Tiger Woods entered the pro golf world in 1996 at the age of 20 and became an overnight sensation in the sports world. He was named 1996’s PGA Rookie of the Year. By 1997, Woods had won his first Masters Tournament by a 12 stroke lead, and his career skyrocketed from there.
Tiger Woods shattered records set by previous golf legends for over ten years. He became the youngest pro golfer to win a Grand Slam. He tied with Jack Nicklaus to have won a Grand Slam three times. He earned the title PGA Player of the Year ten times. He held the number one position in the world rankings for more weeks in a row than any golfer before or since.
From a financial standpoint, Woods did quite well through PGA earnings as well as a number of lucrative endorsements. Woods was the spokesperson for Nike, Titleist, General Mills Foods, General Motors/Buick, AT&T, Tag Heuer, and the American Express Card. He was dropped from his endorsement deals in 2009.
For over a decade, Tiger Woods was an icon of sports and one of the best known Americans throughout the world. He was admired for his sports prowess and his dedication to success.
In December of 2009, the luck of Tiger Woods had changed. Amid a sex scandal that unfolded, revealing stories of over a dozen lurid extramarital affairs, Tiger Woods announced that he was taking an indefinite leave from playing golf. His subsequent divorce led to an alimony settlement of over $100 million dollars. He returned to pro golf in 2010 but ongoing knee injuries affected him throughout 2010 and he finished in the worst place of his career. Tiger Woods appeared to be finished in the golf world.
Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the talented and determined Tiger Woods appears to be rising to attempt to reclaim his place among golf royalty.
With apologies to his fans for the sex scandals, a knee that appears to be on the mend, this new Tiger Woods has emerged. A little bit older, and a lot wiser, this Tiger Woods has worked on restoring his image in the American media.
On October 5, 2011, Tiger Woods signed an endorsement deal with watch manufacturer Rolex, who believes that Woods still has a lot of fans and a lot of good years of golfing ahead of him.
On October 6, 2011, Tiger Woods will re-enter the PGA on October 6, 2011 at the Frys.com open. The eyes of America will be on Tiger Woods as he tries to reclaim the feeling of victory in the golf world, and tries to reclaim the heart of the American people.
