Lesson 4: Tiger Woods: Changing Everything
In 1997, a 21-year-old named Tiger Woods won the Masters Tournament by 12 strokes — the largest winning margin in the tournament’s history. He was the first Black golfer to win at Augusta National. Golf was never the same.
Tiger Woods went on to win 15 major championships and spent more weeks as the world’s number one player than any other golfer in history. At his peak, he was not just the best golfer in the world — he was widely considered the best athlete in the world.
Tiger’s arrival changed who played golf. Young people, people of color, families who had never watched golf before — all started following the sport because of Tiger. TV ratings for tournaments he entered were dramatically higher than tournaments he missed.
Tiger also showed the world that golf was an athletic sport — not just a leisure activity. He trained like a professional athlete, changing how golfers thought about fitness, strength, and preparation.
Tiger Woods won 15 major championships and transformed golf — bringing millions of new fans to the sport and proving golf was a serious athletic pursuit.
Tiger Woods, Bobby Jones, Arnold Palmer, and Jack Nicklaus — you have now learned about four of the greatest golfers in history. Create a ‘Golf Legends Hall of Fame’ in your history journal with a page for each one. Write their name, their greatest achievement, and one sentence about what made them special. Add a drawing or symbol for each one.
The Golf Legends Hall of Fame is the Week 5 capstone and the strongest portfolio piece for this section of Stage 1. Encourage your child to invest real time in it. Some children will produce simple entries; others will produce elaborate illustrated pages. Both are exactly right.