With one of the greatest golfers of all time's future in the sport up in the air, we revisit the highs and lows of Tiger Woods' career.
After shooting onto the professional scene, Woods won the Masters in April 1997 and skyrocketed to the world’s top ranking by June.
(AP File Photo)
AP File Photo
Woods won six straight tournaments in 2000, the longest winning streak on tour since 1948. But his biggest win was his stunning, 15-shot victory at Pebble Beach in the U.S. Open.
(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
People sometimes forget that Tiger’s reign at number one was interrupted in 2004, after he failed to win a major over a two-year stretch. In September of that year, Vijay Singh took the top spot and battled with Woods for it throughout 2004 and 2005.
(AP Photo/Winslow Townson)
AP Photo/Winslow Townson
Tiger returned to dominance and the number-one ranking, winning six consecutive events to end the year in 2006 following the death of his father.
(AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
AP Photo/Alastair Grant
Despite a knee surgery in 2008, Woods limped his way to a U.S. Open title. The victory came at the cost of a second surgery, which cost Woods the remainder of the 2008 season.
(AP Photo/Denis Poroy)
AP Photo/Denis Poroy
The surgeries affected Woods’ game, but his life fell apart completely following a late-2009 car crash that exposed a string of infidelities that would later lead to time away from the sport and a divorce.
(AP Photo/Florida Highway Patrol)
AP Photo/Florida Highway Patrol
In February 2010, Woods issued a public apology but lost many of his endorsement deals anyway.
(AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes
When Woods returned to golf, he finished fourth at the Masters in 2011, but incurred a leg injury that hampered him the rest of the year, falling all the way to #58.
(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
In 2012, Woods captured the 2012 Arnold Palmer Invitational, his first win on tour since 2009. He later tied and passed Jack Nicklaus with his 73rd and 74th career wins.
(AP Photo/John Raoux)
AP Photo/John Raoux
With new celebrity girlfriend Lindsay Vonn in tow, Woods was almost disqualified from the 2013 Masters for an illegal drop. Instead, he was assessed a two-stroke penalty and finished fourth.
(AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
AP Photo/Darron Cummings
Woods suffered his worst-ever finish at the 2013 U.S. Open, where he came in at +13, 12 strokes off the lead.
(AP Photo/Morry Gash)
AP Photo/Morry Gash
Woods rebounded later in 2013 to shoot a 61 in the second round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, matching his record score on tour and cruising to victory.
(AP Photo/Mark Duncan)
AP Photo/Mark Duncan
After a bad start to 2014,Woods was injured during the Honda Classic and withdrew. He missed the Masters, then later finished 69th at British Open and missed the cut at the PGA Championship.
(AP Photo/Mike Groll)
AP Photo/Mike Groll
One week after shooting the worst single-day score of his career to finish dead last at the Waste Management Open in Phoenix, Woods withdrew with injury on 12th hole at Torrey Pines on Thursday. His status for the 2015 Masters and beyond is up in the air.
(AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
WASHINGTON — After shooting the worst round of his professional career at the Waste Management Open the week prior, Tiger Woods withdrew from the Farmers Insurance Open after just 11 holes on Thursday, leaving his future in the sport he once dominated very much in doubt.
Last week, we asked what should be expected of Woods heading into Torrey Pines, the course at which he has experienced the most success in his professional career. Woods was off to an up-and-down start in La Jolla, but bailed on the 12th hole due to injury. His round had been postponed from the outset, then later delayed due to fog, causing him to be unable to stay loose.
In our dissection of Woods’ troubles last week with Tiffany Faucette, lead instructor at 1757 Golf Club, in Dulles, Virginia, she pointed more to Woods’ injuries than any swing changes as her primary concern for his ability to return to form. Even prior to Thursday’s withdrawal, she said she expected it to take at least six months for us to know where Tiger really stands at this point in his career.
With all that in mind, click through the gallery above to see a timeline of the highs and lows of Tiger Woods’ career to date.
