Today in History: Tiger Woods wins his first major championship
Tiger Woods took less than a year after turning professional to win his first major championship title, taking the 1997 Masters by a record 12 shots.
Born Eldrick Tont Woods on 30 December 1975, Tiger Woods officially turned professional in August 1996 after achieving an astounding 21 amateur victories.
1996 would prove to be a landmark year for then 20-year-old Woods, as it was the year when he became the first golfer to win three consecutive US Amateur titles; finished The Open Championship at –3 (total score of 281, an amateur record); dropped out of college; left California (where he grew up); and of course turned pro.
His decision to drop out of college to pursue professional golf paid off less than half a year after turning pro.
Woods won one of his first eight professional tournaments in the 1996/ 97 season, earning himself the title of the PGA Tour’s Rookie of the Year, as well as Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year.
Going into the 1997 Masters, 21-year-old Woods was confident in his ability to pull off the win. However, his week got off to one of the worst starts imaginable, shooting a 40 (+4) on his first nine.
Woods bounced back on the second nine, carding a 30 (–6) after four birdies and an eagle to finish the round at –2, three shots off the lead.
What was to follow over the course of the next three days has been widely regarded as some of the greatest golf ever played, as Woods went on to smash a number of Masters and major championships records.
He dominated the second and third rounds, bagging scores of 66 and 65 respectively to go into the final round at –15, with a nine shot lead. He carded a 69 in the final round to finish at –18 with a victory margin of 12 shots, which at the time was a record victory margin for a major championship (Woods bettered his own record at the 2000 US Open when he won by 15 shots).
The 1997 Masters saw record television views, and record attendances at Augusta.
Woods also became the first ever non-white golfer to win a major championship.
He would go on to win a total of 14 major championships – four Masters, three US Opens, four Open Championships, and four PGA Championships.
You can relive his 1997 final round through the eyes of those who watched on in awe at a masterclass that had never been seen before.
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