Tiger Woods: A Legacy That Transcends Golf as He Turns 50
The history of golf is divided into a before and after Tiger Woods. Upon celebrating his 50th birthday, the American golfer commemorates a career that not only revolutionized the sport, but also turned it into a global cultural phenomenon. Despite the personal challenges and injuries that have marked his career, Woods remains an iconic and respected figure in the world of sports.
Woods, who has stayed away from the fields throughout 2025 due to an Achilles tendon injury and back surgery, has shown remarkable resilience. Although he has been out of the competitive elite for a while, his impact on golf remains undeniable. From this age, Woods could compete in the PGA Tour Champions, a circuit for veteran players.
I’ll probably play about 25 tournaments between both tours and that should cover most of the year, right?
Tiger Woods
His last professional appearance was in July 2024, where he failed to make the cut at the British Open.
A Historical Record
Woods’ career is backed by impressive figures:
- 15 ‘major’ titles
- 82 PGA Tour wins
- 683 weeks as world number one
- 142 consecutive tournaments making the cut
His aggressive and dominant playing style redefined modern golf. One of his most memorable triumphs was the 1999 PGA Championship, where he defeated Sergio García. This duel is remembered as one of the great moments of contemporary golf.
Woods’ impact transcended sports, turning golf into a global spectacle, boosting audiences and generating unprecedented advertising contracts. His relationship with Nike, which lasted more than two decades, made him the image of golf, accumulating a fortune exceeding 1 billion dollars.
Personal and Professional Challenges
The year 2009 marked a turning point with a car accident and a scandal of infidelities that affected his career. Since then, he has only won one ‘major’, the Masters of Augusta in 2019. In 2017, he was arrested for driving under the influence of substances, and in 2021 he suffered a serious traffic accident that limited his participation in the circuit.
Currently, Woods faces a new challenge. He has been appointed chairman of the PGA Tour’s Future Competition Committee, with the aim of modernizing the circuit and facing the challenge of LIV Golf, funded by Saudi capital. With changes planned for 2027, Woods is leading an effort to revitalize the PGA after the departure of important figures.
At 50 years old, Tiger Woods continues to influence the sport he transformed, even away from the green.
