The player who has changed the face of gold around the world. The reason most play and love golf. This page dedictaed to this great,great player.
DECEMBER 20th
By Tiger Woods
I have so much to be thankful for in 2007. Obviously, my wife and new daughter top the list. I had always heard that fatherhood changes your life and perspective, but until you experience it, there's no way to really understand how much. Every day, Sam does something new that brings a smile to my face. I appreciate the little things, like having her watch me hit balls on the back of the driving range or watch sports with me on TV. She's a wonderful, curious little girl, and Elin and I cherish every moment together.
Golf-wise, I've always said if you win a major, it's a great year. Everything else is gravy. Winning the PGA Championship was the highlight, but I played consistently most of the season and am very pleased with my progress. It was also satisfying to win two World Golf Championship events, and of course, the inaugural FedExCup.The only disappointments were coming up short at the Masters and U.S. Open. I put myself in position both times, but just couldn't get the job done. I'll think about that during the next few weeks and hopefully come back even stronger in 2008.
It was nice to end the year with a W in the Target World Challenge. Coming off a 10-week break, I wasn't sure how sharp I would be, but I putted great and hit big shots when I needed them. I also accomplished it playing the new Nike ONE Platinum ball. More importantly, we were able to raise a lot of money for the Tiger Woods Foundation, which will enable us to help more kids. My thanks to the players, sponsors, staff, volunteers and of course the fans for making the tournament such a big success.The Tiger Woods Leaning Center in Anaheim, Ca. has exceeded all expectations, and we are making great progress in our Washington, D.C. efforts. We also have some exciting programs I plan to launch in January 08. More on that later.
I would like to thank my good friend Hank Haney for all his help and support this year. Henry dealt with some family issues and I know it wasn't easy. He didn't attend as many events as he usually does, and rightfully so. But he was there when I needed him. All the countless hours we have put in together are paying off. I have a better understanding of my golf swing than ever before and know how to fix most of my faults. When I don't, Henry will continue to be my extra set of eyes.I will start the 2008 season next month by defending my title at the Buick Invitational. I want to spend as much time as I can during the holidays with family and friends. Although I've never been much of Christmas guy, things are different now that we have Sam. As a kid, my parents used to give me a left shoe for Christmas and a right shoe for my birthday (Dec. 30). Real funny. I'm not a great shopper, but look forward to picking out a few presents for her.
That's all for now. Elin, Sam and I send our best wishes for the holiday season. Have a safe and healthy New Year.
Tiger
I believe it was last year when the idea of a "Tiger Tour" - a breakaway professional golf tour led by Tiger Woods - was bouncing around the blogosphere, and rattling around inside the heads of golf media members. The idea isn't completely unthinkable. After all, the PGA Tour exists because professional golfers broke away from the PGA of America.
There are lots of reasons to believe that Woods would never be part of such an effort, but one of the biggest is this: The "Tiger Tour" already exists. That's the thought that rattled around inside my skull while looking over the 2008 PGA Tour schedule. Woods already has a relatively set schedule from year-to-year, it's a schedule that is tailored to by the PGA Tour, and it includes all the biggest events most important to Tiger (that's why he plays them, after all). What tournaments does Tiger play? The majors, foremost. And The Players Championship. That's five tournaments.
Add in the World Golf Championship events. Three more. Eight total.
Tiger's own tournament, of course, the AT&T National. And Arnie's and Jack's events. Three more. Eleven total.
Then there's the FedEx Cup playoffs. Woods will probably play all four tournaments in 2008, since the Tour added a week off into the mix. But let's play it safe and say he only plays the three he played last year - Deutsche Bank, BMW and Tour Championship. Three more. Fourteen total. How many tournaments does Tiger play each year? Not many more than that. Which is yet another thing Woods has in common with his hero Jack Nicklaus. Here's a comparison of Woods' recent tourney totals with Nicklaus' in the 1970s:
Woods' totals dropped the past two years first because of the death of his father, then the birth of his daughter. But now that Woods has kids, that total isn't likely to go up again. We should expect to see Woods playing 18 tournaments maximum through the rest of his PGA Tour career, and most years only 15, 16 or 17. I suspect he'll stay home with Sam a couple extra weeks this year, limiting himself to 16 tournaments again.As we've seen above, there are 14 tournaments Tiger will play every year, barring injury. That doesn't leave much room for others. But the little room that is left over is quickly filled up.
The Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines. Woods always plays the Buick, with a title sponsor he endorses and at a course he enjoys. The Wachovia Championship. He loves the course and the event. That's two more. Sixteen total.
So, there's you have it:
2008 Tiger Tour
Feb. 20-24: WGC Accenture World Match Play
Jan. 24-27: Buick Invitational
March 13-16: Arnold Palmer Invitational
March 20-23: WGC CA Championship
April 10-13: The Masters
May 1-4: Wachovia Championship
May 8-11: Players Championship
May 28-June 1: The Memorial
June 12-15: U.S. Open
July 3-6: AT&T National
July 17-20: British Open
July 31-Aug. 3: WGC Bridgestone Invitational
Aug. 7-10: PGA Championship
Aug. 28-Sept. 1: Deutsche Bank Championship
Sept. 4-7: BMW Championship
Sept. 25-28: Tour Championship
It's possible there could be one or two more - if so, most likely The Barclays (the first "playoff"), maybe the season-opening Mercedes.
These are the biggest tournaments on the schedule. The Tour "protects" these tournaments by setting them off from one another. They offer the most money and prestige (in a few cases helped in both areas because Tiger plays them).
There's no need for a Tiger Tour because we already have one.
July 12, 2007
I'm getting ready to leave for the British Open, which starts next week at Carnoustie. As an amateur, I played Scottish Opens there in 1995 and 1996, and thought it was one of the best courses I've ever played. Then, I came back and played the Open Championship in 1999 and my opinion changed.Although I tied for seventh, it was probably the hardest British Open course I have ever played - even harder than Muirfield. The set-up was unfair and ridiculous. I remember stepping off the fairway at No. 6 and it was nine yards wide in the lay up area. That's not much room when you have to hit a 4-iron in that space. It's still a great course, but I hope the R&A has learned a lesson.
The 17th hole is a little weird, as well. There are two burns that you have to fit the ball between. Down-wind, it becomes a very tricky tee shot. I know they have been getting a lot of rain in Scotland, so I don't know how the set up is going to be. We'll just have to see.I will say this: the British Open Championship is my favorite major. My first was at St. Andrews so it doesn't get much better than that. I just love the history, tradition and atmosphere. You need patience and imagination to play well, plus the fans are great. I'm really looking forward to next week.
Someone reminded me that I could become only the second player to win three-straight Claret Jugs. That's nice, but I'm not thinking about it. You just stay focused on what you have to do. One takes care of three.Obviously, last year's win at Royal Liverpool in England was very emotional after losing my father two months earlier. I played so well from tee to green and actually led the tournament in driving accuracy and finished second in greens in regulation. I stuck to my game-plan, put my driver away and plodded my way around the course.
This year, things are different. I'm a father now, and couldn't wait to get back to Florida to see my wife and new daughter after last week's inaugural AT&T National in Washington D.C. I can't put into words how excited I am to be a dad. On the night Sam Alexis was born, Elin and I were talking about how strange it is to love something so much that didn't exist the day before. We never experienced anything like it and hope to experience it again.Being away from them for a week was tough. At night, I woke up every 45 minutes, thinking it was time for a diaper change or a feeding. And yes, I have changed diapers. Hey, it is what it is.
As for the tournament, I couldn't be prouder of the way we pulled it off in 116 days. Our tournament director, Greg McLaughlin, and his staff did such a great job, as did everyone associated with the event. I wish I could have putted better and brought home a win, but we have a great champion in K.J. Choi. He played extremely well and deserved to win.Special thanks to AT&T, the members at Congressional Country Club, the PGA Tour and all the men and women serving in the U.S. Military. As part of our military tribute, we printed 75,000 post cards for spectators to write notes to our soldiers around the world. By Friday, we had to print 35,000 more. I'm so proud of the support this event generated for our troops and am so grateful to the fans that helped make the military tribute great.
I also want to thank all the players for attending and supporting what we're doing. Many had to adjust their schedules, but I think they all enjoyed being able to compete on such a wonderful golf course.I was absolutely thrilled to see so many fans turn out. We had about 37,000 on Saturday and Sunday, and it was great to see such a diverse group of people get excited about golf.Even better, we generated a lot of support and awareness for the work we're doing at the Tiger Woods Foundation. A large portion of what we raised will be for a new Tiger Woods Learning Center in the Washington D.C. area. At least, that's our plan. We still have a lot of work to do, but we're off to a good start. We're already talking about ways to improve next year's tournament and generate even more support for the Center.
Prior to the AT&T National, I tied for second in the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club. I played well, but I just didn't make any birdie putts. I hit so many good shots in there 15 feet or so, but I couldn't take a run at them because they broke three or four feet. For some reason, I kept leaving myself with those same types of putts and it was frustrating. Had I been aggressive and missed, they could have easily gone six or seven feet past the hole. I did make a lot of par putts coming in, but those were easy putts because they weren't breaking much.Recently, we broke ground on my first golf course design project, Al Ruwaya, at The Tiger Woods Dubai. I couldn't be there in person, but I'm very excited about the project. You can get a sneak preview of holes 12, 17 and 18 by visiting my website at: www.tigerwoods.com. I decided to preview these three holes because I think they showcase some of the fun, strategic elements I hope to bring to Al Ruwaya.
I've worked hard on my game this week with Hank Haney and hope it carries over to the British. I've had two close calls in majors this year and would love to get a W.
Finally, Elin and I want to say thanks for all your good wishes, advice and support.
Talk to you next month.
Tiger
June 8, 2007
The U.S. Open is next week and I'm working hard on my game to get ready. I played another practice round Monday at Oakmont Country Club to get a better feel for the course and left with the same impression I had the first time I played it: It's probably the hardest U.S. Open course I have ever played.Obviously, driving will be a key. Most fairways are only about 26 yards wide and the rough is brutal in places. Given the speed and undulation of the greens, it will be difficult to hold the putting surfaces without playing from the short grass.
Plus, many of the fairways run out. I see myself hitting only five or six drivers and using a lot of stinger 3-woods off the tee for position. It might leave me with longer clubs into the greens, but at least I will be able to control the spin of my golf ball.I'm excited for the tournament. We only have four major championships a year and this is what we play for, what defines your career. I've been fortunate to win two U.S. Opens and would love to win another. My goal, as always, is to give myself a chance on Sunday afternoon.
Last week, I played okay in the Memorial Tournament, tying for 15th. I putted poorly until the final round, when I used 26 putts and shot 67, but progressed each day with my ball-striking. Although I wanted to win, I was also preparing for Oakmont and got a lot of work done with Hank Haney.Peaking for a major championship is never easy. You try to do everything humanly possible to get ready, including rest, but you just never know until you get to the tournament. Despite a busy off-course schedule, I have trained hard and hope it pays off.
Prior to Memorial, I held a press conference at Congressional Country Club to promote our new tournament, the AT&T National, which will be held during Fourth of July week. We had a great turnout and announced our plan for distributing 30,000 free tickets to active military. It's just one of the ways we're saying thanks for serving and protecting our country. I feel very strongly about this and know my father would have approved.I also attended Tiger Jam X in Las Vegas. We had a great time thanks to our sponsors and friends, and raised $1.5 million for my Foundation's programs. Special thanks to my friends Hootie & The Blowfish, Bon Jovi and Daughtry for putting on great shows and supporting the cause. We've helped more than 10 million kids, which is something I'm very proud of.
It's hard to believe that I'm going to be a father next month. The time has gone so fast and reality is starting to sink in. Elin and I are so excited to welcome this child into the world!People keep asking if it's a boy or a girl and suggesting names. I honestly don't know and wouldn't say if I did. As for names, we've thrown some around. I admit I've been slow-playing Elin on the subject, but I'll definitely be involved in the process.
Finally, I want to thank all the fans for their advice and support. This is a special time in our lives and we look forward to parenthood.
Take care.
Tiger
TIGER WOODS - WHO HE IS
Eldrick (Tiger) Woods, now 31 years of age, has had an unprecedented career since becoming a professional golfer in the late summer of 1996. He has won 77 tournaments, 57 of those on the PGA TOUR, including the 1997, 2001, 2002 and 2005 Masters Tournaments, 1999, 2000 and 2006 PGA Championships, 2000 and 2002 U.S. Open Championships, and 2000, 2005 and 2006 British Open Championships. With his second Masters victory in 2001, Tiger became the first ever to hold all four professional major championships at the same time. He is the career victories leader among active players on the PGA TOUR, and is the career money list leader.
Woods won 11 tournaments in 2000, nine on the PGA TOUR, one on the PGA European Tour and the PGA Grand Slam. In addition, Woods and David Duval won the World Cup team title for the United States. He earned $9,188,321 on the PGA TOUR ($11,034,530 worldwide) and broke the PGA TOUR record of $6,616,585 which he set in 1999.
Tiger increased his record total on the PGA TOUR career money list to $55,770,760 through 2005, and had won $68,151,294 worldwide.His nine PGA TOUR victories in 2000 equaled the fifth highest total ever and were the most since Sam Snead won 11 in 1950. He had eight PGA TOUR victories in 1999, and 11 victories worldwide while winning $7,681,625.In winning the British Open, Woods became the youngest to complete the career Grand Slam of professional major championships and only the fifth ever to do so, following Hogan, Gene Sarazen,Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus. Tiger also was the youngest Masters champion ever, at the age of 21 years, three months and 14 days, and was the first major championship winner of African or Asian heritage.Woods holds or shares the record for the low score in relation to par in each of the four major championships. His records are 270 (18 under par) in the Masters, 272 (12 under par) in the U.S. Open, 269 (19 under par) in the British Open, and he shares the record of 270 (18 under par) with Bob May in the 2000 PGA Championship, which Tiger won by one stroke in a three-hole playoff.
The U.S. Open triumph swept aside the 13-stroke major championship standard which had stood for 138 years, established by Old Tom Morris in the 1862 British Open. The record margin for the U.S. Open had been 11 strokes by Willie Smith in 1899. In the Masters, Woods broke the record margin of nine strokes set by Nicklaus in 1965. Tiger won the British Open by eight strokes, the largest margin since J. H. Taylor in 1913.The best previous start on the PGA TOUR was by Horton Smith, who had eight PGA TOUR victories in 1929 at age 21 and 15 career victories in 1931 at age 23. By winning eight PGA TOUR titles and 11 overall in 1999, Woods had posted career totals of 15 PGA TOUR victories and 21 overall at age 23. The comparable figures for Nicklaus, through age 24 in 1964, were 12 PGA TOUR victories and 17 overall. Nicklaus had been a professional golfer for three years, one year less than Tiger.
Tiger played in his first professional tournament in 1992, at age 16, the Nissan Los Angeles Open and in three more PGA TOUR events in 1993. He made the 36-hole cut and tied for 34th place in the 1994 Johnnie Walker Asian Classic in Thailand, and had three additional PGA TOUR appearances. He entered Stanford University in 1994 and in two years he won 10 collegiate events, concluding with the NCAA title. His other amateur victories included the 1994 Western Amateur. He represented the United States in the 1994 World Amateur Team Championships in France and the 1995 Walker Cup Match in Wales.He played his first major championships in 1995, making the 36-hole cuts in the Masters and the British Open, but had to withdraw from the U.S. Open because of an injured wrist. Tiger also made the cuts in the Motorola Western Open and Scottish Open. He played in three more major championships in 1996, making the cuts in two. After missing the cut in the Masters, he led the U.S. Open after 13 holes of the first round before finishing tied for 82nd place. Tiger posted a 281 total to tie the record for an amateur in the British Open, and his 66 in the second round equaled the lowest ever by an amateur. He tied for 22nd place.
From early childhood I dreamed of being the world’s best golfer. I worked hard and applied my family’s values to everything I did. Integrity, honesty, discipline, responsibility and fun; I learned these values at home and in school, each one pushing me further toward my dream.
Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to meet thousands of children across the country, and all of them share one common bond: they all dream about their futures.As a result, I’ve learned that success on the course was only part of what I wanted to achieve. In 1996, my father and I established the Tiger Woods Foundation to inspire dreams in America’s youth because I believe in passing on the values I received from my parents and teachers. Through personal enrichment programs, scholarships, direct grants, junior golf teams and the new Tiger Woods Learning Center, the Foundation is helping millions of children reach their dreams.
Please take a look around our Web site and learn more about our programs and events, the young people we’ve worked with and the sponsors who help make it all possible. Thanks for visiting; I hope you’ll join with us as we work to inspire America’s youth.
Sincerely,
Tiger Woods Founder
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