Tuesday’s car crash was the latest shocking turn of events in the career of Tiger Woods, which has seen some dizzying highs and terrifying lows. Here’s a look:
The highs
1997 Masters: At age 21, Woods became the youngest winner at Augusta, posting a then-record score (270) and margin of victory (12 shots). He also became the first non-white winner in tournament history.
2000 U.S. Open: Woods unleashes one of the most dominant performances in golf history at Pebble Beach, dominating the field to win by 15 shots, the largest margin in a major.
The Tiger Slam: By winning the 2001 Masters, Woods becomes the only player to hold all four golf major championships at the same time. Woods is an incredible 65-under par combined in the four majors, which also included the 2000 British Open at St. Andrews and 2000 PGA Championship at Valhalla.
A family man: Woods marries Elin Nordegren, a Swedish model, in October 2004. She gives birth to their first child, daughter Samantha, in June 2007, and their son, Charlie, two years later.
2008 U.S. Open: Playing on a badly injured knee, Woods wins his 14th major, moving within four of Jack Nicklaus’ record. He defeats Rocco Mediate on the first hole of sudden death following an 18-hole playoff at Torrey Pines.
Back in the winner’s circle: Woods wins the 2012 Arnold Palmer Invitational for his first PGA Tour victory since the scandal in his personal life.
Rounding into form: In 2018, Woods takes the lead into the final round of the British Open before making double bogey on the 12th hole to finish tied for sixth. He then closes with a 64, his lowest final round ever in a major, and is runner-up to Brooks Koepka in the PGA Championship. A few months later, he wins the Tour Championship for his 80th career victory on the PGA Tour, leaving him two shy of the record held by Sam Snead.
The master, again: Woods wins the 2019 Masters for his fifth green jacket and 15th major title, his first in 11 years. He moves within three victories of Nicklaus’ record for major championships.
The lows
A costly victory: A week after winning 2008 U.S. Open, Woods has reconstructive surgery on his left knee to repair a torn ACL and two stress fractures in his left tibia. He is out for eight months.
The Thanksgiving from hell: On Thanksgiving 2009, days after a National Enquirer report alleging an affair, Woods crashes his SUV into a tree and a fire hydrant outside his Windemere, Fla., home. It’s revealed Nordegren smashed one of the car’s windows with a golf club.
The sex scandal: Numerous women come forward with tales of sexual encounters with Woods, ranging from a club hostess to a Perkins waitress to porn stars. He loses major sponsorship endorsements and spends 45 days in a clinic, not returning to golf until the 2010 Masters. In August 2010, his divorce from Nordegren is finalized.
The back surgeries: Woods has his first back surgery in April 2014, a week before the Masters, missing the event for the first time. He has four more back surgeries — in September 2015, October 2015, April 2017 (to fuse his lower back) and December 2020.
DUI arrest: Woods is arrested in May 2017 and briefly jailed in Jupiter, Fla., on suspicion of DUI. Police find him asleep behind the wheel of his car in the early morning with the engine running. He attributes it to a bad combination of pain medication, eventually pleading guilty to reckless driving and agrees to enter a diversion program.
The L.A. crash: Woods is in a single-car accident in suburban Los Angeles and is extricated from the rolled-over vehicle, suffering leg injuries that require surgery.
— With AP
