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December 30,
1975 |
Eldrick Woods is born to Kultida and Earl Woods in Cypress, California. His father calls him "Tiger," the nickname of his Vietnam War buddy, Nguyen Phong, whom Earl Woods admired for his bravery.
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1978 |
The golf prodigy appears on the "The Mike Douglas Show" and hits balls with comedian Bob Hope.
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1981 |
The TV show "That's Incredible!" features Woods and his golfing talent.
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1984 |
Woods wins his first Junior World Championship, in the 10-and-under division.
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1991 |
The 15-year-old Woods becomes the youngest player to win the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship.
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1992 |
At 16, Woods becomes the youngest participant in a PGA Tour tournament when he enters the Nissan Open. He shoots five over par and misses the cut.
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1994 |
More golf history is made when Woods becomes the youngest winner of the U.S. Amateur Championship. He also becomes the only United States Golf Association (USGA) player to win both Junior Amateur and Amateur titles. He enters Stanford University on a golf scholarship.
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1995 |
Woods plays in his first professional major championship, the Masters, as an amateur. Stanford suspends him from the golf team for one day for writing Masters diaries for golf magazines.
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1996 |
Woods leaves Stanford and turns professional at age 20. He signs a $40 million promotional deal with Nike, plus a $20 million deal with Titleist, and goes on to his first professional victory at the PGA Tour's Las Vegas Invitational. Sports Illustrated magazine names Woods its Sportsman of the Year. The young pro launches the Tiger Woods Foundation to provide scholarships and access to golf courses for inner-city children.
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1997 |
Beating records set by golf legends Jack Nicklaus and Raymond Floyd, Woods wins the Masters with a 72-hole, 270 score. The youngest player to win the Masters, Woods lands in the top spot of the Official World Golf Ranking.
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1998 |
An 11-tournament losing streak causes Woods' ranking to slump. He wins only one Tour victory during the year, the BellSouth Classic.
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1999 |
Following his brief losing streak, Woods rebounds to win six consecutive tournaments. He becomes the first golfer to earn more than $6 million in a single year.
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2000 |
Woods wins the U.S. Open, the British Open and the PGA Championship for the second year in a row.
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2001 |
Woods wins the Masters, his fourth consecutive Majors win.
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