Eldrick “Tiger” Woods (born December 30, 1975) is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Currently the World No. 1, Woods was the highest paid professional athlete in 2006, having earned an estimated $100 million from winnings and endorsements. Golf Digest predicts Woods will become the world’s first billionaire athlete in 2010.

Woods has won 13 professional major golf championships, the second-most of any male player, and 63 PGA Tour events, the fourth-most of all time. He has more career major wins and career PGA Tour wins than any other active golfer. He is the youngest player to achieve the Career Grand Slam, and the youngest and fastest to win 50 tournaments on Tour. Woods has held the number one position in the world rankings for the most consecutive weeks and for the greatest total number of weeks. He has been awarded PGA Player of the Year a record nine times, the Byron Nelson Award for lowest adjusted scoring average a record eight times, and has tied Jack Nicklaus’s record of leading the money list in eight different seasons. He has been named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year four times, a record he shares with Lance Armstrong. (Click here to read the article in full)

Ken Venturi (born May 15, 1931) was a prominent PGA Tour professional during the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Venturi was born in San Francisco, California. Venturi first gained national attention in 1956 when, as an amateur, he finished second in that year’s Masters after leading from the first round. He shot a final round 80 and blew a four shot lead which prevented him from winning outright and thus becoming the first amateur to do so in the history of The Masters. Years later it would be compared to Greg Norman’s back nine collapse in 1996.

In the early 50’s, Venturi had been a pupil of the great Byron Nelson and was also influenced by playing partner Ben Hogan. With this fine tuning combined with his tremendous talent, Venturi was a regular winner during his early years on the PGA Tour after turning pro at the end of 1956. He again come close to winning the Masters in 1958 and 1960, both times being edged out by Arnold Palmer.

After suffering minor injuries in an automobile accident in 1961, Venturi’s swing, and thus his career, began to slide. This slump lasted until 1964 when, for no reason even Venturi could fathom, he began playing well again. After a couple of high finishes, Venturi reached the pinnacle of his comeback by winning the U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club after nearly collapsing in the scorching heat during the then 36-hole final round. He received Sports Illustrated magazine’s “Sportsman of the Year” award. He played on the 1965 Ryder Cup team.

After 1964, Venturi’s career again took a blow when he was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome in both wrists. After several surgeries his condition was reversed, but he was never able to regain his past form. After retiring from the Tour in 1967 with a total of 14 career wins, Venturi spent the next 30 years working as a color commentator for CBS Sports as well as owning and operating a series of instructional schools.

PGA Tour wins (14)
1957 (2) St. Paul Open Invitational, Miller High Life Open
1958 (4) Thunderbird Invitational, Phoenix Open Invitational, Baton Rouge Open Invitational, Gleneagles-Chicago Open Invitational
1959 (2) Los Angeles Open, Gleneagles-Chicago Open Invitational
1960 (2) Bing Crosby National Pro-Am, Milwaukee Open Invitational
1964 (3) U.S. Open, Insurance City Open Invitational, American Golf Classic
1966 (1) Lucky International Open

Other wins (1)
1959 Almaden Open

Major Championships

Wins (1)
Year Championship
1964 U.S. Open

Scott William Simpson (born September 17, 1955) is an American golfer.

Simpson was born in San Diego, California. He attended the University of Southern California, where he was two-time medalist at the NCAA Championship (1976, 1977). He turned professional in 1977 and graduated in 1978. He played on the PGA Tour from 1979, and won seven PGA Tour events between 1980 and 1998.

The highlight of Simpson’s career was his victory at the 1987 U.S. Open Championship, his only win in one of golf’s four majors. He birdied the 14th, 15th and 16th holes of the final round to overtake Tom Watson, and win the title at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, by one stroke with a three under par total of 277.

In 2005 Simpson turned fifty and became eligible to play senior golf. He won his first Champions Tour title in 2006.

Simpson played for the United States in the Walker Cup in 1977 and the Ryder Cup in 1987. He lists bible study among his interests and attributes his success to it.

Amateur wins
1976 NCAA Division I Championship, Porter Cup
1977 NCAA Division I Championship

Professional wins (12)

PGA Tour wins (7)
1980 (1) Western Open
1984 (1) Manufacturers Hanover Westchester Classic
1987 (2) Greater Greensboro Open, U.S. Open
1989 (1) BellSouth Atlanta Golf Classic
1993 (1) GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic
1998 (1) Buick Invitational

Other wins (4)
1984 Chunichi Crowns (Japan Golf Tour), Dunlop Phoenix (Japan Golf Tour)
1988 The Crowns (Japan Golf Tour)
1990 Perrier Invitational (Europe, but not a European Tour event)

Champions Tour wins (1)
2006 (1) Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach

Major Championships

Wins (1)
Championship
1987 U.S. Open