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A New Biography Traces Tiger Woods’s Mythical Rise and Fall

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By Dwight Garner

• March 19, 2018

There have been many biographies of Tiger Woods, and surely there will be many more. Some are friendly and shyly philosophical, like David Owen’s early “The Chosen One,” from 2001. Others are curmudgeonly and expert about golf, like Tom Callahan’s “His Father’s Son” (2010).

Amid these books, “Tiger Woods,” the new biography from Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian, rides in as if on 18 wheels, for better and only occasionally worse. It’s a confident and substantial book that’s nearly as sleek as a Christopher Nolan movie. It makes a sweet sound, like a well-struck golf ball.

I found it exhilarating, depressing, tawdry and moving in almost equal measure. It’s a big American story that rolls across barbered lawns and then leaves you stranded in some all-night Sam’s Club of the soul. It reminded me of a line from Martin Amis’s new book of essays: “How drunk was Scott Fitzgerald when he said there were no second acts in American lives?”

The authors have hoovered up everything there is to be learned from previous writing about Woods, and then interviewed more than 250 people on their own. (They declined to interview Woods after he set draconian conditions.) They bring grainy new detail to almost every aspect of Woods’s life.

Better, they have a knack for scene-setting. They tuck us inside Woods’s private plane as the desert gives way to Las Vegas’s megaresorts to open a chapter about Woods’s exploits in that city, sometimes with Michael Jordan or Charles Barkley in tow. They refresh old stories by telling them from new angles.

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Tiger Woods Paperback – 2 April 2019

• Print length 512 pages
• Language English
• Publication date 2 April 2019
• Dimensions 13.97 x 2.54 x 21.27 cm
• ISBN-10 150112644X
• ISBN-13 978-1501126444
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Tiger Woods Paperback

Shortlisted for the william hill sports book of the year 2018.

By Jeff Benedict, Armen Keteyian

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'an iconic figure': james patterson pens new biography of golfing great tiger woods, share this article.

James Patterson’s new biography of Tiger Woods is not the first to profile the legendary golfer.

But it is one of the few to share an extensive and diverse collection of personal stories about the 15-time major champion who was raised in Cypress, California, and now lives in Jupiter Island, Florida.

“Tiger, Tiger: His Life, As It’s Never Been Told Before,” was released Monday and is available online and in stores.

“He’s an important figure,” Patterson, a best-selling author and longtime Palm Beach resident, said of the 48-year-old Woods. “The Beatles were important. I wrote one about the Kennedys. This book is just story after story. It’s not the usual. It’s not the way most biographies are written. It’s not just full of dates and factoids. It just tells stories, which I think makes it pretty readable.”

Patterson, an avid golfer who has recorded nine holes-in-one, did not speak with Woods for the biography, he told the Daily News.

But he did reach out to dozens of people who knew him, worked with him or played golf with him.

The stories they shared make up the heart of the 448-page book, which covers Woods’ childhood as a young golf prodigy through current day.

“I talked to a lot of people,” Patterson said. “I talked to a lot of professional golfers, people at Nike, people I’ve caddied for, and people that know him on a personal level. Interestingly, people wanted to talk about him, and pretty much everything was positive — very positive. But nobody wanted attribution in the book, because he doesn’t like people talking about him. That’s apparently something everybody knows who is in his sphere.”

Stories shared by Patterson include one of a 5-year-old Woods telling TV host Mike Douglas that he was going to beat Jack Nicklaus “when he was 20 or so.”

Other stories highlight the relationship between Woods and his now-teenage daughter, Sam, who isn’t written about often, Patterson said.

James Patterson, author of “Tiger, Tiger” (Photo: Damon Higgins/Palm Beach Daily News)

“When he was inducted into the (World Golf) Hall of Fame, he asked her to speak,” Patterson said. “And she said, ‘I inducted you in the Dad Hall of Fame a long time ago,’ which I think speaks to how she felt about him. She would say things like, ‘I can’t really take you seriously as a person. How can I take somebody seriously who goes to Comic-Con dressed as Batman?,’ which is kind of cool.”

Patterson said he was inspired to write about Woods because of his own affinity for golf coupled with Woods’ status as a worldwide ambassador for the game.

“He’s important,” Patterson said of Woods. “He’s an iconic figure in our age, probably, of all the golfers. I mean, Patrick Mahomes is a terrific football player out of Kansas City, and LeBron James is a terrific basketball player. But somehow, Tiger rises above all of them, not just as a golfer. There’s something about him. Certainly he spread the game of golf to so many people beyond what it was, the kind of country club set.”

Tiger Woods poses with son, Charlie Woods, and daughter, Sam Woods, on the first tee during the final round of the PNC Championship at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club on December 17, 2023 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Patterson said he does not plan to embark on a book tour to promote “Tiger, Tiger,” but he will hit the road to promote his next book, “Hard to Kill,” which he co-authored with sports journalist Mike Lupica.

The book, which will be released July 29, marks Patterson’s fourth collaboration with Lupica and the second in the Jane Smith Thriller Series.

The series’ first book, “12 Months to Live” is in development at Max as a television series. Renée Zellweger is attached to star, Patterson said, and David E. Kelley is set to executive produce.

“It’s a really nice package, and we’re really excited about it,” Patterson said.

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About The Book

About the authors.

Jeff Benedict is the bestselling author of seventeen nonfiction books. He’s also a film and television producer. He is the coauthor of the #1 New York Times bestseller Tiger Woods. The book was the basis of the Emmy-nominated HBO documentary Tiger , which Benedict executive produced. The Dynasty, the definitive inside story of the New England Patriots under Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick, and Tom Brady, was a New York Times bestseller. The book is the basis of a forthcoming ten-part documentary series for Apple TV+, which Benedict is executive producing. His critically acclaimed book Poisoned is the basis of a Netflix documentary, which Benedict executive produced. His legal thriller Little Pink House was adapted into a motion picture starring Catherine Keener and Jeanne Tripplehorn. Benedict wrote Steve Young’s New York Times bestselling autobiography QB , which was the basis of an NFL Films documentary. Benedict’s upcoming biography of LeBron James will be published in 2023. 

Armen Keteyian is a CBS News correspondent based in New York and a longtime contributing correspondent to  60 Minutes.  An eleven-time Emmy Award winner, he is widely regarded as one of the finest investigative journalists in the country. A former writer-reporter at  Sports Illustrated , he is also the author or coauthor of ten previous books, including the New York Times bestsellers Raw Recruits and The System. Born and raised in Michigan, he now lives with his wife, Dede, in Fairfield, Connecticut, and San Clemente, California.

Product Details

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (April 2, 2019)
• Length: 512 pages
• ISBN13: 9781501126444

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Raves and Reviews

“Irresistible . . . Immensely readable . . . The authors have laid out a saga that is part myth, part Shakespeare, part Jackie Collins. . . . Benedict and Keteyian bring us along for the ride in a whirlwind of a biography that reads honest and true.” —Leigh Montville, The Wall Street Journal

“There is beauty and awe in this perfectly pitched biography . . . It has torque and velocity . . . It’s a confident and substantial book that’s nearly as sleek as a Christopher Nolan movie. It makes a sweet sound, like a well-struck golf ball. I found it exhilarating, depressing, tawdry and moving in almost equal measure. It’s a big American story. . . . The authors bring grainy new detail to almost every aspect of Woods’s life.” —Dwight Garner, The New York Times

“Comprehensive, propulsive, packed with incident . . . and unsparing.” —Ian Crouch, The New Yorker

“An ambitious 360-degree portrait of golf’s most scrutinized figure . . . The book features fresh reporting on almost every significant element of Woods’ story. . . . It is a book brimming with revealing details.” —Sam Weinman, Golf Digest

“I have been trying to write about Tiger since he was a teenager. I thought he was unknowable. This book proves me wrong. Here, finally, is Tiger Woods.” —Michael Bamberger, senior writer for Sports Illustrated and author of Men in Green

“Chilling . . . Exhaustively researched . . . The authors present Woods as a man ‘both blessed and cursed’ by his otherworldly ability to separate his off-the-course problems from his performance on it. Tiger Woods is a fascinating analysis of the former, but for golf fans—and probably for Woods himself—his worth will still be judged by the latter. . . . What Benedict and Keteyian do better than in any biography I’ve read about Woods is detail the human costs of this machine-like focus.” —John Paul Newport, Bloomberg Businessweek

“When you read Tiger Woods , you realize these are not just high-level reporting gotchas. This is Tiger’s life laid bare.” —Bryan Curtis, The Ringer

“Painstaking . . . An exhaustive dive into understanding who Tiger really is . . . Benedict and Keteyian provide extensive details.” — Financial Times

“A searing biography of golf’s most blazing talent.” — GOLF magazine

“Juicy . . . A far-reaching portrait of Tiger on and off the golf course . . . Plenty of new revelations, and incredible additional detail and insight into Tiger’s professional and personal life.” — Golf Digest

“Meticulously reported, scrupulously fair, endlessly interesting, Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian’s Tiger Woods reveals the human being long-hidden behind the golf genius. The story of Tiger’s passage from driven prodigy, to lonely hero, to disgraced celebrity is compelling, and often poignant, from first page to last.” —Jeffrey Toobin, author of American Heiress and The Nine

“If King Lear had been about golf, or if the great Russian novelists had turned their lens toward modern expectations and fame, toward the most American of fathers and sons, the result would be this book. The rise and fall and return of Tiger Woods in these pages is both mythic and poignantly small and human.” —Wright Thompson, senior writer, ESPN The Magazine

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The juicy details behind the new book about Tiger Woods: A Q&A with the authors

Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian, authors of the new book Tiger Woods , did a Q&A with Golf Digest by email exchange before the book’s publication March 27 by Simon & Schuster. (We’re releasing this Q&A in conjunction with an online book excerpt on Tiger’s dealings with Bill Clinton when Tiger invited the former president to be part of the grand opening of the Tiger Woods Learning Center in 2006.)

Guys, congratulations on the book. Plenty of new revelations, and incredible additional detail and insight into Tiger’s professional and personal life. To start, describe the cooperation of Team Tiger—rather, the lack of it—and how you worked around it by doing more than 400 interviews.

Understandably, Tiger chose not to talk with us for the book. However, he did authorize one of his doctors—Mark Lindsay, who served as his longtime chiropractor—to speak with us on the record. In addition to being interviewed, Lindsay provided us with a written explanation—technically, a legal declaration—that is the most comprehensive statement to date on whether Tiger used performance-enhancing drugs. At the same time, we analyzed the transcripts from over 300 Tiger Woods press conferences and read virtually everything Tiger has said in print and on television. We spent a year constructing a 120-page timeline of his life. And we did most of that before we interviewed more than 250 individuals from Tiger’s life. That was part of what we did to understand Tiger’s mind-set and incredibly eventful life.

There’s been a lot of anticipation about whether you would tackle the issue of PEDs in golf, and the treatments Tiger received from Dr. Anthony Galea as he rehabbed from one of his many surgeries almost a decade ago. Beyond what you’ve said above, what can you tell us about that in advance of the book’s publication date?

Not much. We’d like to keep what’s in the “Miracle Workers” chapter for the book.

Related: Read an excerpt from Tiger Woods on Tiger's round with Bill Clinton

You’ve reported and written a far-reaching portrait of Tiger on and off the golf course. If someone ran into you at a party today and asked, “What do you think of Tiger Woods?” how would you respond?

First, we might both answer that question differently. But we are in agreement that we think highly of him. His professional achievements are unparalleled. We see him in the same vein as Shakespeare. Someone no one had ever seen or will ever see again. What’s much less understood about him—and much more compelling—is his upbringing and his personal habits, which combine to make him one of the most complicated, misunderstood athletes of our time.

And how does that compare with some of the other high-profile people you’ve written about?

It’s difficult to compare Tiger to other high-profile athletes. Arguably, there hasn’t been another athlete in the past 50 years who has been more high-profile than Tiger. Muhammad Ali and Michael Jordan are obviously right there. But they came along before the Internet, cellphones, social media and the TMZ mentality. Everything Tiger did—from the jaw-dropping heroics on the golf course to the personal problems outside the ropes—were amplified and magnified beyond anything that any athlete had previously experienced.

The NCAA famously demanded that Tiger, then at Stanford, pay back the cost of a $25 meal with Arnold Palmer. You report that before Tiger went to college, IMG had been paying his father, Earl, an estimated $50,000 a year as a talent scout on the junior-golf circuit, and that IMG ended that during Tiger’s time at Stanford to avoid compromising his NCAA and USGA eligibility. You also report that in January 1996, Tiger’s final year at Stanford, Earl Woods put together a budget of $27,170 for travel to events, and you quote John Merchant—a longtime attorney for the family later fired by Earl Woods—laying out how an individual offered to finance it: “I saw to it that my guy gave me the money,” Merchant says. “And I got it to Earl. And Tiger participated in the tournaments.” You add that no one other than Merchant was to know who had given money to Tiger. Not even Tiger. Describe how it worked.

John Merchant played a pivotal, albeit largely invisible role in Tiger’s teenage years through his transition to becoming a pro. One of Merchant’s most important functions was helping to finance Tiger’s amateur career. As a lawyer and a member of the USGA’s executive committee, he knew the restrictions and limitations on paying amateurs. So he helped organize clinics and speeches where Tiger and Earl would appear at private clubs, particularly in Merchant’s home state, Connecticut. There, Tiger would put on an exhibition and Earl would give a speech. With money provided by individual club members, Earl would receive a speaking fee. That money—and we’re talking tens of thousands of dollars—was used to finance Tiger’s travel expenses, tournament-entrance fees, etc.

You describe how Tiger, while at Stanford, sent a break-up letter to a bewildered hometown girlfriend, the first real love of his life, that ended, Sincerely, Tiger , and eight months later apologized in another letter, which concluded, Warmest regards, Tiger . Do you think he wrote either letter? How much of that do you think came from his parents?

The letters were written by Tiger. That’s clear from the handwriting. The real question is whether Tiger’s parents influenced the content of the letters. In the case of the break-up letter, Tiger’s ex-girlfriend believes strongly that the letter was the result of Tiger’s parents. The apology letter, which is much more heartfelt, seems like it was clearly and exclusively the result of Tiger’s thoughts. The second letter also had the benefit of being written after sufficient time had passed, allowing for more measured and thoughtful words, whereas the break-up letter was written in a moment of haste.

In the 1996 U.S. Amateur final, Tiger was 2 down with three holes to play and had a six-footer to win the 34th hole. (Tiger had moved his ball marker on the green to accommodate his opponent, Steve Scott, who had made a tough par putt.) You report that as Tiger prepared to putt for birdie to cut the lead to 1 up, Scott stopped him and asked if he’d replaced his mark to its previous spot. (“Woods immediately paused, stood up, and reset his ball to the correct spot.”) If Tiger had putted without doing so, he would have lost the hole and the match. Tiger made the birdie putt and went on to win the title, but you report that he didn’t thank Scott or acknowledge his action. What did Scott think of that, then and now?

It’s fair to say that Steve Scott was deeply disappointed at the time. So was his caddie, Kristi Hommel, who is now his wife. It was a pretty bruising loss for Scott, and the lack of acknowledgment from Tiger was hurtful. However, when Tiger complimented Steve for his sportsmanship on the 20th anniversary of the match, his words went a long way to mending the past.

You quote a former nightclub owner in Las Vegas who said, “When Tiger got famous, he got mean.” How so?

At that time, Tiger was spending time with Michael Jordan. The two of them had a reputation for coming across as entitled and for being stingy when it came to tipping.

And do you see a “new” Tiger today?

Without a doubt. But that’s also not all that surprising. Like anyone who reaches his 40s, Tiger has changed. His body is different. His perspective has changed. There are new priorities. Plus, in Tiger’s case, there is the fact that he has gone through some very difficult personal challenges. His long battle with pain has perhaps been the biggest factor in changing his outlook. Immobility has a way making a person more acutely aware of and appreciative for the simple things in life. Then consider that Tiger was the best in the world at one thing. To suddenly be unable to do that one thing is devastating. But to regain that ability is no doubt exhilarating and gratifying and, to a certain degree, humbling. Tiger’s greatest achievement to date may be the fact that he has crawled out of a deep, dark hole and climbed back into contention. He’s given everyone—golf fans and everyday people—a reason to root for him

You report that at one point, Tiger was one of about 100 people in the country who had a $1 million line of credit with the MGM Grand in Vegas, and that at blackjack he would “routinely play $20,000 a hand, often two or more hands at a time.” What kind of a gambler was he?

A very good one. Competitive, with a mind for numbers. A “sharp,” in Las Vegas parlance, meaning he won more than he lost. It wasn’t unusual for him to walk away with $500,000 in winnings. And he rarely if ever chased big losses. Gamblers are rarely described as “disciplined,” but that fits Tiger.

We can’t skip the sex scandal. You quote one individual with direct knowledge of the promiscuous atmosphere at Earl’s home after his separation from Tiger’s mother, Tida, describing it as a “f------ rodeo.” And after Tiger’s 1995 U.S. Amateur victory, you describe a scene of Earl hitting on a young woman in a convenience store and Tiger saying, “Pop, c’mon. You can do better than that.” How did Tiger’s knowledge of his father’s womanizing weigh on him through the years? Do you think it played a role in Tiger’s later scandal?

Scott Clarke

We won’t weigh in on all of the particulars. Suffice it to say that Earl had an enormous influence on many aspects of Tiger’s life, including his attitudes toward women. But it’s also important to keep in mind that Tiger and his father were very different in some important ways. Most notably, by age 21, Tiger was a multimillionaire whose name recognition was known throughout the world. Before he was old enough to buy a drink, he had more power and influence than most Fortune 500 CEOs and high-ranking politicians. These factors can’t be overlooked when looking for answers to the scandal that engulfed him in 2009.

Shortly after the Tiger scandal became public, you report that his teacher at the time, Hank Haney, ran into Charles Barkley and asked him if he’d had any idea that Tiger had been seeing so many women. “Hank,” you quote Barkley replying, “let me ask you a question. I spent 10 to 15 days a year with Tiger. You spent 200 days a year with Tiger. If you didn’t f------ know, how in the f--- am I going to know?” After your reporting for the book, how many people do you think really knew what was going on?

Very few. His mother and his wife were in the dark. Members of his inner circle were unaware. His high school friend Bryon Bell was helping arrange rendezvous with women. [Agent] Mark Steinberg was certainly aware of allegations involving Tiger and other women. But it’s likely that no one other than Tiger “really knew what was going on.”

Do you think Tiger is happy today? Do you think he’ll win another major?

We think this is the happiest Tiger has been in his life. He has a girlfriend. He spends quality time with his kids. But most of all, he’s finally living a life without constant, debilitating pain. In terms of whether he’ll win another major, we certainly hope so. And given what we’ve witnessed in the past few weeks, we think he has an excellent chance.

One word to describe Tiger?

It’s hard to sum up Tiger in one word. How about four? One of a kind.

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Watch CBS News

A new biography asks, "Who is Tiger Woods?"

By David Morgan

Updated on: March 29, 2018 / 7:08 PM EDT / CBS News

Update: Please see below for responses from Woods' representatives and the authors.

A new biography, "Tiger Woods" (published by Simon & Schuster, a division of CBS), uncovers new information about the life and career of one of the greatest athletes ever. The co-authors, investigative journalist Armen Keteyian and Sports Illustrated writer Jeff Benedict, did more than 400 interviews with people close to Woods.

Appearing on "CBS This Morning," Keteyian said their goal in writing the book was to understand Woods. 

"The predominant question for both Jeff and I was, 'Who is Tiger Woods?' To understand Tiger, you really have to go back to the beginning, and really to his grandparents on his father's side, on Earl's side. That was really our mission: to take the whole arc of his life," he said.

"There have been a number of books written about Tiger, but they were all kind of segmented into certain parts of his life. Jeff and I tried to do this 360-degree view.

"When you start with that question, 'Who is Tiger Woods,' the other question is the price of fame and the price of genius."

The book goes in depth to explore Tiger's relationship with his parents, Earl and Kultida Woods.

Born in Thailand, Kutilda (also known as Tida) came to America knowing little of the language or culture, Benedict said: "She marries a man who was married when he married her, who was very unfaithful. So, from the very beginning she sort of swept into this situation in a relationship and in a country that's very foreign to her."

She gave to birth to Tiger, her only child, in 1975. "It happens right when her husband is taking up the sport of golf, and he's basically living in the garage when he's not at work, and the baby starts coming in and sitting in the high chair and watching his dad hit golf balls," Benedict said.

"So for her to have time with her son, she sits next to him in the high chair and in between hits puts food in his mouth, Gerber baby food or whatever it is. To me, if you look at formation of this young man, it all starts right there."

Keteyian and Benedict believe the disparaging language that Earl (who died in 2006) used towards his son had a lasting impact.

"Tiger's inability to show gratitude, apologize or express appreciation was rooted in his upbringing. His mother pampered him like a prince; his father rarely uttered the words 'thank you' or 'I'm sorry,'" they write in the book.

"Earl is a guy, I think, who felt like they were entitled," Benedict said. "When he recognized that his son had a talent that no one else had -- I mean, there were certain things about Tiger that he just had, and then there were other parts of him that I think were taught to him by the way he was raised -- but there was no question he had talent that was, I think, God-given. He was born with certain abilities that were honed by the way he was raised.

"But once they got out on the circuit as a junior golfer -- and the equivalent of Little League and Peewee Football for him was golf tournaments, where he's crushing everyone -- his dad just expected when they went to people's homes and tournaments, they were the best and should be treated that way. But [Tiger] didn't see, 'Thank you, we appreciate you.' He never saw that."

"His dad predicted at a very early age that he would be the greatest to ever play the game," said co-host Gayle King.

"'The chosen one,'" said Benedict. "Imagine that on your shoulders growing up."

Last year Tiger wrote a book in which he talked about the disparaging language that his father used towards him. "I have two sons and two daughters," said Benedict. "When I read that language, the first I thought was, wow, I can't imagine speaking that way to one of my children and expecting that that's going to make them do better. But Tiger looks back and reflects on that now and says it helped make him who he is on the golf course. That's one of the reasons he's so hard to beat."

Keteyian says that the golf star once considered remote and inaccessible has changed.

"I think it changed starting last year about this time, when he found himself on the side of a road in Florida with one helluva rock star cocktail of opioids in his system ," he said. "That was the bottom for Tiger. And because of his kids, and because he's now healthy for the first time in five years -- but he's spiritually healthy and emotionally healthy for the first time, I think, in his life."

Why? "I think because what happened on that Florida road was a complete wake-up call for him. And I think now he sees his children, he does not want to have the life that he had with his parents for his kids."

• "Tiger Woods" by Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian (Simon & Schuster); Available via Amazon .

Update: CBS News received the following statements since the original segment with Tiger Woods authors Armen Keteyian and Jeff Benedict aired on "CBS This Morning" on March 26, 2018.

Response from Tiger Woods' agent Mark Steinberg and publicist Glenn Greenspan:

"This book is just a re-hash from older books and articles and it's hard to tell if there's anything original at all. The authors even crib from Tiger's book last year, the  1997 Masters,  more than 80 times in almost half the chapters, 21 times in Chapter 11 alone. It's clear the sources they actually rely on are people that haven't spoken or interacted with Tiger for many years, most with ulterior motives.   

"The book is also littered with egregious errors. It describes Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer applauding at a dinner they never attended (p. 153), gets the ending wrong from the 1995 US Amateur (p. 97), gives tournaments (p. 130) and even the Tour the wrong names (p.146 and 287)  quotes a broadcaster who wasn't present at an event (p. 217), invents a press gathering that didn't occur (p. 320), gives the wrong name of Tiger's college golf coach (10 times beginning on p. 38-39) and portrays Tom Watson captaining the 2016 US Ryder Cup Team (p. 392). And those are just a few of the careless mistakes that jumped out at first glance despite the writers claiming they worked on the book for three years. 

"So if the authors can't even manage basic truth and accuracy on matters like that, then why should readers take anything else in this work seriously?"

Response from authors Armen Keteyian and Jeff Benedict:

"Between January 2016 and February 2018, we made repeated attempts to interview Tiger himself through his representatives, Glenn Greenspan and Mark Steinberg. As we write in our book, they imposed conditions for Tiger's cooperation that no serious journalist would accept. As for our sourcing and research, as responsible biographers we are very open in our book about the use of Tiger's own extensive written and public statements as a crucial source of insights, facts, and reflections. We credit these and other previously written books and articles about Tiger Woods for providing valuable reference and verification for our narrative. If we have made any inadvertent typographical or factual errors, we will correct them in future printings of the book. But let us be clear: We stand by the accuracy of our reporting and are proud to have produced a critically acclaimed book that answers a question many have asked for many years: Who is Tiger Woods?

"What you're witnessing here is prototypical Steinberg and Greenspan. An attempt to kill the messenger without actually acknowledging the message. We've now had time to sort through all the so-called "egregious" errors. Most are simply laughable - issues of style over substance. For example, our reference to the Masters over the official Masters Tournament; using the phrase "the Tour" on a page with multiple references instead of repeating the more formal PGA Tour. What's interesting is they steer completely clear of the most substantial and insightful sentences in the book."

• Tiger Woods

David Morgan is a senior editor at CBSNews.com and cbssundaymorning.com.

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• Schedule & Stats
• Founder’s Story
• Tiger Woods
• TGR Foundation
• Schedule & Stats

As a nine year-old, Tiger made a bold commitment to his father, Earl: I’m going to be professionally excellent

Tiger (Eldrick) Woods, born December 30, 1975, is a professional golfer and entrepreneur .

Since turning professional in 1996, Tiger has built an unprecedented competitive career. His achievements on the course–106 worldwide wins and 15 majors–have mirrored his success off the course as well.

Woods serves as Founder and CEO of TGR, a multibrand enterprise comprised of his various companies and philanthropic endeavors, including TGR Design, the golf course design company; The TGR Foundation, a charitable foundation; TGR Live, an events production company; and The Woods Jupiter, an upscale sports restaurant.

He has 82 PGA TOUR wins, tied with Sam Snead, holding the record for most wins in history. His majors victories include the five Masters Tournaments, four PGA Championships, three U.S. Open Championships, and three British Open Championships. With his second Masters victory in 2001, Tiger became the first golfer ever to hold all four professional major championships at the same time.

In winning the 2000 British Open at St. Andrews, Woods became the youngest to complete the career Grand Slam of professional major championships and only the fifth ever to do so, following Ben Hogan, Gene Sarazen, Gary Player, and Jack Nicklaus. Tiger was also the youngest Masters champion ever, at the age of 21 years, three months and 14 days, and was the first major championship winner of African or Asian heritage. The 2000 U.S. Open and 2001 Masters victories came by record margins, 15 strokes and 12 strokes, respectively.

He is the career victories leader among active players on the PGA TOUR, and is the career money list leader.

Despite being unable to play the majority of 2016, Woods, the entrepreneur and philanthropist, made significant news. In February, the TGR Learning Lab in Anaheim celebrated its 10th anniversary, with satellite facilities now located in Washington, DC, Philadelphia and Stuart, Florida. Eight months later in October, the Tiger Woods Foundation commemorated its 20th anniversary with a gala event at the New York Public Library featuring Woods and Nike’s Phil Knight.

The Woods Jupiter celebrated its first anniversary—the restaurant opened in August, 2015—and TGR Design’s Bluejack National course located outside Houston, Texas was selected Best New Private Course by both Golf Digest and Golf Magazine/Sports Illustrated.

Tiger is the son of Earl Woods, a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, and his wife, Kultida, a native of Thailand.  He was nicknamed Tiger after a Vietnamese soldier and friend of his father, Vuong Dang Phong, to whom his father had also given that nickname.

He grew up in Cypress, California. He took an interest in golf at age 6 months, watching as his father hit golf balls into a net and imitating his swing.  He appeared on The Mike Douglas Show at age 2, putting with Bob Hope. He shot 48 for nine holes at age 3 and was featured in Golf Digest at age 5.

Tiger played in his first professional tournament in 1992, at age 16, the Los Angeles Open, and made the 36-hole cut and tied for 34th place in the 1994 Johnnie Walker Asian Classic in Thailand, He entered Stanford University in 1994 and in two years he won 10 collegiate events, concluding with the NCAA title.

Woods compiled one of the most impressive amateur records in golf history, winning six USGA national championships before turning professional on August 27, 1996. He concluded his amateur career by winning an unprecedented third consecutive U.S. Amateur title, finishing with a record 18 consecutive match-play victories.

The week after winning his third U.S. Amateur title, Woods played his first tournament as a professional in the Greater Milwaukee Open. It was one of only seven events left in 1996 for him to finish among the top 125 money winners and earn a player’s card for the PGA TOUR. He won twice and placed among the top 30 money winners.

Woods won four PGA TOUR events in 1997, plus one overseas, and was the leading money winner.  He achieved No. 1 on the Official World Golf Ranking for the most rapid progression ever to that position. On June 15, 1997, in his 42nd week as a professional, Woods became the youngest-ever No. 1 golfer at age 21 years, 24 weeks.

Woods won eight times on the PGA TOUR in 1999 (11 worldwide), including the PGA Championship. He won four consecutive PGA TOUR events to end the year and started 2000 with two more victories for a total of six in succession.

In 2000, Woods won 11 events, including three professional majors in the same year, and also became the first player since 1936-37 to win the PGA Championship in consecutive years. Woods won five times, including the Masters, in 2001 and eight times worldwide. He won five times again on TOUR in 2002, and seven times worldwide, and was the TOUR’s leading money winner for the fourth consecutive year.

Woods won five times, including the Masters, in 2001 and eight times worldwide.

He won a total of 20 times from 2003-06, lead the TOUR’s money list twice and captured four majors. Woods joined Nicklaus as the only player to win the Grand Slam twice. His emotional win the following year at the British Open at Royal Liverpool came two months after his father’s death. He won the 2006 PGA Championship by five strokes at Medinah CC, the same venue where he won the event in 1999.

He began 2007 with his seventh consecutive PGA TOUR victory and ended the year with a total of seven official wins, including a second-consecutive PGA Championship. In 2008, he won four of six PGA TOUR events, including his 14th major at the U.S. Open—his last event of the year before season-ending knee surgery—plus the Dubai Desert Classic, and finished second on the TOUR money list in just six starts. At his major win at Torrey Pines, Woods sank a 12-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to force an eventual 19-hole playoff (tied at even-par 71 after 18 holes) the following day.  He later revealed that he had played the tournament with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and a double stress fracture in the same leg.

In 2009, he returned to the winner’s circle after 286 days and ended the year leading the PGA TOUR in victories (6) and money ($10,508,163). He also won his first tournament in Australia. He captured three tournaments in 2012 and five in 2013.

Sports Illustrated selected Woods as the 1996 and 2000 Sportsman of the Year, the first to win the award more than once. L’Equipe (France) selected him as the 2000 World Champion of Champions. The Associated Press chose Woods as the Male Athlete of the Year for 1997, 1999 and 2000. He and Michael Jordan are the only athletes to win the award three times. He was chosen ESPY Male Athlete of the Year in 1997 (tied with Ken Griffey, Jr.), 1999, 2000 and 2001. The founding members of the World Sports Academy, in voting for the Laureus Sports Awards, also selected him as the 1999 and 2000 World Sportsman of the Year. In 2008 Businessweek made Woods No. 1 in The Power 100 for the most influential people in sports. In 2009 he was selected AP Athlete of the Decade. Woods received 56 of 142 votes cast by AP editors throughout the country. He was also inducted into the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame.

Woods was selected as the 1997, 1999, 2000-2003, 2005-2007, 2009, 2013 Player of the Year by the PGA TOUR (Jack Nicklaus Award) and the PGA of America and by the Golf Writers Association of America in 1997, 1999, 2000-2003, 2005-2007, 2009. His adjusted scoring average averages in 2000 and 2007 of 67.79 strokes were the lowest ever and earned him the Byron Nelson Award on the PGA TOUR and the Vardon Trophy from the PGA of America. He also had an actual scoring average in 2000 of 68.17, breaking Nelson’s record of 68.33 in 1945.

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Tiger Woods

Professional golfer Tiger Woods became the youngest man and the first African American to win the U.S. Masters in 1997 and is now one of the winningest players in the sport.

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1975-present

Tiger Woods News: Golfer Returning to Course for Hero World Challenge

The 15-time major champion has played in only five PGA tournaments since suffering significant injuries in a February 2021 car accident in California. He is currently ranked No. 1,307 in the Official World Golf Ranking because of his inactivity. Woods underwent fusion surgery on his right ankle in April after withdrawing from the Masters with plantar fasciitis. “My ankle is fine. Where they fused my ankle, I have absolutely zero issue whatsoever. That pain is completely gone,” Woods told the Associated Press earlier this month.

Quick Facts

Early life and parents, early career (1997-2009), ex-wife and kids, cheating scandal, injury-filled mid-career (2010-2017), 2017 arrest, late career (2018-2020), ex-girlfriend erica herman and lawsuit, car accident and part-time comeback, playing with son charlie, tiger woods net worth, who is tiger woods.

Professional golfer Tiger Woods has won 82 PGA Tour events—tied with Sam Snead for the most ever—and 15 major championships, the second-most in history. Woods broke onto the scene at age 21 by winning the 1997 Masters with a record score, making him the youngest man and the first African American to earn the title. Over the next 12 years, Woods won 13 more majors and was named the PGA Player of the Year 10 times. He became one of the highest-earning athletes in any sport, thanks in large part to a lucrative endorsement deal with Nike, and is considered one of the most famous athletes of the 21 st century. However, Woods has struggled to regain his top form after a string of personal problems surfaced in 2009, followed by a series of injuries. A 2021 car accident in California subsequently ended his career as a full-time professional, but he continues competing in select tournaments.

FULL NAME: Eldrick Tont Woods BORN: December 30, 1975 BIRTHPLACE: Cypress, California SPOUSE: Elin Nordegren (2004-2010) CHILDREN: Sam and Charlie ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Capricorn HEIGHT: 6 ft. 1 in.

Eldrick Tont Woods, better known as Tiger Woods, was born on December 30, 1975, in Cypress, California, the only child of a Black father and a Thai mother. His dad, Earl, was an officer in the Army and met his mom, Kultida, while stationed in Thailand during the Vietnam War.

Earl began calling his son “Tiger” when he was a child in honor of a fellow soldier and friend who had the same moniker. The nickname stuck. The father and son were very close. “My dad was my best friend and greatest role model,” Tiger shared on his website announcing Earl’s May 2006 death from prostate cancer.

Earl was the person who first introduced young Tiger to golf. The future champion learned to play as a young boy, with his dad serving as his teacher and mentor. By the age of 8, Tiger had become extremely proficient at the game, even showing off his skills on television shows such as Good Morning America. Woods eventually studied at Stanford University and won a number of amateur U.S. golf titles before turning professional in 1996 at age 20.

Woods shot to fame after winning the Masters in 1997—with a record score of 270—at age 21. He became the youngest person to earn the title and the first Black person to accomplish this feat.

In his first appearance at the British Open later that year, Woods tied the course record of 64. The next few years brought even more successes, including four U.S. PGA titles, three U.S. Open wins, three Open Championship wins, and three Masters wins.

In 2003, among Woods’ five wins were the Buick Invitational and the Western Open. The next year, Woods won only one official PGA Tour championship but, personally, was thriving as he married his longtime girlfriend, Elin Nordegren. Returning to dominate the sport in 2005, he won six championships and was voted the PGA Tour Player of Year for the seventh time in nine years. In 2006, Woods won several events, including the PGA Championship and the British Open.

After taking some time off to welcome his daughter, Sam, in June 2007, Woods won the World Golf Championship and the PGA Championship that August. The next month, his winning ways continued, as he garnered the top spot at the BMW Championship and the Tour Championship. He was named Player of the Year by the other participants in the PGA Tour and won his eighth Arnold Palmer Award for being the lead money earner.

Woods won the U.S. Open on June 16, 2008, in a 19-hole playoff, overcoming sporadic pain in his left knee from arthroscopic surgery performed on April 15. Woods shot a par 4 on the first and only hole of sudden death while American Rocco Mediate, 45, settled for a bogey.

Their sudden death duel at Torrey Pines in San Diego followed an 18-hole playoff, which saw the two finish at par. In that playoff, Woods led Mediate by three shots after the first 10 holes. Mediate then birdied three of the next five holes and took the lead. But on the final hole, Woods birdied while Mediate shot par, forcing the sudden death round.

“I think this is probably the best ever,” Woods said. “All things considered, I don’t know how I ended up in this position, to be honest with you.” The victory gave Woods his third U.S. Open championship and 14 th major title, just four behind the all-time record held by Jack Nicklaus.

Two days later, however, Woods announced he would miss the rest of the season because his left knee required more reconstructive surgery. He also revealed he had suffered a double stress fracture in his left tibia two weeks before the U.S. Open tournament, ignoring doctors’ advice to take six weeks off to let it heal. “While my injury has been disappointing and frustrating, it has allowed me to spend a lot of time watching Sam grow,” Woods wrote on his website in September 2008. Also during this time off, Woods and his wife had their second child, a son, in February 2009.

On February 25, 2009—two and a half weeks after his son’s birth—Woods returned to the green in the Accenture Match Play Championship in Tucson, Arizona. Woods played against South African golfer Tim Clark, losing 4 to 2 in his first tournament since his injury. In June 2009, Woods competed again in the U.S. Open. After putting a four-over-par in the first round, Woods quickly fell out of contention for the win.

Although Woods’ comeback hadn’t been as auspicious as he’d hoped, he remained No. 1 in the world golf rankings and continued to be the leader in top 10 finishes overall. But after losing the PGA title to Yang Yong-eun, Woods finished the year without a single major win—the first time he had done so since 2004.

Throughout the first part of his career, Woods’ personal life also blossomed as he got married and started a family. He married his longtime girlfriend Elin Nordegren, a Swedish model, in October 5, 2004.

His wife gave birth to the couple’s daughter, Sam Alexis Woods, in June 2007. The couple then welcomed a son named Charlie Axel Woods in February 2009.

Ultimately, Woods and Nordegren’s marriage didn’t last. The couple divorced in August 2010 following Woods’ cheating scandal. The terms of the divorce weren’t made public except that they would share parenting duties of 3-year-old Sam and 1-year-old Sam.

In late November 2009, reports surfaced about a tryst between Woods and nightclub manager Rachel Uchitel. Both parties denied a relationship, despite photographic evidence that seemed to indicate otherwise.

On November 27, as the story gained traction, media outlets announced that Woods had collided into a fire hydrant outside his home at 2:30 in the morning. Reports said that Woods’ wife had broken the back window of the golfer’s SUV with a golf club in order to get him out of the locked car. The golfer’s injuries from the crash weren’t serious, and he was quickly released.

The accident aroused suspicions with fans and the media, who instantly pushed for a statement from Woods. But the golfer remained silent on the matter and mysteriously dropped out of his charity golf tournament, the Chevron World Challenge. He then announced that he wouldn’t be attending any more tournaments in 2009.

As the silence grew, so did reports of more of the golfer’s mistresses. On December 2, 2009, Woods offered an apology to his fans and family, expressing regret for unnamed “transgressions.” But as the mistress count rose to more than a dozen women, with phone evidence to back many claims, Woods was unable to suppress media inquiries into his life.

Woods was said to have offered his wife a renegotiation of their prenuptial agreement in order to compel her to stick by him, but reports soon surfaced that Nordgren had purchased a home in Sweden with her sister. Photographers then spotted the former model without her wedding ring. Their divorced was finalized within a year.

On December 11, 2009, Woods apologized again to fans—this time, admitting to infidelity. He then announced that he would be taking a hiatus from golf in order to tend to his family. Several days later, he lost his endorsement deal with the management company Accenture and was suspended from his Gillette endorsement. Other companies, including Nike, Tag Heuer, and EA Sports, continued to stand by Woods.

Woods made a return to golf in April 2010, but the 34-year-old golfer wasn’t quite at the top of his game. His first competition at the 2010 Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, resulted in a fourth place finish. On May 9, after missing the cut for the Quail Hollow Championship, Woods withdrew from the Players Championship during the fourth round due to a neck injury. Woods wasn’t gone for long. Four weeks later, he competed at the Memorial Tournament but delivered his worst performance in the tournament since 2002. At the 2010 U.S. Open, Woods finished in a tie for fourth place.

After years of personal and professional turmoil, Woods finally got his golf game clicking again in 2012. He won the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March for his first PGA Tour victory since 2009. That summer, he topped the field at the AT&T National to surpass Nicklaus with career victory No. 74, leaving him eight behind the record of 82 held by Sam Snead.

The 2013 season was another triumphant one for Woods. He won five tournaments, including the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the Farmers Insurance Open, and the Players Championship, plus was named the PGA Tour Player of the Year for the 11 th time.

However, just as Woods appeared primed to resume his march toward Nicklaus’ record of 18 major championships, injuries flared up to derail his performance. The golfer underwent back surgery in March 2014 and struggled after returning to competitive play.

The following year, he appeared in two early tournaments before taking a break to let his sore back heal and work on his game. Woods returned in time to tee off at the 2015 Masters in April, finishing a solid 5-under par to claim a tie for 17 th place.

He suffered from back injuries in the ensuing years and underwent his fourth back surgery in April 2017. His time away from the green was prolonged by an arrest in May that led him to rehab. Woods return to competitive golf once more for the start of his personal tournament, the Hero World Challenge, at the end of that November.

The golfing legend continued to experience ups and downs in his personal life following his widely publicized infidelity. In May 2017, police found Woods sleeping in his car, which was running and had its brake lights and blinkers on, at the side of the road near his Florida home. He was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence, however, a breath alcohol test showed no signs of alcohol in his system.

In a statement, Woods said that he had “an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications.” He also thanked the police for their professionalism and issued an apology. “I would like to apologize with all my heart to my family, friends and the fans,” he said in the statement. “I expect more from myself too.”

In June 2017, Woods reportedly checked into a clinic to receive professional help to manage medication intake for pain and a sleep disorder. In late October, he pleaded guilty to a reckless driving charge for the May incident and agreed to enter a program for first-time offenders to avoid a conviction for driving under the influence.

In 2018, the veteran golfer finally found his game clicking into place again. After tying for second place at the Valspar Championship, his best finish since 2013, Woods got off to an excellent start with a 4-under 68 in the opening round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, before finishing in a tie for fifth. Following another strong showing at the British Open in July, he resurfaced in the top 50 of the world golf ranking.

In August, it was announced that a rumored one-on-one showdown between Woods and Phil Mickelson was formally on for Thanksgiving weekend. Woods lost the $9 million, winner-take-all match to his longtime rival, though he delivered the highlight of the day by sinking a 22-foot chip shot on the par-3 17 th hole.

The golfer’s strong play continued into 2019. His 10 th place showing at the WGC-Mexico Championship in February left him on the cusp of cracking the Top 10 again. On April 14, Woods completed a final-round 2-under 70 at the Masters for his first major championship in nearly 11 years. It was his fifth win at the Masters and the 15 th major title of his career, reviving his chances of reaching the record 18 held by Nicklaus.

Off the green, Woods was also thriving. On May 6, 2019, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Donald Trump , who noted the golfer’s ability to battle back from adversity and his “relentless will to win, win, win.” The medal is the highest civilian honor. “This has been an unbelievable experience,” Woods told a gathering of family and supporters. “You’ve seen the good and the bad, the highs and the lows, and I would not be in this position without your help.”

After undergoing another knee operation in August 2019, Woods returned to the course in October with an impressive first-round 64 at the inaugural Zozo Championship in Chiba, Japan. He matched that effort the following day, showing vintage form as he gave the competition few opportunities to catch up and roared away to a three-stroke win over Hideki Matsuyama for his 82 nd career PGA title, tying the 54-year-old record held by Snead.

His back problems flaring up again, Woods took advantage of the coronavirus-related PGA Tour shutdown to have back surgery in April 2020. His body responded well enough to beat Mickelson in their “Champions for Charity” rematch the following month, with NFL legends Peyton Manning and Tom Brady in tow to add some levity with their errant shots and good-natured banter.

After dating professional skier Lindsey Vonn from roughly March 2013 until early spring 2015, Woods was again single for some time. Then, toward the end of 2017, he confirmed that he was in a relationship with restaurant manager Erica Herman.

After many years together, the couple split at the beginning of 2023. Herman then filed a lawsuit accusing Woods of sexual assault over a nondisclosure agreement the golfer had her sign at the beginning of their relationship. She also filed a lawsuit seeking $30 million from Woods’ trust that owns his Jupiter Island mansion in Florida. However, Herman dropped both lawsuits with prejudice in November 2023.

Woods was hospitalized on February 23, 2021, after being involved in a “single vehicle roll-over traffic collision” in Los Angeles County, California. “Mr. Woods was extricated from the wreck with the ‘jaws of life’ by Los Angeles County firefighters and paramedics, then transported to a local hospital by ambulance for his injuries,” according to the statement from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. They later clarified that an ax and pry were actually used to help remove Woods from the vehicle.

Woods underwent emergency surgery for “significant orthopedic injuries to his right lower extremity that were treated during emergency surgery by orthopedic trauma specialists at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center,” the Center’s chief medical officer shared with the press . It was later revealed that Woods suffered multiple breaks in his right tibia and fibula and also damaged his feet.

Woods returned home from the hospital on March 16 and began the rehabilitation process. On November 21, he posted a three-second video of himself swinging a golf club with a caption saying, “Making progress.” Days later, he revealed in a news conference that he wouldn’t return as a full-time PGA Tour player but will continue playing in select tournaments.

After playing in the December 2021 PNC Championship, Woods next competed at the Masters in April 2022 and made the weekend cut. However, he tumbled to 13 over par by the final round and finished 47 th .

Like his famous father, Tiger’s son, Charlie, has built a reputation as a golf prodigy. In June 2023, Charlie won the Major Championship of the Hurricane Jr. Golf tour, topping the Boys 14-15 Division by eight strokes and being the only competitor to finish under par. Later that year, Charlie helped his boys’ team at the Benjamin School capture the Florida Class A state championship.

In addition to his low scores, Charlie has gone viral for his striking resemblance to his father on the course—from their matching outfits to their nearly identical club twirl following a shot.

Tiger sometimes serves as Charlie’s caddie, and the father-son duo have also competed together in recent years. The pair participated in the PNC Championship, a PGA-sponsored tournament pairing major champions with a member of their respective families, each year since 2020. In 2021, Tiger and Charlie—then only 12— nearly won the tournament , ultimately finishing second to John Daly and his son.

Woods is one of the highest-earning professional athletes of all time, with his net worth estimated at $800 million as of June 2023, according to Celebrity Net Worth .

• The greatest thing about tomorrow is, I will be better than I am today... There is no such thing as a setback. The lessons I learn today I will apply tomorrow, and I will be better.

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Today in Sports - Tiger Woods, age 24, becomes the youngest player to win the career Grand Slam

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1907 — Australasia beats British Isles 3-2 to win the Davis Cup held at Wimbledon. Australasia wins its first David Cup and ends the four-year reign of the British Isles.

1921 — At the annual Harvard-Yale vs. Cambridge-Oxford meet at Harvard Stadium, Harvard’s Edward Gourdin becomes the first to long jump 25 feet. Harvard lists Gourdin’s jump as 25 feet, 3 inches, but the official listing in U.S. Track and Field is 25-2.

1960 — Betsy Rawls becomes the first woman to win the U.S. Women’s Open golf title four times.

1966 — John Pennel pole vaults 17 feet, 6 1/4 inches for the world record in a meet at Los Angeles. It’s the eighth of nine world records he set in the event in his career and his first since 1963.

1976 — The last NFL All-Star game is held and is shortened when thunderstorms hit Chicago. The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the All-Stars 24-0.

1978 — Hollis Stacy wins the U.S. Women’s Open golf championship for the second straight year.

1989 — Mark Calcavecchia wins the British Open, edging Greg Norman and Wayne Grady in a three-man playoff. Calcavecchia, the first American to win the Open in five years, birdies three of the four holes in the playoff.

1989 — Greg Lemond wins his second Tour de France with the closest finish ever, edging Laurent Fignon by 8 seconds. Lemond starts the day 50 seconds behind Fignon and wins the final stage, a 15-mile race against the clock from Versailles to Paris, in 26:57. Fignon finishes the stage 58 seconds slower.

1995 — John Daly wins the British Open at St. Andrews by four strokes in a four-hole playoff with Italy’s Costantino Rocca. Rocca forces the playoff by sinking a 65-foot putt on the 18th hole.

1995 — Miguel Indurain of Spain wins his record fifth consecutive Tour de France. Indurain joins Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault as the other five-time winners.

2000 — Tiger Woods, at 24, becomes the youngest player to win the career Grand Slam with a record-breaking performance in the British Open on the Old Course at St. Andrews. Woods closes with a 3-under 69 for a 19-under 269 total, the lowest score in relation to par at a major championship.

2000 — 87th Tour de France: no winner (Lance Armstrong disqualified).

2006 — Tiger Woods, one month after missing the cut for the first time in a major, becomes the first player since Tom Watson in 1982-83 to win consecutive British Open titles.

2006 — Floyd Landis, pedaling with an injured hip, cruises to victory in the Tour de France, keeping cycling’s most prestigious title in American hands for the eighth straight year.

2009 — Mark Buehrle pitches the 18th perfect game in major league history, a 5-0 win over Tampa Bay.

2012 — Penn State is all but leveled by penalties handed down by the NCAA for its handling of the allegations against former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky. The NCAA imposes an unprecedented $60 million fine, a four-year ban from postseason play and a cut in the number of football scholarships it can award.

2017 — British cyclist Chris Froome wins his fourth Tour de France.

2019 — Nike’s Jordan Brand signs 2019 NBA #1 draft pick Zion Williamson to richest multiyear sponsorship deal for a rookie in history; estimated 7 years for $75 million.

2021 — The Opening ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games takes place after a one-year delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2021 — The Cleveland Indians announce the team will be re-named the Guardians.