Tiger Woods will be hoping to write another chapter in his amazing career by teeing it up at the Home of Golf in July.
Woods returned to competition at The Masters in April having not played competitively since sustaining serious leg injuries in a car crash in February 2021.
The return from the brink was worthy of its own Hollywood script!
Woods has made it clear he is firmly focused on competing at this year’s milestone 150th Open at his “favourite golf course in the world”.
He was triumphant by eight shots in 2000 and by five in 2005 and will be a tough guy to bet against on a course that is entirely suited to his strength.
To celebrate his return to St Andrews, we opened our archives to look back at his previous visits to the Old Course back in 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015.
Join us as we take a trip down memory lane with the greatest golfer of his generation and chart his rise from young gun to multiple major winner!
1995
Woods competed in his first Open at St Andrews in 1995 after three successive US Junior Amateur titles and his graduation to a first US Amateur win.
Our first image shows him on the practice green with Tom Kite and he learned links golf quickly despite often struggling initially when the wind picked up!
He didn’t fare too badly for his maiden appearance!
Woods played alongside Ernie Els and Peter Jacobsen in his opening rounds with Jacobsen describing Els and Woods as “the future of golf” afterwards.
Woods completed all four rounds on the Old Course and loved it immediately, only really struggling in strong winds on the final day when he shot 78.
He now has 25 years’ varied experience of Opens stowed away, as much as anyone at the elite end of the game, but will never forget where it all started.
2000
Woods was at his brilliant best during 2000 which was typified by the record-breaking manner in which he secured his first Claret Jug at the Old Course.
Our first image from 2000 shows how relaxed he was during his final practice day as he removes his driver from his famous tiger cover before teeing off!
Woods was the overwhelming favourite to win The Open and went round in 67 on the first day without dropping any strokes.
He managed to grab a sandwich to keep him ticking over!
Woods shot a six-under 66 on day two in the St Andrews sunshine.
Our picture shows him relaxing before teeing off on the fifth and he led his nearest rival David Toms by three strokes by the time he finished his day’s work.
Was victory ever in doubt once Woods got his tail in front?
He finished the four days with a record-breaking total of 19 under par and took the Claret Jug ahead of his nearest rivals Thomas Bjorn and Ernie Els.
2005
You won’t get to 18 Tiger!
The legendary Jack Nicklaus is greeted with a smile back from Woods in 2005 which was also the Golden Bear’s farewell to The Open.
Woods tees off from the sixth hole during his practice round with St Andrews behind him and found himself no longer the world’s top golfer in the rankings.
He hadn’t won any major in 2003 or 2004.
Woods managed to bring his A-game to St Andrews when it mattered most although he was up against a tough course and a partisan gallery on the final weekend.
Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie was going for his first major triumph but the home hero’s challenge was fatally wounded by too many dropped shots.
Woods put his foot on the gas and won by five strokes.
He celebrated with the Claret Jug and dedicated victory to his beloved father, Earl, who was seriously ill and died the following year.
2010
Woods struggled during practice at the 2010 Open including finding himself in the rough in our first image from the 15th hole.
He was the tournament favourite but there was a new, fresh-faced, appealing young star on the rise from Northern Ireland by the name of Rory McIlroy!
Woods made 67 on the first day but bemoaned that he was struggling with the green speeds and found himself four shots back from McIlroy.
Play was suspended for an hour with balls wavering in the 40mph wind on exposed greens where Woods three-putted four times for a 73 second round.
Woods had 10 three putts through three rounds and although that improved on the final day he still finished tied for 23rd at the end of a disappointing week.
Louis Oosthuizen would eventually win the Claret Jug with McIlroy in third place and 2010 was the year the weather gods took their revenge on Woods!
He was still followed by the biggest galleries all week.
But was his era of domination in golf finally coming to an end?
2015
Woods’ was no longer the force he once was come 2015 and things went badly!
Our first image shows the anguish on the legend’s face and things didn’t get much better as he missed the cut for the first time at the Old Course.
Woods will be back this summer but will it be triumph or tragedy?
Those are two themes which have been to the fore for Woods’ in recent years but would you really bet against him making it a St Andrews 1-2-3 in July?
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