Woods unable to gain ground on moving day

It was another tough, frustrating day for Tiger Woods in the 76th Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga. After shooting a 3-over-par 75 on Friday, the four-time champion posted an even-par 72 on Saturday, making two birdies and two bogeys

"I was so close to putting it together today," a disappointed Woods said afterward.

"Unfortunately I did not play the par 5s very well. I just didn't take care of the opportunities when I had them."

Woods usually feasts on the par 5s, but not this week. For the second consecutive day, he failed to birdie any of them, and is a combined 1-under for the week. His lone birdie came at the eighth hole during the first round.

In 17 previous appearances at Augusta National, Woods was a combined 84-under par on the 13th (-41) and 15th (-43) holes. He was also 27-under on the par-5 second and 22-under on the par-5 eighth.

"I would hit a couple of good shots in a row and compound the problem with a bad shot in the wrong spot," said Woods. "Each pin, you have to miss the golf ball in a certain spot, and I have been missing the spots by a little bit here and there."

An early starter with defending champion Charl Schwartzel, Tiger played to a 54-hole score of 3-over 219. He is tied for 38th. Peter Hanson leads the tournament at 9-under 207.

Once again, Woods got off to a promising start in the calm and sunny conditions. After parring the first two holes, he birdied the 350-yard, par-4 third hole for the third straight day, then followed with a rare birdie at the 240-yard, downhill, par-3 fourth. It was his first birdie there since 2002.

Unfortunately for Woods, he was unable to sustain his good play. He squandered a great birdie opportunity at the par-4 fifth, then three-putted from the fringe at the 180-yard, downhill, par-3 sixth, suffering his first bogey of the round. After pars at seven and eight, Tiger bogeyed the par-4 ninth for the second day in a row and made the turn in even-par 36.

No matter how hard he tried, Woods couldn't generate any positive momentum on the back nine, recording nine consecutive pars. He did manage a chip-in at the tough, par-4 11th, but it was for a par.

After a poor drive into the trees at the par-5 13th, Tiger was forced to chip out into the fairway and failed to make birdie. Woods narrowly missed a birdie putt at the par-5 15th hole and dropped his putter in disbelief.

"It was just one thing after another," he said.

Statistically, Woods hit 13 of 18 greens and 11 of 14 fairways in regulation and used 31 putts. Woods came into the tournament full of confidence after winning two weeks ago at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando, Fla. But he has struggled with his swing all week, and it has rubbed off on his short game.

"I'm just trying to get back to how I had it at Bay Hill, and prior to Bay Hill," said Woods. "I got here and, for some reason, I kind of fell into some of my old patterns again."

Tiger's frustration boiled over on the par-3 16th tee on Friday, when he blocked a poor 9-iron into the right greenside bunker and kicked his club in disgust.

"I apologize if I offended anybody by that," he said. "I've hit some bad shots and it's certainly frustrating at times not hitting the ball where you need to hit it. I certainly heard that people didn't like me kicking the club, but I didn't like it either. I hit it right in the bunker and it didn't feel good on my toe either."

Everything heading in right direction at Augusta

Confident, relaxed, excited and healthy. Those words sum up Tiger Woods heading into this week's 76th Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga., and are why most oddsmakers consider him the favorite to win a fifth green jacket.

Tiger met the media Tuesday after a nine-hole practice round with Fred Couples and Sean O'Hair. Although he has tied for fourth each of the last two years at Augusta, Woods wasn't sharp -- especially off the tee and on the greens -- but willed himself into contention.

This year, Woods enters with more competitive rounds under his belt and more self-belief. Two weeks ago, he won the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando, Fla. for the seventh time. He had been close to a breakthrough, playing well at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and tying for second at the Honda Classic. Now, he has been rewarded for the hard work he has put in with swing coach Sean Foley.

"It felt good to go out there and play as well as I did under those conditions," Woods said. "It wasn't like it was easy that Sunday. The scores were pretty high. To go out there with the lead and increase the lead was a good feeling. It wasn't given to me."

Woods, who hasn't finished worse than a tie for sixth in his last seven appearances at Augusta, is making his 18th start on the famed Alister MacKenize layout, which opened for play in 1933. He has practically grown up on the course and has picked the brains of veteran players since his first visit as an amateur in 1995, when he tied for 41st.

"I've spent just about half my life playing this tournament," he said. "It's understanding how to play this golf course, where to miss it. I've gotten just umpteen amount of advice from guys who have played here way more than I have. That's really helped."

Seemingly every year, the course has been altered -- sometimes in small ways, other times with major changes.

"You still miss it in the same spots," said Woods. "I think that's one of the reasons why you see the older players in contention a lot. They just know how to play it."

At 36, Woods now finds himself being asked for advice. That was the case with O'Hair on Tuesday, and he's hoping Tiger will impart more wisdom in a nine-hole practice round on Wednesday.

"I do try to help them," Woods said. "I think it's just the role of being here, one, as a champion and being here a number of years is that you pass the knowledge on. It's not something that we hold and are going to keep sacred. We pass it on from one generation to the next."

The biggest changes this year are to the greens at the par-5 eighth and par-3 16th greens, which have been redone.

"I've noticed that there are different breaks on those greens," he said. "And they are subtle. A subtle change is pretty significant at this speed. I've had to redo some of my charting on those greens, because the old breaks are out the window."

Recent rain has left the fairways soft and the greens receptive. However, conditions can change quickly, especially since every green is equipped with a Sub-Air system that sucks out the moisture.

"You can play 100 practice rounds," Woods said. "But Wednesday to Thursday, it's just a totally different golf course. You've just got to make that adjustment."

Woods will play the first two rounds with Miguel Ángel Jiménez of Spain and Sang-Moon Bae of South Korea. They tee off Thursday at 10:35 a.m. ET and Friday at 1:42 p.m.

"Everything is headed in the right direction at the right time," Woods said.

A victory would mark his 15th major championship and would also tie him with Jack Nicklaus for second place on the PGA Tour's all-time win list with 73.

"I'm here for the green jacket," Woods said with a smile.

Tiger Tips: My new driver cut shot

My objective off the tee is accuracy over distance. That's why I've usually stressed swinging within yourself, though it's sometimes hard for me to do. When I'm in control, I feel as if I'm going at about 80 percent of my all-out max.

This year, I've added a little gripped-down cutter with the driver that has allowed me to take better advantage of those short but tight dogleg-rights. I hit this shot 20 or 30 yards farther than my 3-wood while controlling the flight and trajectory to leave a lob wedge into these short holes. By gripping down, I can add control and still make an aggressive move instead of trying to ease up on a standard driver swing, which can cause me to overcut the ball.

To play the driver cut shot, I grip down half an inch to an inch, depending on how far I want to carry the ball. I picture the fairway as a four-lane highway: I aim for the far-left lane and try to fade it to the next lane over. Everything else in my setup and execution is like any other fade. I play the ball just off my left instep in a slightly open stance, then swing along my stance line and hold off the release for a fraction of a second to produce about a five-yard fade. 

 Make those bleeders:
On putts that slide right, let the putter release

Bad habits can sneak back into your game like a recurring nightmare. That happens to me sometimes when I start missing left-to-right putts -- I call them bleeders -- on the low side. Nine times out of 10 it's because I'm not releasing the putter through impact, not letting the putterhead track to the inside after impact. I'm kind of push-putting instead of swinging on an arc.

In other words, my right hand freezes at impact, restricting the putterhead from moving along its natural inside-to-square-to-inside arc. It's like cutting your follow-through short on a full swing. On a putt, you sacrifice accuracy and distance control.

Making a few right-hand-only practice strokes can remind me to release the putter. Give that a try if you have trouble keeping those bleeders on line.

Ask Tiger

Do you like playing with amateurs?
— Maurice Frierson, Sacramento, Calif.

Most of the time I do. We're usually out there telling jokes and stories, talking sports and giving each other the needle. The only time I don't enjoy them is when somebody gets too serious. The idea is to have some fun.

What is the best tip you would give to a beginner?
— Anne Patterson, Boulder, Colo.

Find clubs that fit you. It will save you a ton of aggravation from the start. Make sure they aren't too short, long or heavy. Otherwise, you'll adapt your swing to the equipment in a way that might not be technically sound. It's easy to get fit, and it really does matter.

What is your favorite NFL team?
— Christos Papadakos, Grand Rapids, Mich.

I've always been a Raiders fan. They were in Los Angeles when I was growing up in Southern California, and that's always been my team. I still pull for them, but it hasn't been easy the last few years.

Tiger's Arnold Palmer press conference

This is your seventh win here, and your 72nd on the PGA TOUR. Do you want to talk about your initial reactions to the win and then we'll have a few questions.

TIGER WOODS: It was just pure joy. You know, it was tough today. It was tough conditions out there, man. Wind was whipping out there. It was changing directions and intensities. Arnold did a hell of a job of getting these greens fast, and they were baked out and some of the hardest pins I've ever seen here. So I don't know what the average score was today, but certainly wasn't anywhere near par. It was a tough day. It was a very tough day.

It was a day of attrition. Just got to hang in there and just keep hitting fairways and greens, and there weren't going to be a lot of birdie opportunities out there, but when you had them, I just felt like I had to take advantage of it.

Q: Can you just talk a little bit about -- what does this do to you psychologically? I know you've been talking about the process and the progress and whatnot, but now that you have won this with Sean's teachings and whatnot and taking this forward, what kind of a leap is this for and you where can this take you, do you think?

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, this is my second win. So it felt good. This is our progression; we are heading in the same direction.

I've gotten better, and that's the main thing, is that if you look at my results, you know, I had the lead in Australia; had the lead in Abu Dhabi; I was there in contention at Pebble; and I was in contention at the Honda. I've been close for a number of tournaments now. And it was just a matter of just staying the course and staying patient, keep working on fine-tuning what we're doing, and here we are.

Q: What's been the toughest part about getting back here? Has it been the mental aspect of it over the last two years, injuries, combination of both?

TIGER WOODS: It's by far the injuries, because you can't practice. I haven't been able to put in the time. Can't make a swing change and make all of at adaptations we need to make unless I can practice. I had not been able to do that. So being on the sideline most of last year was tough. And finally started showing signs towards the end of the year in Australia and moving forward. So it's been good.

Q: Joey said that after you hit the shot into 18, you looked at him and you said something, "Yeah" and you were pretty pumped up. Talk about the emotions; you know you've hit it on the green and you know you're going to win this tournament. Just the relief of getting here again. It's been obviously, on the official PGA TOUR, it's been 30 months; just the relief of being here again?

TIGER WOODS: It just feels good. As I said, it's just pure joy.

The tournament wasn't over until I hit the ball on the green. We've seen what's happened this year with leads. So that's a hole that we are just trying to hit the ball over to the left somewhere, somewhere around pin-high, anything on dry land is good, and once that was accomplished, the tournament was over.

That's what it was nice to be able to celebrate, and after that, knowing that all I had to do was just stay upright, and the tournament was over.

Q: What was the best shot you hit today; what was the most important shot you hit today, if they weren't the same.

TIGER WOODS: Well, I hit a lot of good ones today. I can't say -- not one shot stood out, because I hit I thought a boatload of good ones. I had really good control of my ball all day. I was shaping it both ways, changing my traj. Felt so comfortable. No, I can't pick out one shot, sorry.

Q: Not the important one when he was coming at you, any time that you really needed one?

TIGER WOODS: If anything, it was going to be the par putt at 15. I think that was an important putt, because having a three -- potentially, three shots around here with these last three holes, he makes eagle, I don't make -- say if I soup it on 16 or soup it on 18, three shots is easy to make up. But four is a little bit different.

For some reason it just felt a little bit different. That's pretty comforting knowing that if I par the last three holes, he can't win, and he's going to have to make an eagle in there, somehow, and that's just forcing a playoff.

Q: It sounded like that Joey was telling you during some of your tee shots, right leg. What was the swing thought going in there? And yesterday in your press conference, you said when someone asked, do you feel like you have to win, you said, I don't feel like I have to win, but I want to win; now that you're sitting up here with that trophy, was there a part of you that kind of felt like, yeah, I've got to win this?

TIGER WOODS: No, I think that-- well, the right leg part was it was just a trigger for me as I go back. So just making sure that everything's loaded so I can push and drive and explode, and explode however speed I want and control that rotation. So that was just a trigger we came up with today -- or last night, on the range.

As far as needing to win, no, you don't need to win; you want to win. I think that's a mis-perception I think people get into. I think it's just -- I know I have a desire to win, and that's why I enter these events is to do that, and ultimately, this week was one of my weeks.

Q: I think a lot of people are going to be asking now, okay, got the win; where to from here? Wondering if you can kind of talk about how excited you are for the future. LaCava said you probably wish the Masters started tomorrow, and you're ready to get back out there, mix it up, and play like you used to play.

TIGER WOODS: I still need some work, and it's going to be good to get a week off and work on a few things.

I enjoyed the progression we made this week. Each day there was a little bit of fine tuning here and there, and we were able to make those adjustments, which was good, and especially with the conditions getting more difficult on the weekend. I was able to hit some really good shots the last two days, and that's a very good sign going into Augusta.

Q: There have been critics over the last couple of years who have said that you may never win again; after today, what with you say to those people?

TIGER WOODS: Well, it's my second win.

Q: Officially.

TIGER WOODS: I got Official World Ranking points, didn't I? You can't win this one, can you. (Laughter).

Q: You've alluded to your confidence by the number of times you've been in contention the last couple of months but what's the difference going into Augusta with a win like this compared if you had not won today.

TIGER WOODS: That's a good question. I've gone into Augusta with wins and without wins. You're looking for one week, that's all. You know, just hopefully everything comes together for that one week. I understand how to play Augusta National, and it's just a matter of executing the game plan.

They made a couple little subtle changes out there, but overall the golf course is still basically the same. So looking forward to it.

Q: Does it help at all to see the number of putts go in, from 1 to 3 to 4, and having a full week where you pretty much have it under control?

TIGER WOODS: It does help. There's no doubt, that does help. But this is a steady progression. This was coming. I've been close a number of times, basically since Australia. Just had to stay the course. We all knew the things that we were working on were coming together, and were starting to solidify because the golf ball was not moving, just going so straight and the ball flight is so tight. The hardest adjustment I've had to make is just getting my distances and hitting the ball further.

Q: Is that the only thing missing?

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, it was, because I'm not used to hitting my irons with some of the longer hitters. I haven't done that for -- since over a decade. I went through a number of years where I lost a lot but I was able to still hit my numbers, but a lot of a lot of distance. I've gained all that back and I'm one of the longer hitters out here on TOUR again which is nice.

Q: As you say, you felt that this was coming, presumably the timing is absolutely perfect knowing that the Masters is just around the corner.

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, it's nice, it is nice (smiling). I've won here on a few occasions going into Augusta which has always been a good feeling.

I still have got some work to do, but I'm excited about the things that we have accomplished. It's been very good.

Q: And is the bigger signal to yourself or to the rest of the golfing world? Because this victory, you're going to have to accept, is going to resonate around the golfing world?

TIGER WOODS: It's for me personally. That's why I play. As I said, I'm excited about the things that we've been working on, and to see it come together week in and week out, it's getting a little bit better, a little bit better and a little bit better.

Some of you guys who follow me just about every round can see the changes. It's been very good, and you know, when push come to shove today, the wind was howling and I had to hit a lot of good shots; I did. It was good today.

Q: So many wins in your career, but given what's transpired, all of the stuff that's happened, the injuries, the time away, where does this rank?

TIGER WOODS: Well, it's not like winning a Major Championship or anything, but it certainly feels really good. It was nice to win here and with Arnold's involvement in the tournament. Obviously as you all know, my two kids were born here, and without his help and everything he's done for the hospitals here, the majority of the TOUR players' kids have been born here. We owe a lot to Arnold, and obviously Dr. Alexander who is here, for what they have done. This is a very important tournament for a lot of us.

Q: You said you didn't need the win, but does it make you feel inside that the hard work has paid off? Is there a feeling of satisfaction?

TIGER WOODS: Absolutely. Absolutely. I just felt that I've been making steps in the right direction. It just had not shown up for all four days yet. And I've been so close to putting it together, and you know, Joey has been -- we've been kind of going over this, and it's just like, man, you've been a yard off all year. A yard here and a yard here; a yard here and a yard there; it's just like, man, 65s should be the highest number I could possibly shoot a lot of times. But it's just a yard here and a yard there. I just said, be patient, it's coming. And today when the wind blew like this, to be able to have that type of control, that feels good.

Q: How would you contrast going into today with a 54-hole lead relative to Firestone? Someone said that was 924 days ago, the last win, at Firestone -- BMW, sorry.

TIGER WOODS: BMW? I guess they are all slightly different. I've had the lead before and I've won. The goal today with obviously the wind conditions as they were coming out of the west, this is the toughest one we've got. I just felt that anything under par was going to be a very good score today, and that was my goal. It was my mind-set today, and after the first hole, my lead went from one to three. So that certainly changes things.

So now, let's just try to make a lot of pars, and see what happens. Let's make a stray birdie here and there.

Q: With apologies, putting the cart in front of the horse, but can you put your head around the fact that you head into Augusta, of all places that you can tie Jack for the same number of wins?

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, well, that's nice, but I'm looking forward to more of the green jacket part of it than tying Jack, in that regard. Jack's had an amazing career and he's won a bunch of tournaments. But also, he's won more majors than anybody else, either.

So I'm looking forward to my opportunities this year. There's four of them this year and hopefully I can peak at the right times for all four of them.

MARK STEVENS: Thank you.

Tiger Tips: Play the chunk-and-run

With courses being set up more and more like U.S. Opens -- especially the nasty rough around the greens -- it pays to have a diverse short game. That's why I've developed a technique -- I hope enhanced by good touch -- for the chunk-and-run.

As the name implies, I will intentionally hit the shot fat and allow it to run out. I play it kind of like a bunker shot in that I hit behind the ball an inch or two, depending on the severity of the lie and how far I want to carry the ball. I grip the club -- most often my 60-degree wedge -- a little tighter than usual to ensure the clubface stays open through impact (above). I position the ball slightly behind center in an open stance and set up with most of my weight on my left side, like I would on a basic chip shot.

As far as the swing goes, the key for me is to make a more vertical backswing than usual. I want to be sure my wedge clears the grass going back and sets up a firm strike on the ground. I let the thick grass abbreviate my follow-through. My goal is to roll it to a makeable distance, unless I'm lucky enough to hole it.

Tiger wins record seventh Arnold Palmer

It was a long, hard process, but Tiger Woods is a winner again on the PGA Tour.

He accomplished it in convincing fashion, scoring a five-stroke victory over Graeme McDowell on Sunday to capture his seventh Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando, Fla.

It marked the first official win for the 36-year-old Woods since Sept. 13, 2009, when he won the BMW Championship. Last December, Tiger claimed the World Challenge at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, Calif.

"It feels good," said a smiling Woods, who earned $1,080,000. "It feels really good. It's been a lot of work."

Woods closed with a 2-under-par 70 and finished at 13-under 275.

McDowell shot 74 Sunday and placed second at 280. The five-stroke winning margin was the largest on the PGA Tour since the 2011 U.S. Open, when Rory McIlroy won by eight shots at Congressional Country Club.

Tiger has now won 72 PGA Tour titles, third-best on the all-time list. Sam Snead ranks first with 82 and Jack Nicklaus is second with 73.

"He was a man on a mission today," said caddie Joe LaCava, who secured his first win on the bag with Woods. "He was pretty jacked up. He was out there to prove himself."

With good reason. Woods had to overcome personal issues and injuries, then rebuilt his golf swing with coach Sean Foley. He went 923 days and 26 events between victories on the PGA Tour -- his longest drought as a professional. His last official win on any tour came on Nov. 15, 2009, at the Australian Masters.

Woods, who moved up to sixth in the official world rankings, started the final round with a one-stroke advantage over McDowell. Of the 53 times Tiger has led or co-led when tied or leading after 54 holes, he has turned 49 into wins.

The victory was the 38th in 40 tries for Woods when leading outright after 54 holes. It also marked the 16th time in his career he has won by five or more strokes.

Played in partly cloudy and sometimes breezy conditions with temperatures in the low 80s on Sunday, the final round was essentially match play between Woods and McDowell, and the gallery was large and vocal. Woods got the early jump when McDowell double-bogeyed the par-4 first hole and never surrendered the lead.

Woods two-putted the first hole from 21 feet for a par and increased his cushion to three strokes. He dropped a shot at the 213-yard, par-3 second, where he three-putted from 40 feet and saw his lead trimmed to two.

But Woods recovered quickly. At the 434-yard, par-4 third, Tiger flagged a 9-iron three feet below the hole and calmly converted after McDowell poured in a 45-foot birdie putt before him.

At the 561-yard, par-5 fourth, Woods hit a good drive, then knocked a fairway wood from 267 yards just left of the green. Faced with a tough, uphill chip from a tight lie, Tiger ran his pitch 14 feet beyond the cup but buried the birdie putt to regain a three-shot lead.

Woods just missed an 18-foot birdie attempt at the 390-yard, par-4 fifth, then birdied the 555-yard, par-5 sixth. After a big drive, he hit a beautiful long iron from 267 yards over water to within 16 feet and two-putted. McDowell holed a 51-foot putt for eagle to keep the pressure on and pulled within two.

Tiger two-putted the par-3 seventh for a par from 28 feet, then reeled off another birdie at the 460-yard, par-4 eighth. After finding the fairway with an iron off the tee, he hit a brilliant approach shot over water from 182 yards that settled three feet below the back-left pin.

Woods polished off the putt to regain a three-stroke lead.

Tiger narrowly missed a 22-foot birdie try at the par-4 ninth, but increased his advantage to four strokes when McDowell bogeyed.

Woods shot a 3-under 33 on the front nine.

Woods two-putted the par-4 10th hole from 66 feet and dodged a bullet when McDowell missed a short birdie attempt. At the 483-yard, par-4 11th, Tiger hit his second shot from 170 yards long and right of the green. He chipped to seven feet, then watched McDowell drain another long birdie putt. Hoping to avoid a two-shot swing, a confident Woods stroked in his par putt but saw his lead cut to two.

Woods pulled his drive way left at the par-5 12th, then cut a wonderful fairway wood back into the fairway, just short of the green. From there, he hit a poor chip 24 feet from the cup but two-putted for a par and gained a shot when McDowell three-putted for a bogey.

Tiger two-putted the par-4 13th for a par and dodged another bullet when McDowell missed a six-foot birdie try. Both players bogeyed the tough, par-3 14th, with Woods missing from about six feet.

For Woods, the turning point of the round likely came at the 467-yard, par-4 15th. After driving into the right fairway bunker, his second shot came up well short of the green. From there he chipped 12 feet short of the hole. McDowell easily made par, but Tiger also poured in his par putt to retain his four-stroke cushion.

Woods failed to birdie the par-5 16th hole for the first time all week, but so did McDowell. Tiger three-putted from the back fringe, nearly 60 feet away, while McDowell missed a short, downhill right-to-left putt.

Woods hit a nice 5-iron onto the green at the dangerous, 213-yard, par-3 17th, and two-putted from 53 feet. When McDowell bogeyed, he took a commanding five-stroke lead to the final hole.

Tiger split the 18th hole with his drive, then hit his approach shot 33 feet from the flag, finally allowing himself to smile. He got a high-five from LaCava, a handshake from McDowell, then tipped his cap to the cheering crowd as he approached the green with most fans standing.

After two-putting for a par, Woods received a big hug from LaCava and the spectators chanted, "Tiger! Tiger! Tiger!"

Woods, who leads the PGA Tour in total driving, hit 83 percent of the greens in regulation on Sunday and tied for first in that category.

The final-round 70 marked the first time Tiger had shot four-consecutive sub-par rounds in a tournament since the 2010 Masters.

Speaking of Augusta National, Woods' next event is the Masters, April 5-8. He can't wait.

"I'm excited, there's no doubt," he said. "Looking forward to the momentum I built."

Tiger Woods Bio

Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods (born December 30, 1975)^[4][5] is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No. 1, he is the highest-paid professional athlete in the world, having earned an estimated US$90.5 million from winnings and endorsements in 2010.^[6][7]

Woods has won 14 professional major golf championships, the second highest of any male player (Jack Nicklaus leads with 18), and 72 PGA Tour events, third all time behind Sam Snead and Nicklaus.^[8] He has more career major wins and career PGA Tour wins than any other active golfer does. He is the youngest player to achieve the career Grand Slam, and the youngest and fastest to win 50 tournaments on tour. Additionally, Woods is only the second golfer, after Jack Nicklaus, to have achieved a career Grand Slam three times. Woods has won 16 World Golf Championships, and won at least one of those events in each of the first 11 years after they began in 1999.

Woods held the number one position in the world rankings for the most consecutive weeks and for the greatest total number of weeks of any other golfer. He has been awarded PGA Player of the Year a record ten times,^[9] the Byron Nelson Award for lowest adjusted scoring average a record eight times, and has the record of leading the money list in nine different seasons.

From December 2009 to early April 2010, Woods took leave from professional golf to focus on his marriage after he admitted infidelity. His multiple infidelities were revealed by several different women, through many worldwide media sources.^[10]

In October 2010, Woods lost the world number one ranking; his ranking gradually fell to a low of #58 in November 2011.^[7][11] He snapped a career-long winless streak of 107 weeks when he captured the Chevron World Challenge in December 2011.^[11] As of March 26, 2012, he is ranked #6.^[12] His victory at the 2012 Arnold Palmer Invitational was his first on the PGA Tour since September 2009, after a drought of 132 weeks.

Woods was born Eldrick Tont Woods in Cypress, California, to Earl (1932–2006) and Kultida (Tida) Woods (born 1944). He is the only child of their marriage, but does have two half-brothers, Earl Jr. (born 1955) and Kevin (born 1957), and a half-sister, Royce (born 1958) from the 18-year marriage of Earl Woods and his first wife, Barbara Woods 

Gray.^[13] Earl, a retired lieutenant colonel and Vietnam War veteran, was of mixed African American, Chinese, and Native American ancestry. Kultida (née Punsawad), originally from Thailand (where Earl had met her on a tour of duty in 1968), is of mixed Thai, Chinese, and Dutch ancestry. This makes Woods himself half Asian (one-quarter Chinese and one-quarter Thai), one-quarter African American, one-eighth Native American, and one-eighth Dutch.^[14] He refers to his ethnic make-up as "Cablinasian" (a syllabic abbreviation he coined from Caucasian, Black, American Indian, and Asian).^[15]

Woods' first name, Eldrick, was coined by his mother because it began with "E" (for Earl) and ended with "K" (for Kultida). His middle name Tont is a traditional Thai name. He was nicknamed Tiger in honor of his father's friend Col. Vuong Dang Phong, who had also been known as Tiger.^[16]

Woods has a niece, Cheyenne Woods, who is an amateur golfer on Wake Forest University's golf team.^[17]