Key dates in Tiger Woods' career

-- August 1996: Turns pro after outstanding amateur career and is named the PGA Rookie of the Year.

-- April 1997: Wins his first major title at the Masters, becoming at 21 the youngest-ever winner at Augusta National. Two months later, he takes the world number one spot for the first time.

-- June 2000: Wins US Open at Pebble Beach by a record 15 strokes and then becomes the fifth player in history to complete the career Grand Slam by winning the British Open by eight strokes at St Andrews.

-- April 2001: Wins his second Masters title and completes the "Tiger Slam" as first golfer to hold all four major titles simultaneously.

-- April 2002: Successfully defends his Masters crown and in June wins his second US Open at Bethpage Black. He's the youngest golfer in history to win seven majors.

-- September 2004: Woods's record run of 264 weeks at world number one ends after he fails to win a major in 2003 or 2004.

-- April 2005: Woods emerges from "slump" to win a fourth Masters. He then wins a second British Open by five strokes at St. Andrews. With 10th major title joins Jack Nicklaus as the only players to win all four major tournaments at least twice.

-- May 2006: His father and guiding force Earl Woods dies at 74, but the following month, Woods wins his third British Open at Hoylake for 11th career major.

-- June 2008: Two months after knee surgery, wins the US Open for his 14th major title, defeating Rocco Mediate in a playoff at Torrey Pines. He promptly announces that he needs season-ending knee surgery.

-- February 2009: Woods returns to competition.

-- November 2009: A car accident outside Woods's Florida home unearths a series of infidelities that wrecks his marriage. Woods takes an "indefinite break from professional golf" to get his life back together.

-- April 2010: Returns to action with fourth-place finish at the Masters. Injuries mount over the course of the year and his ranking starts to tumble.

-- March 2013: After resurgent 2012 Woods wins his eighth Arnold Palmer Invitational to regain the world number one ranking.

-- March 2014: Woods injures himself during the Honda Classic then skips the Masters for the first time to undergo back surgery. Loses world number one spot in May.

-- February 2015: Pulls out injured from the PGA Tour event at Torrey Pines and announces break from competition.

-- September/October 2015: Woods has microdiscectomy to remove spinal disc fragment pinching a nerve, with follow-up procedure to relieve lingering discomfort.

-- February 2017: Back spasms prompt Woods to withdraw from second round of Dubai Desert Classic, cutting short his return from a 16-month injury layoff.

-- April 2017: Woods misses the Masters and reveals he had another surgery to alleviate back and leg pain.

-- May 2017: Woods arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in Jupiter, Florida.

- January 2018: Woods returns to PGA Tour at Torrey Pines.

- April 2018: Finishes tied for 32nd at the Masters, the first major appearance of his comeback.

- June 2018: Woods shoots 78-72 to miss the cut at the US Open at Shinnecock Hills.

- July 2018: Woods rebounds with tie for sixth at the British Open.

- August 2018: Woods signals return as major contender with a runner-up finish at the PGA Championship, two strokes behind Brooks Koepka.

- September 2018: Woods named in the US Ryder Cup team, wins the PGA Tour Championship.

- April 2019: Woods wins the 83rd Masters, his fifth triumph at Augusta National coming 14 years after his fourth to end an 11-year major championship drought.

-- October 2019: Wins inaugural Zozo Championship in Japan on return from latest knee surgery to equal all-time record of 82 US PGA Tour wins set by legend Sam Snead 54 years earlier.

-- December 2019: Captains and plays on triumphant US Presidents Cup team that beats the Internationals at Royal Melbourne, winning all three of his matches.

-- February 2021: Suffers severe lower right leg injuries in rollover car crash near Los Angeles. Woods spends three months in hospital and months more regaining ability to walk.

-- April 2022: Finishes 47th at the Masters in first tournament since the accident.

-- May 2022: Withdraws after third-round 79 in PGA Championship, his first withdrawal from a major in his pro career coming as he acknowledges continued pain in his surgically repaired right leg.

-- July 2022: Fails to make the cut at the British Open at St. Andrews.

-- April 2023: Withdraws from the Masters after seven holes of his third round due to aggravated plantar fasciitis, undergoes ankle surgery later in April.

-- 2024: Woods plays all four rounds at the Masters but endures a miserable record in the remaining three majors of the season, missing the cut at the PGA Championship, US Open and the British Open.

-- February 2025: Abandons plans to return to tournament golf at the PGA Tour's Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines in the wake of the death of his mother, saying he is "just not ready".

-- March 2025: Woods announces he has undergone surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon.

-- October 2025: Announces he had lumbar disc replacement surgery to address pain and lack of mobility.

-- March 2026: Woods is arrested and charged with driving under the influence after being involved in a car accident near his Jupiter Island, Florida, home.