Tiger Wood's hero was Jack Nicklaus, the "Golden Bear."  Tiger made a three-column chart comparing Jack and himself.  The first column had major professional tournaments (The Masters, The PGA Championship, the U.S. Open, and the British Open) ,the sencond had how Nicklaus had won them, and the third column was blank and had his name on it.
      Tiger's father Earl had to spend approxiamately $25,000 to $30,000 a year to send him to all the tournaments Tiger attended.  By 1987 Woods had entered and won thirty jr. tournaments.  By the time he was thirteen he had won his fourth Optimist International Junior World Title breaking the record of three. 
      By age sixteen he had won six junior world championships and over 130 national junior tournaments.  Tiger remained a normal kid during this time and graduated Anaheim Western High School with a 3.75 GPA.  He ran track and cross country but focused on golf, and he soon appeared in Sports Illustrated in September 24, 1990.
      College comes around, but where to pick?  He and his father come to the conclusion that UNLV has the best golf program, but he decides to to go to Stanford instead because of it's combination of academics and the competitive golf program.  He plays for Stanford under the NCAA and soon becomes the U.S. Amateur Champ.  In 1995, as the U.S. Amateur Champ, Tiger makes the cut for the Masters in 1995.