Tiger Woods: Prodigy

Tiger Woods is one of the most successful golfers in the world. His youth, good looks and tenacity have earned him a position as golfʼs most marketable asset, and he single-handedly brought golf to the masses. Tiger Woodʼs talent began to show at an astonishingly early age, having had a golf club put in his hand at just three years old by his parents, who clearly had lofty ambitions for their young son. He managed to not only reach those heights but exceed them, and regularly names his father as one of his mentors and guiding lights. Winning the Junior World Championships six times, Woods, at fifteen, became the youngest ever Junior Amateur Champion. Many other accolades and opportunities followed, including a multi-million dollar endorsement deal with Nike when he turned professional at age 21. The Tiger Woods phenomenon has transformed golf into a mainstream sport in the United States. The sport that used to be dominated by the white upper classes, and was once described by Mark Twain as “a good walk spoiled”, has become a pastime for people of all ages, races and socio-economic backgrounds, most proclaiming to have been inspired to take up the clubs by the feats of Tiger Woods.But for all this, the scandal that broke in late 2009 reminded the world that Woods is just human. His many extramarital affairs made worldwide headlines, revealing golfʼs golden boy as a “serial love rat”; as a steady stream of women came forward to announce theyʼd had secret trysts with Tiger. After some time seeking therapy for a sex addiction, Woods resurfaced in February 2010, apologising publicly for his behaviour and hinting at a golfing comeback, surely a relief and source of excitement for his fans, but perhaps not so much for his competitors!