Tiger Woods turns 50

Ernie Els was most prescient in 2000 at Kapalua when he was on the losing end again — nobody finished second to Woods more than the Big Easy. They matched eagles on the 18th in regulation, birdies on the 18th in a playoff, and Woods got him with a 40-foot birdie putt on the second extra hole. Vintage Tiger.

"I think he's a legend in the making," Els said that day. "He's 24. He's probably going to be bigger than Elvis when he gets into his 40s."

That's up for debate, of course. What is undeniable is the impact Woods has left on golf.

Popularity soared and prize money skyrocketed. Woods made golf look different and he made it cool. And perhaps his greatest legacy is that he unwittingly trained a generation of players who wanted to be like him. Scottie Scheffler said nothing inspired him more than watching the intensity of Woods when he was out of contention at the 2020 Masters. Woods made a 10 on the 12th hole and followed with five birdies over his last six holes. He tied for 38th.

"Tiger was just different in the way he approached each shot. It was like the last shot he was ever going to hit," Scheffler said. It was the only time they played together. Scheffler is now coming up on three years at world No 1, the longest stretch since Woods.

But it started with that skill set unlike any other.

"He's the only guy I've ever known who continually exceeded expectations," Tom Lehman said. "No matter how many you heaped on him, he found a way to exceed them."

Lehman recalls one moment at the Memorial on the 17th hole, a green so rock-hard it felt impossible to get it close. Lehman hit 5-iron as high and far as he could and was pleased to see it roll out 25 feet from the cup.

"He hits this shot way up in the air and it was coming down like a parachute," Lehman said. "Lands by the cup and bounces 2 feet and stops. I figure he must have hit a 7-iron. I asked: 'Tiger, what club was that?'He said: 'That was a little, three-finger 5-iron.' He just filleted it in there.

"When I think of him, that's what I think of. Only one guy could hit that shot. And he did it often."