A brief rundown of his career stats and victories quickly makes it clear that Tiger Woods is a legend in the making. Just look at his performance in major tournaments for example. He's already won the Masters four times, British Open three times, PGA Championship three times and the US Open twice ("About Tiger: Biography"). Tiger is one of only five golfers to accomplish a career grand slam ("Tiger Woods - Media Guide"). And after winning the 2001 Masters, he became the only golfer to ever hold the title to all four majors at one time ("About Tiger: Biography").
Not only does Tiger Woods find ways to win the majors, he also finds ways to break their scoring records. He has broken or tied the scoring records for each major tournament: 270, 18 under par for the Masters; 272, 12 under par for the US Open; 269, 19 under par for the British Open; and 270, 18 under par for the PGA Championship ("About Tiger: Biography").
Tiger Woods has other records to his name as well, like the seasons earnings record, the youngest player to reach 20 PGA Tour wins, the youngest golfer to reach the No. 1 spot on the Official World Golf Rankings and the youngest to ever achieve a career grand slam ("About Tiger: Biography," "Tiger Woods - Media Guide").
His statistics on the course echo his records and victory lists. For the 2006 Season, Tiger Woods ranked first in about 20 PGA Tour stat rankings. Those included making 74.15% of greens in regulation, a birdie average of 4.65, a scoring average of 68.11 and breaking par on 27.14% of holes ("Tiger Woods"). His list of stats is impressive to say the least.
Tiger Woods' statistics, records and victories tell only half the story. If you look back to his early years, you'll see the beginnings of a golf star. Born Dec. 30, 1975, in Cypress, California not far from Los Angeles, Eldrick "Tiger" Woods took to golf like a fish to water ("About Tiger: Biography"). Before he could even walk Tiger studied the game from a high chair as his dad, Earl, practiced hitting balls into a net (Doeden). Tiger was swinging a club at nine months and was on the driving range by 18 months. By three years old, he shot a 48 for nine holes ("About Tiger: Biography"). That's better than some golfers can claim on any day.
Tiger's talent drew attention from the start. At age two, he got a spot on the "Mike Douglas Show" putting against Bob Hope, and by five he was showcased in Golf Digest ("Tiger Woods - Media Guide"). Tiger was a natural at golf and at showbiz.
Even with golf and stardom, Tiger manage to do well in school. To keep him on track, his mom, Tida, always made him finish his homework before he could practice golf. The rule must have been effective because a teacher encouraged him to skip a grade; however, he declined because he wanted to remain with kids his age (Doeden).
Tiger worked hard at everything he did. He practiced golf almost every day from the time he could walk (Savage). His dad and mom both encouraged him to always believe in himself and give 100 percent effort on everything he did. All the hard work and long hours practicing have certainly paid off. There isn't another active golfer in the world who can match Tiger's accomplishments. And, the way things are going, there's a good chance he'll be known as the greatest golfer that has ever lived. Regardless, Tiger Woods is already writing golf history.
