Hall of Fame, those are the three words every athlete dreams of hearing, and for Tiger Woods, that dream is now a reality. On March 9th, Tiger Woods was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2022. The news doesn’t come as a surprise considering Tiger’s dominance in the sport over the last quarter-century. Throughout his illustrious career, Tiger Woods has won 15 majors, 82 total titles on the PGA Tour, and spent 683 weeks as the top ranked golfer, and that is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Tiger’s career. When you look at Woods’ complete body of work, his induction is a no-brainer.
Tiger Woods made his professional debut in 1996. He won the first of his 5 Masters titles in 1997. He won his first PGA Championship in 1999. In 2000, Woods claimed his first U.S. Open title and first Open Championship. Tiger Woods earned Rookie of the Year in 1996, and reached the world number one ranking for the first time in 1997. Tiger Woods would continue his dominance throughout much of the early 2000s as he won the Masters in 2001, 2002, and 2005. He won the PGA Championship three more times (2000, 2006, 2007), the U.S. Open in 2002 and 2008, and the Open Championship in 2005 and 2006. Following his 2008 U.S. Open title, Tiger went on an 11 year drought before winning his next major.
Heading into 2019, Tiger Woods’ career seemed to have already reached its peak until he pulled off the improbable by winning his 5th Masters, bringing his majors count to 15, which is three shy of Jack Nicklaus. The win was significant in more ways than one. It marked the end of an 11 year drought since his last major title, and 14 years since his last Masters win. It also marked the beginning of a new Tiger, who had spent the previous decade rebuilding his image after an ugly divorce, and he had to battle off a lot of back and knee related injuries. His triumph at the 2019 Masters earned him an invite to the White House, where he was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom alongside President Trump in the White House Rose Garden.
Tiger Woods has won the FedEx Cup in 2007 and 2009. He was also PGA Tour Player of the Year 11 times.
Tiger Woods’ 14 year-old daughter Sam introduced him with a powerful induction speech that included the words “I inducted you into the dad hall of fame a long time ago”. Tiger Woods, who is a perfect example of what it means to live the “American Dream”, is now part of golf immortality.
