Tiger Woods Wins Western Open

On July 7, 1997, golfer Tiger Woods wins golf's Western Open.

Formerly the World No. 1, he has been one of the highest-paid athletes in the world for several years according to Forbes.

Woods turned professional in 1996, and by April 1997 he had already won his first major, the 1997 Masters in a record-breaking performance.

He first reached the number one position in the world rankings in June 1997. Through the 2000s, Woods was the dominant force in golf, spending 264 weeks from August 1999 to September 2004 and 281 weeks from June 2005 to October 2010 as world number one. From December 2009 to early April 2010, Woods took leave from professional golf to focus on his marriage after he admitted infidelity.

Several different women, through many worldwide media sources, revealed his multiple infidelities. This was followed by a loss of form, and his ranking gradually fell to a low of No. 58 in November 2011.

He snapped a career-long winless streak of 107 weeks when he captured the Chevron World Challenge in December 2011. As of March 25, 2013, he is ranked No. 1, after winning the 2013 Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Woods has broken numerous golf records. He has been world number one 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 10 times, the Byron Nelson Award for lowest adjusted scoring average a record nine times. He won the Byron Nelson Award nine times, including five consecutive years from 1999-2003. He also has the record of leading the money list in 10 different seasons. Woods has led the PGA Tour in money winning nine times including four straight years from 1999-2002. He won the Vardon Trophy nine times, including five consecutive years from 1999-2003.

He has won 14 professional major golf championships, the second highest of any player (Jack Nicklaus leads with 18), and 79 PGA Tour events, second all time behind Sam Snead.

He has more career major wins and career PGA Tour wins than any other active golfer. He is the youngest player to achieve the career Grand Slam, and the youngest and fastest to win 50 tournaments on tour, he currently has 106 wins.

Additionally, Woods is only the second golfer, after Jack Nicklaus, to have achieved a career Grand Slam three times. Woods has won 18 World Golf Championships, and won at least one of those events in each of the first 11 years after they began in 1999.

  

In 1996 Woods was named the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year. 11 times Woods has been named the PGA Player of the Year including five straight selections from 1999-2003. He was the PGA Tour Player of the Year 11 times, including five straight selections from 1999-2003.

Woods has also won the FedEx Cup twice in 2007 and 2009.