Saying the Name “Tiger” Carries a Certain Magic

Saying the Name "Tiger" Carries a Certain Magic

By Arnold Baker

Anytime you talk about the history of golf or just golf in general, no conversation is complete without mentioning Eldrick Tont Woods, better known as Tiger. Just saying the name carries a certain magic to it.

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Tiger is not only considered the greatest golfer of all time, he is also considered one of the most dominating athletes of all time. It isn't too much of a stretch to say that, considering Tiger is close to eclipsing the one billion dollar mark in career earnings. With that achievement, he would become the first professional athlete ever to do so. Not only is he the highest earning athlete ever, he's also held the Official World Golf Ranking #1 spot longer and for more consecutive weeks than anyone, ever. Try 264 weeks at the top.

Along with his dominance in the World Golf Ranking, Tiger has 14 major championships and 65 professional wins to his credit, which is good for second and third most, respectively. The scary part is, Tiger's in his prime, and I'd bet my house that he isn't done winning majors and tournaments just yet. The list goes on with his record nine PGA Player of the Year awards and two Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year honors; the first athlete ever to accomplish this.

Oh, and I failed to mention his first Career Slam at the age of 24, the youngest golfer to ever achieve this colossal feat. While his accomplishments on the golf course are mind boggling, his accomplishments in the minds and imaginations of golfers everywhere are second to none. Because of Tiger Woods, multicultural interest in the game of golf has skyrocketed, with more minorities, lower income golfers, and average Joes hitting the links, attending golfing events, and watching golf on television than ever before.

Growing up in Cypress, CA, young Tiger was a golfing prodigy at the age of two. I'm sure everyone has seen by now the clip of a very young Tiger putting against Bob Hope on television, right? At age three, he shot a 48 over a 9-hole span; very impressive, considering he was only three years old. His adolescent escapades didn't stop there. Young Tiger went on to win the Junior World Golf Championship six times, including 4 in a row from 1988 to 1991.

At the age of 15, Tiger went on to become the youngest U.S. Junior Amateur champ, while winning the championship three consecutive times, making him the only multi-winner in the history of the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship. In 1994, he became the youngest U.S. Amateur champ. As with the Junior Amateur Championship, Tiger took home three consecutive U.S. Amateur championships, yet another first ever, the last coming in 1996 at the age of 20.

While attending Stanford University and as an amateur, Tiger played in his first Masters in 1996, surviving to be the only amateur to make the cut. That same year, Tiger officially joined the PGA Tour after playing golf for two years at Stanford. The 1997 Masters proved to be the real launching pad of Tiger's career. He dominated the competition in unparalleled fashion, winning by 12 strokes. How can anyone forget the scene on the 18th hole when Tiger sunk his final putt, offered up his patented fist pump, and presented his father with a giant bear hug?

It was truly a scene that will be forever etched into the annals of golf. With that win, Tiger became the first African - American or Asian - American to win the prestigious Masters. Later on in 1997, in his 42nd week as a pro, Tiger Woods became the world's #1 ranked golfer, the fastest player to reach that coveted pinnacle ever. After his incredible year, he won his first of many PGA Player of the Year awards.

After a few years of swing adjustments, Tiger was back on the prowl in what will prove to be a remarkable run for the ages. In 2000, Tiger won the U.S. Open by the largest margin ever and with that victory, he became the career Tour money leader, in only his forth year as a pro. After his win at the 2001 Masters, Tiger held all four major championships at the same time, the first player to achieve this since Bobby Jones. Usually, this would be considered a Grand Slam, as it was for Jones, but since Tiger did not win them all in the same calendar year, it was deemed a "Tiger Slam".

Tiger continued to dominate throughout the decade and into the present, including winning the inaugural FedEx Cup in 2007. In what is considered by many to be the greatest performance in the history of athletics, Tiger Woods won the 2008 U.S. Open by defeating heavy underdog Rocco Mediate in an 18-hole playoff that went to a sudden death hole, where Tiger finally put Mediate away . The twist about this one is Tiger played the whole championship on one leg. It was later discovered that Tiger had been playing with a torn ACL and a double stress fracture in his left tibia. Oh, and on top of all that, he also won his third Career Slam with that victory.

Tiger has always been known for his ridiculously long distance off the tee and his deadly accurate putting. He has also single-handedly increased the standards of athleticism among his fellow Tour pros. He has also made them hit the driving range and practice greens more than ever, as he spends countless hours practicing and fine-tuning his game. He is also known as being the greatest closer in the history of the game. Out of all of his career accomplishments, one might make the argument that his most impressive is his consecutive cuts streak. Tiger played in 142 consecutive tournaments without missing one single cut. To put it in perspective, Byron Nelson held the record before him, with 113 straight. If there is one thing to be said about Tiger Woods, it's this: every time we watch him play golf, we are witnessing history. Enjoy it while you still can.

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