An Incredible Story of How Tiger Woods Earned the Respect of Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus

Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer were the undisputed kings in the golfing world until 1990. Moreover, in the early 1990s, there was a name that was starting to gain popularity. And that name was none other than Tiger Woods. Tiger was a child prodigy and made an immense impact in the golfing world, even as an amateur.

Hence, according to the renowned author Tom Callahan’s book Arnie, there is an incredible story about how Arnold Palmer saw his unique talent. In 1996, Tiger competed in the Masters as an amateur, and Woods went out to practice along with Palmer and Nicklaus on Wednesday morning. 

Moreover, on the par-5 13th hole, Tiger bombed his driver off the tee and took iron for his second shot. Hence, seeing this, Arnold came over to Nicklaus and said, “He’s laying up.” However, Jack said, “Oh, Arnie, he’s not.” 

Furthermore, Tiger flushed his iron over the creek and reached the green. Therefore, this was the moment Palmer realized Woods’ class and potential as a golfer. 

Tiger Woods has won five Masters in his career so far

Soon after the 1996 Masters, Tiger Woods turned pro and started competing on the PGA Tour. His first victory came in the same at Las Vegas Invitational. Moreover, his first major victory came in the next Masters at Augusta National in 1997. He had a record-breaking event as the 21-year-old golfer back then won the event by 12 strokes. 

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Furthermore, Tiger won two consecutive Masters in 2001 and 2002, respectively. His fourth win came in 2005, and after this win, there was a massive drought. Woods faced a lot of difficulties in his career due to injuries. He had a plethora of surgeries that held him back from performing to his potential. 

However, Tiger Woods made an exceptional comeback in 2019 and won his fifth green jacket. He ended the drought of not winning a major championship and announced his return. But sadly, in February 2021, he faced a life-threatening solo car crash. However, Woods has made a good recovery and was seen competing this year at the Masters. 

Hence, Tiger has already made it clear that he will be competing in prominent events, which will probably be only major championships. 

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