Tiger Hits 40 – His Top 5 Career Defining Moments

One of the most famous and influential golfers of all time hits the the landmark birthday of 40 today.

Tiger woods has changed the game of golf in many ways in his career, and has amazed both players and spectators with his phenomenal golfing talent.

 
With the 14-time major champion currently struggling to get back into the game, he can still celebrate his landmark birthday by reflecting on his impact on the game, and all his golfing achievements.

In recognition of Tiger hitting the big 40, lets take a look at some of the defining moments in the career of golf’s most iconic figure.

#1 – The First Major

Woods kicked off his major haul back in 1997, where he won his first ever major at the Masters by a phenomenal 12 strokes ahead of runner up Tom Kite.  This victory made Tiger the first non-white and youngest player to win at Augusta, by winning the green jacket at the age of only 21. This was only the start for the American, who then went on to win the PGA Championship two years later, then won his first US Open in 2000 by a phenomenal 15-shot victory at Pebble Beach.  This winning margin remains the biggest in major history, and the victory confirmed his status in the golf’s elite.

#2 – Tiger’s First Grand Slam

Only a month after his victory at Pebble Beach, Woods claimed the Open Championship at St.Andrews to complete the set of all four major titles, at the age of 24. This made him the youngest player in history to achieve the grand slam, by beating Nicklaus to the mark by two years.  Still, he remains one of the five players to have won all four major championships in his career.

#3 – The ‘Tiger Slam’

In the summer of 2000, Tiger was playing his A game, where he clinched the U.S PGA Championship, which added to his British Open and U.S Open victories.  The Masters was the first major tournament in 2001, where Woods landed a second green jacket by a two shot victory over David Duval.  With his triumph at the Masters, the American was holding all four majors at one time, which became most commonly known as the ‘Tiger Slamm” an optimal point in his career.

#4 – The 2008 U.S Open Championship Playoff

Woods managed to win his third U.S Open Championship and 14th major title in the 2008, after a nail biting playoff between himself and  Rocco Mediate.  The victory was an unlikely one for Tiger, who entered the tournament with an injured left knee, leaving him short of match practice.  The former world number one beat Mediate on the first hole of the sudden-death playoff, after a putt on the 72nd hole to keep the game alive, which made Woods join Jack Nicklaus as the only two in golf history to win the career grand slam three times.

#5 – World Number One

Tiger’s reign of the world number one spot is the ultimate proof of his golfing domination.  The American spent a huge record of 683 weeks in total at the top of the world rankings, which started with a week in July in 1997.  He also holds the record of the most consecutive weeks at number one, from June 2005 to October 2010, he was at the top for a phenomenal 281 weeks.

These are but a few of Tiger Wood’s career moments, but it is fair to say he has changed the game of golf for us all.

Lets hope that there is more memories to come from the former world number one.

Cover Photo by Keith Allison via Flickr