Capping an almost surreal year, Tiger establishes the Tiger
Woods Foundation, which will help fund scholarships across the country, set up
clinics and provide access to golf courses for inner-city children.
April 1997
Finishing with a 72-hole 270 at the Masters, the 21-year-old Tiger
breaks the tournament stroke record (271) shared by Jack Nicklaus and Raymond
Floyd. Tiger's margin of victory -- 12 strokes -- helps him become the youngest
Masters champion ever and first person of Asian or African heritage to win a
major.
June 15, 1997
In just his 42nd week as a professional, Tiger achieves No. 1 on
the Official World Golf Ranking. It is the fastest any golfer has risen to No.
1. Tiger also becomes the youngest golfer to be ranked on top (at 21 years, 24
weeks), eclipsing Bernhard Langer's previous mark of 29 years, 31 weeks in
1986.
1997
Tiger is chosen as the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year.
He is only the fifth golfer in history to be presented with the award, joining
Gene Sarazen (1935), Byron Nelson (1944-45), Ben Hogan (1953) and Lee Trevino
(1971).
January 1998
In Thailand Tiger roars back from eight shots down in the final
round to upstage Ernie Els in a playoff at the Johnnie Walker Classic. "I
wouldn't say Tiger won that tournament," said Els afterward. Of Woods'
spastic fist-pumping following the win, Els said with a broad grin, "That's
his trademark. It's good for
TV."
March 5, 1998
Billy Mayfair beats Tiger in a playoff at the Nissan Open. It is
the first time he loses in a playoff.
March 1998
Tiger dumps his caddie, Fluff Cowan, in part because Cowan's
mushrooming celebrity is becoming too
bothersome.
April 1998
Tiger, who has only won once since July of '97, hears whispers that
his career might be turning into a disappointment after he loses to Mark O'Meara
by six strokes at the Masters. Tiger, 23, considers such hair-trigger
assessments so much bunk. "I've got a very long road ahead of me," he
says. "I know I'm on the right track, but sometimes it takes longer to show
than you'd
like."
May 10, 1998
Tiger takes the BellSouth Classic to end an 11-tournament winless
streak. It will be his only victory on the Tour in
1998.
June 6-August 15, 1999
Putting an end to questions about his ability, Tiger
wins three out of five events. "It can never be as crazy as it was,"
he says of the hysteria over the past year. "I've gone through it once, so
I'll know how to handle
it.
August 29, 1999
With a victory at the World Series of Golf, Tiger starts a
remarkable streak, during which he wins six consecutive
tournaments.
1999
Tiger becomes the first golfer in history to earn more than $6 million in
one year. He finishes with total earnings of $6,616,585 for the season. "We
all ought to be thankful he's out here," says Tour veteran Steve Pate.
"Because of him we're playing for a helluva lot more
money."
1999
Tiger is chosen the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year for
the second time in three years. Woods finishes the
year with an average of 68.43 strokes, the lowest ever in PGA Tour
history.
February 7, 2000
Down seven strokes with seven holes to play at the Pebble
Beach National Pro-Am, Tiger tops off an improbable comeback with a one-stroke
victory over Matt Gogel. Tiger becomes the first player since Ben Hogan in 1948
to win six straight Tour events, and inches closer to Byron Nelson's all-time
mark of 11 set in 1945. "I don't know about destiny," says Gogel.
"He's just damned good." But, citing a loss in a non-Tour event
several weeks before, Tiger says, "That wasn't a streak. I look at a streak
as I don't lose --
literally."
