Tiger Woods turns 50

Woods had the career Grand Slam at age 24, the youngest of anyone. He had 50 wins worldwide and 10 majors before he turned 30.

It wasn't as easy as he could make it look. The late Dan Jenkins once said when Woods was in peak form, "only two things can stop Tiger — injury or a bad marriage".Turns out it was both. His path was derailed at the end of 2009 by revelations of multiple extramarital affairs, and the injuries kept piling up. He still made it back to world No 1 in 2013 and he ran his PGA Tour victory count to 82, tied with the great Sam Snead.

"If he never got injured, he'd have 25 majors and 125 wins," Fred Couples once said.

Matt Kuchar saw it differently. He felt the injuries contributed to the legend of Woods, particularly that 2008 US Open win at Torrey Pines.

Woods was playing that week on shredded ligaments in his left knee and two stress fractures in his left leg. Often overlooked is the fact that, until the opening round at Torrey Pines, Woods had not walked 18 holes since the Masters.

"The legacy is bigger because of the injuries," Kuchar said. "What he did at Torrey Pines, what he did at the (2019) Masters, is sort of Hoganesque. At some point I, like almost everybody, counted him out. And then he wins again."

Woods is keeping plenty busy outside the ropes. He was appointed to the PGA Tour policy board without a term limit in 2023, as the tour was in the midst of its battle with Saudi-funded LIV Golf. He now heads up the Future Competition Committee, charged with reshaping the tour model.

The next question is when — and where — he plays. Woods is the only player to have won the US Junior Amateur, US Amateur and US Open. The US Senior Open is at Scioto, the Ohio course where Jack Nicklaus learned to play.

April at Augusta isn't the same without Woods. He set the Masters record in 2024 by making the cut for the 24th consecutive time. How many more? How much longer?

"People want to see him," Kuchar said. "And if he shoots 76, people still want to see him. He's unique in our sport."