Tiger Woods placed eighth on top 100 athletes of 21st century by ESPN, behind Michael Phelps, Simone Biles and others
Tiger Woods has placed eighth on ESPN's list of the 100 Greatest Athletes of the 21st Century. He has surpassed the likes of Usain Bolt, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Kobe Bryant on the list.
Recently, ESPN released a list of the 100 greatest athletes of the 21st century. The list features individuals who have broken multiple records in this century and etched their names in the history of sports. ESPN did not consider players' overall career records but focused solely on their achievements in this century.
Woods is arguably the greatest golfer in the history of the sport. He has won 82 times on the PGA Tour, including 15 major championships. While he is the highest winner on the Tour, he is just three wins behind Jack Nicklaus in the major championship tally.
In this century, Tiger Woods has won 13 majors, the most by any golfer. He also spent 683 weeks as the World's No. 1 golfer, including a record 283 consecutive weeks. He also won 11 majors as World No. 1 golfer, which is nine more than the second-best.
Speaking of ESPN's list, legendary U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps has clinched the top spot as the greatest athlete of the 21st century. During this period, he won 28 Olympic medals, including 23 gold. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he won eight gold medals, the most by any athlete in a single Games.
Tennis legend Serena Williams is placed second on ESPN's list of the 100 greatest athletes. She has won 23 Grand Slam titles overall, including 22 in the 21st century. Other notable names on the list include Lionel Messi, LeBron James, Roger Federer, and Simone Biles. Phil Mickelson (68) and Annika Sorenstam (89) and Rory McIlroy (93rd) are the two other golfers featured on the list.
Is Tiger Woods playing at the 2024 Paris Olympics?
Tiger Woods will not compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics golf event, set to start on Thursday, August 1, at Le Golf National. Woods didn't get the opportunity to represent the USA at the Olympics during his prime because golf was not included for over 100 years.
After being included in the 1900 and 1904 Olympics, golf didn't return until 2016. That year, Tiger Woods was struggling with injuries, which barred him from participating. In 2020, he failed to qualify, as only the top 60 ranked players in the Olympic Golf Ranking (OGR) are eligible for the Olympics.
Currently, Tiger Woods doesn't play enough events due to his fitness issues, making it difficult for him to maintain his ranking.