Tiger Woods: The Complete Career Guide
Tiger Woods won 15 major championships between 1997 and 2019. He won his first at age 21 and his last at age 43. In between, he redefined what professional golf looked like — the athleticism, the preparation, the intimidation factor — in ways the sport had never experienced and has not experienced since. He also experienced injuries that would have ended most careers two or three times over before winning the 2019 Masters in one of sport's most celebrated comebacks.
The Early Years: 1997-2002
Woods turned professional in August 1996 after winning three consecutive US Amateur championships. He won two PGA Tour events before the year was out. At the 1997 Masters — his first major as a professional — he shot 270 and won by 12 shots. The field that week included Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Nick Faldo, Fred Couples, and every other significant player in the game. Woods finished 18 under par. The next lowest score was 12 under.
The 1997 Masters performance remains the defining statement of early-career dominance in modern major championship history. Augusta National was redesigned in response — several holes were lengthened specifically because of what Woods had done there. A course had never been modified in reaction to a single player's performance.
By 2000, Woods was playing the best golf of his career. He won the US Open at Pebble Beach by 15 shots — the largest margin of victory in major championship history. He won the Open Championship at St Andrews by eight shots. He won the PGA Championship at Valhalla. Three majors in a single calendar year, and four consecutive majors counting the 2001 Masters — what became known as the "Tiger Slam," holding all four major championship trophies simultaneously.
The Middle Years: 2005-2008
After a brief period where the field began to close the gap — Vijay Singh won Player of the Year in 2004; Phil Mickelson was winning majors — Woods restructured his swing for the second time and returned to dominance in 2005. He won the Masters and the Open Championship that year. In 2006 he won the Open Championship and PGA Championship. In 2007 he won the PGA Championship again.
The 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines — played on one leg, with a left knee that required reconstructive surgery two days after the tournament — is the most physically remarkable performance in major championship history. Woods played 91 holes on a torn anterior cruciate ligament and two stress fractures in his tibia, won in an 18-hole playoff over Rocco Mediate, and then had surgery. He did not play another major until 2009.
The Lost Years: 2009-2018
The decade between the 2008 US Open and the 2019 Masters was characterized by serial injuries, multiple back surgeries, personal turmoil that became one of sport's most publicized stories, and the persistent question of whether Woods would ever win a major championship again. He won other tournaments. He returned to world number one. He never won a major. The last of the four back surgeries — a spinal fusion in April 2017 — was the procedure that finally stabilized his back, at the cost of reduced flexibility and driving distance.
The 2019 Masters: The Return
On April 14, 2019, Tiger Woods made par on the 18th hole at Augusta National and won his fifth Masters title and 15th major championship. It had been 11 years since his last major. He was 43 years old, four years removed from a spinal fusion surgery. His mother was waiting at the back of the green. He embraced her and held on.
The gallery that followed him on the final nine that Sunday — the noise building hole by hole, the crowd converging on the 18th green — produced a sound Augusta had not generated since Nicklaus in 1986. It was the most celebrated individual sporting comeback since Muhammad Ali.
The Records
Woods holds or co-holds most of the significant professional golf records: 15 major championships (second to Nicklaus's 18), 82 PGA Tour wins (tied with Sam Snead for the all-time record), 683 weeks as world number one, 11 PGA Tour Player of the Year awards. He was also the first billion-dollar athlete — the first professional athlete to accumulate $1 billion in career earnings primarily through endorsements rather than prize money.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many majors has Tiger Woods won?
Tiger Woods has won 15 major championships: five Masters (1997, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2019), three US Opens (2000, 2002, 2008), three Open Championships (2000, 2005, 2006), and four PGA Championships (1999, 2000, 2006, 2007).
Will Tiger Woods break Jack Nicklaus's major record?
Tiger Woods needs three more major championships to match Jack Nicklaus's record of 18. Given Woods's age (47 as of 2023) and ongoing recovery from a severe leg injury sustained in a 2021 car accident, surpassing Nicklaus's record is no longer considered likely by most analysts. Whether Woods can win even one more major remains an open question.
What is Tiger Woods's best season?
The 2000 season is universally considered Tiger Woods's best — three major championships (US Open by 15 shots, Open Championship by eight shots, PGA Championship), a total of nine PGA Tour wins, and the beginning of the Tiger Slam that continued with the 2001 Masters.