Junior dominance
Wins three consecutive U.S. Junior Amateur championships and emerges as a standout young golfer.
Three U.S. Amateur titles
Wins the U.S. Amateur three years in a row, then adds the 1996 NCAA individual championship at Stanford.
A landmark Masters
Wins his first major at Augusta National by 12 strokes at age 21, establishing a new Masters benchmark.
A historic U.S. Open
Wins at Pebble Beach by 15 strokes—the largest margin of victory in a major championship.
The Tiger Slam
Completes the four-major sequence across consecutive seasons by winning the 2001 Masters.
A third U.S. Open
Wins at Torrey Pines after an 18-hole Monday playoff and sudden-death hole against Rocco Mediate.
A fifth green jacket
Returns to the top of a major championship leaderboard at the Masters, earning his 15th major title.
Influence off the course
Expands his work in education, philanthropy, event production and golf-course design through TGR.
The major-championship record
All 15 professional major victories, grouped by championship.
The Masters
5PGA Championship
4U.S. Open
3The Open Championship
3Major totals and years checked against Woods’ official records and championship history. PGA TOUR victory total: 82, tied with Sam Snead for the most in TOUR history.
What made Woods so difficult to beat?
The qualities behind his most dominant stretches.
Power with precision
Length off the tee was only one part of the advantage. His ability to pair power with aggressive, accurate iron play put pressure on opponents across the whole course.
The complete short game
Touch around the greens, recovery shots and putting helped turn difficult situations into scoring opportunities and kept rounds alive when his long game was tested.
Competitive intensity
Woods’ focus and capacity to sustain pressure became central to his reputation, especially during the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Beyond the ropes
Education, philanthropy and the design of the game.
Woods’ influence extends beyond tournament results. Through the TGR Foundation, he has supported education and learning opportunities for young people. His wider TGR work also includes TGR Design, which develops golf-course projects, and TGR Live, which produces events.
That wider legacy matters because Woods helped broaden golf’s audience while building an enduring public profile that connects elite sport, design, business and charitable work.
Explore the championships
Read Golf Alarab’s guides to the stages where Woods made history.
Records and further reading
- PGA TOUR: player profile and career statistics
- Tiger Woods: official biography
- Tiger Woods: official records
- USGA: the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach
Career statistics are historical records; any future participation or current-form information should be checked against official announcements and recent reporting before publication.
