A golfer unlike any other, a work ethic unlike any other, a man unlike any other;  these are some of the qualities that separate Tiger Woods from the rest of the pack in the world of golf.  Through the peaks he has climbed and summits he has fallen down, Tiger has always been able to diagnose a problem, find a solution, and achieve remarkable results.  Although he no longer packs the punch he used to, Tiger is still Tiger and even seeing his name is intimidating to many.   “If Tiger Mania is less antic these days, it's only because awe has made us numb. Year after year the trophies pile up with an air of inevitability that belies the ridiculous difficulty of winning in professional golf” (Josephson).  Winning one time on the PGA Tour is a great accomplishment and earns a player huge rewards and bonuses. Now, what types of rewards come with seventy-nine victories?  The players on Tour realize just how challenging winning is and they have an extensive amount of respect for the passion and career that Tiger has compiled over the last twenty years.  Tiger has proven that no other player on the PGA Tour will ever be able to accomplish what he has over the years and has proven himself to be the game’s best.

Tiger Woods is the best golfer to ever to play the game and there is no golfer that could ever replicate the way Tiger plays on the golf course.  There is no golfer that is even close to the level of Tiger, not even Jack Nicklaus nor Arnold Palmer.  There is no doubt Tiger outearned, outworked, and outplayed every player on tour.  No player has been ranked No. 1 in the world longer or earlier in their career, and, did I mention, Tiger has seventy-nine tournament wins, more than anybody else.  “Forty-two weeks after turning pro, he was the No. 1-ranked golfer in the world” (Josephson).  In 1997, Tiger began his ten year reign of dominance, winning fifty-nine times, including eight times in 2006.  

Tiger Woods has proven himself to be the best golfer to play the game based upon the length of his career, his numerous tournament wins, and his career winnings which is over $100,000,000.  Tiger’s game can only be mimicked by the golfers of today and remembered by the golfers of the past, as no player could amount to the same player, or achiever the same success that Tiger has as a professional golfer. WHY?  Tiger is the best golfer to ever play regardless of time frame or era.  During the times of Jack Nicklaus, there were not as many good players as there are in this day and age.  When Tiger tees it up in any given week, he must still play his best golf to win which again shows how the PGA Tour has evolved and competition has gotten much more competitive.  Though Tiger had a few years of struggle, he quickly bounced back and in 2010 was once again named Tour Player of The Year and winning six times.  No golfer has had the same impact on sponsorship, media, and the sport in general than Tiger Woods.  Many players look to Tiger for advice on all aspects of the game whether it be mental or physical.  

Tiger’s dominance began as a junior golfer and from that point he never looked back. .  His junior career is arguably as good as his professional.  When Tiger showed up, people always had the same question: who is playing for second?  “He has won the U.S. National amateur title twice, and has won the U.S. Junior National title three times--the first ever to win three straight titles. He's racked up more wins as an amateur than professional golfers Bobby Jones and Jack Nicklaus. And he's often referred to as the youngest ever to get a hole in one, to win the United States Junior National Championship title, or to play in the Masters” (Josephson).   Tiger is the youngest player to play (1992) and win a PGA Tour event during his first full year on Tour (1997) (Josephson).  Most players are lucky if they are able to win once during their tenure as a professional golfer, Tiger achieved that roughly six months after his debut and then preceded to accomplish this feat seventy-eight more times.  “In 1992, Tiger was the youngest to play in a Professional Golf Association tournament. At age sixteen, he was playing alongside such golf greats as Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus, and Greg Norman” (“Just Breathing”). By age twenty, Tiger had won the first of seventy nine tournaments in his career.  “In calling Tiger the Chosen One and making his moonstruck predictions about Tiger's potential, Earl was committing him to an agenda his son seems temperamentally averse to.” Tiger was the chosen one and there was something special about his playing style and his ability to always keep his cool while playing regardless of position or score (“Just Breathing”).

Even as a kid playing against the giants of the game, Tiger was fearless.  From the time of his first swing till he picks the ball out of the eighteenth hole , he is locked and focused and plays his own masterful game whether he is in first or last.  “Tiger's dad has helped him develop that coolness under pressure. When Tiger was younger, Earl [his father] talked to him after each tournament round and helped him analyze his moves. He even had Tiger work with a sports psychologist to improve his focus” (Smith).  Tiger made the extra step to be ahead of all other competitors so he would have the best chance of winning. “The hype that surrounded Tiger as his career at Stanford began to close only get bigger as time went on.  After his junior career, crowds began to gather to see the man himself in his natural habitat-- smashing drives up the fairway and draining putts right in the center of the hole” (Smith).  People knew they were watching the making of a future champion and Hall of Famer. People knew they were seeing history in the making at the start of Tiger’s career.

A bad year for Tiger would be a win and a few top tens, which would still be enough to put him in contention to win the money list.  It also helps when you don't miss a single cut for seven straight years.  Tiger played 142 tournaments during these years and broke the record for most cuts made in a row by over thirty.  

Tiger, however, did not make the majority of his money through playing golf, but by endorsements.  Through this, Tiger spread his influence much further than just golf, it spread to citizens all over the world.  His game is noticed by all. However, being the most watched athlete has its disadvantages.  One being that the camera is always on him.  He tends to control hiss emotion well, but, of course, he lets out some words he shouldn't at times.  He is still the role model to many kids sitting on the other side of the television.  Those kids and even his younger peers want to use him as an example of what to become in the future.  Through the commercials, tournaments, and press conferences, Tiger will always have eyes on him because after all, who wouldn't want to watch an athlete as great as him take the stage. “While it's hard to fault an athlete who says he aspires to be a ‘role model’ - and who, apart from an occasional outburst of profanity, has managed to conduct himself like one in an era when stars in other sports make news for abusing steroids or electrocuting dogs” (Johnson).  Tiger is a perfect role model of winning without cheating the system, he did it through hard work and dedication to the game.

Seventy-nine tournaments, fourteen Majors, and countless awards, worldwide on European Tour, Australia.  He not only has won tournaments by double digits, the only player to ever do it, but Tiger accomplished it three times.  The most memorable would be the 2000 US Open where Tiger finished at -12 and the runner-up was +3.  This performance began the talk of “Tiger Proofing” golf courses.  Tiger won his first of fourteen majors at age 21, the youngest ever.  It seems fitting that being an African American, The Masters would be the one he knocked out first breaking down the racial barrier and winning a tournament where black people just recently had the opportunity to play in.  This major championship was the first of Tiger’s career and started a trend for the future.  Major tournaments were special to Tiger and shared that with each and every one of his fans.

Tiger has proven himself to be the best golfer of all time through his awards and impressive PGA Tour record (winning over twenty five percent of the tournaments he has played in).  Tiger has amassed awards and achievements that no player will ever be able to replicate.  He has won Man of The Year six times, Player of The Year eleven times, and is a four time FedEx Cup Champion (Johnson).  No other player has more than three of these awards.  Winning Tour Player of the Year is truly an honor to the player who wins it because the voting for that award is by the players, Tiger’s peers, and he has won a record six times.  Tiger is a combination of raw talent, self-confidence, and mental toughness, which helps him excel especially in matches where one putt can determine who wins. When the game gets tough, Tiger shifts into gear and focuses even more.  From child prodigy to PGA Champion, Tiger has shown us exactly why we should all work hard and never give up on our dreams.  We too may be Hall of Famers one day if we follow in the footsteps of the Tiger, the real king of the jungle.  

 

Bibliography

Josephson, Judith. "Tiger Woods." Children's Digest. 11 Jan. 1996: 24(4). eLibrary. Web. 12 Jan.

2017.

 

This source gives the all around of Tiger from childhood to present which provides plenty of examples in helping me prove my point by expressing what made Tiger a freak of nature and so much better than everyone in the game of golf.  It was the little things his father did for him as a kid, and the way he pushed himself as a professional that separated him from his peers.

 

"Just Breathing His Air, Sharing His Sun And Drinking His Water Make Us More Complete."

New York Times Magazine. 01 Jun. 2008 eLibrary. Web. 12 Jan. 2017.

 

The presence of Tiger could be felt by any fan just by showing up to a tournament.  The largest galleries and loudest fans were always following Tiger.  By seeing him, people felt like they too could accomplish the same great things Tiger has, just in a different context.  Seeing him was something that made the golf world complete.  He was the face of golf and people enjoyed seeing him perform.  

 

"Tiger Scores Again." Scholastic News (Ed. 4). 14 May. 2001 eLibrary. Web. 12 Jan. 2017.

This source gives a simple list of all his tournaments and and awards.  Although there is not much besides this list,  it shows every tournament win, all seventy nine, and his margin of victory which is very important because it shows how no one was at the same level as Tiger.

 

Smith, Johnson . "Wood Wins PGA Tour Player of The Year." Jet. 27 Jan. 2003: 48. eLibrary.

Web. 12 Jan. 2017.

 

This source talks about how the amount of awards Tiger has won throughout his career which is unbelieveable and could never be matched by anyone in the future.  Tiger has achieved more than any other golfer to date and his impact will be felt through the years to come.  Tiger has made the game what it is today.