Profile / Editor / 03 April 2007 / Leave a Comment

Woods romped to victory at the 1997 US Masters, it was evident that he was a special talent but nobody could have predicted the impact he has had on the game over the last ten years.

Woods has not just rewritten the record books on his way to becoming the most successful golfer in the modern era, and possibly the best player ever - he has changed the whole face of the game.

His 56 PGA Tour wins and 78 career victories worldwide only tell part of the story for the 31-year-old - the world's most recognised and marketable sportsman.

Woods broke no fewer than 20 records on his way to winning his first Major at the US Masters ten years ago by a 12-shot winning margin.

The American, who topped the world rankings after just 42 weeks on the PGA Tour, broke a record that had stood in major championships since 1862 when he overwhelmed his rivals at the 2000 US Open to win by 15 strokes and he became the youngest player ever to hold all four Majors the following year.

Woods is the second most successful golfer ever at Grand Slam events with 12 victories and the question appears not 'If' but 'When' he will overtake Jack Nicklaus' record mark of 18 Major wins.

The world number one will move to within one of Nicklaus' US Masters record if he wins for the fifth time at Augusta this week, and he is not surprisingly dominating the Betfair market where he is trading at 2.56 to win and 1.38 to finish in the top five.

While he has won the PGA Player of the Year award a record eight times and finished top of the money list seven times, Woods is not driven by a desire to win the most money - he simply wants to be the best.

His annual timetable of tournaments is drawn up to ensure that he peaks at the Majors, but you can be guaranteed that any event he enters he will be desperate to win.

If there is one weakness in Woods' present game, it is with his driver which he has a tendency to leak right when he lashes at the ball. However, such are his powers of escape that his mistakes rarely have a bearing on the final outcome.

Woods is never more comfortable than when leading a tournament, and Betfair backers should be aware that he has won eleven out of eleven Majors when leading after the second and third rounds.

His record at the World Golf Championship events is unsurpassed, having won 13 out of 24 championships that he has entered, but if there is a glimmer of light for his rivals it may come this summer.

Woods and his Swedish wife Elin are expecting their first child in July and it will be interesting to see if he loses any focus as the birth date approaches.

He has already said that he will miss The Open Championship if it coincides with the birth and it could be that the US Open a month earlier will take on added importance this year, especially as he has not won it since 2002.