A Look At Jobs In Golf - The Career Of Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods has practically become a household name. Winner of many professional major golf championships, awarded the celebrated title of "PGA Player of the Year" nine times, and has more career major wins and career PGA Tour wins than any other professional golfer, there isn't any other athlete with as much prestige as this young competitor. It's safe to say that Eldrick "Tiger" Woods may have one of the best jobs in golf.

Born in Cypress, California, Tiger is the only child to parents Earl, a retired U.S. army lieutenant and Kultida, a woman of Thai descent. Nicknamed "Tiger" at an early age, Tiger's parents knew early on that their son was born for greatness as they watched a baby Tiger mimic his father's golf swings in his crib.

As Tiger grew up in Orange County, he was considered a golf prodigy by age two. He appeared on the "Mike Douglas Show" and putted with fellow golfer and comedian, Bob Hope. At five years old, while other kids were watching TV and learning their alphabet, Tiger was featured in Golf Digest.

When Tiger was young, he didn't have time to hold any simple jobs, such as caddy or salesman. Winning tournament after tournament during the ages of 8 through 15, Tiger went straight to the big time. And while a student at Stanford University, he won 10 collegiate events and held the NCAA title, too.

Tiger was an amateur golfer during 1995 and 1996. Named Sports Illustrated's 1996 Sportsman of the Year, Tiger received even more notoriety. Then, in late summer of 1996, this golf phenomenon finally turned pro. He played seven PGA Tour tournaments and won twice. In 1997, he won the Masters for his first major. And in 1999, Tiger held the title of Player of the Year until 2004, when Vijay Singh earned the coveted award.

Tiger sure knew how to bring in the millennium with a bang, as many consider Tiger's 2000 season to be the best on the PGA Tour. At age 24, Tiger became the second pro golfer (along with Ben Hogan) to win three professional majors in one season. He also set the record for lowest score to par (−19) in any major tournament. Tiger was the youngest golfer to achieve the Career Grand Slam and won his third straight start on Tour at the Bell Canadian Open, which made him the second man to win the Triple Crown of Golf in one season. He was ranked12th best golfer of all time by Golf Digest magazine

In 2001, Tiger won the Masters and became the first golfer in history to hold all four professional majors at the same time. But, in 2003 and 2004, Tiger hit a bit of a slump. Many attributed this curious occurrence to disagreements with his swing coach, Butch Harmon, while others blamed it on his marriage. However, at the time, Tiger was working on changing his swing so he could put less pressure on his surgically repaired left knee.

Whatever the reason, Tiger jumped back into the swing of things in 2005 with a string of outstanding wins. Tiger won the Buick Invitational, the Ford Championship at Doral, the 2005 Masters, regaining his number-one spot in the World Rankings, the 2005 Open Championship, six money events on the PGA Tour and two wins at the World Golf Championships.

In the past, golf was considered an elitist sport, played by mostly lawyers and doctors on their vacations and lunch breaks. However, Tiger Woods has brought this sport to the masses. With his charming smile and laid back persona, Tiger Woods has become arguably the most beloved golfer in history holding the most coveted jobs in golf.

Andy West is a freelance writer for SDGA. San Diego Golf Academy is a premier golf school with locations across the United States. To learn more about jobs in golf, please visit http://www.sdga.edu.