Many call Tiger Woods the most celebrated golfer who has ever lived. Remarkably, this designation pertains to a golfer in his mid-twenties. Woods's multiracial background—his father is African American and his mother is a native of Thailand—has helped to destroy the perception that golf is an elitist, white-men-only sport.

When he was fifteen, Woods became the youngest golfer ever to win the U.S. Junior Amateur title. Then he was the first to earn three consecutive U.S. amateur titles. He turned professional in 1996, and the following year won his initial Masters golf tournament by twelve strokes, the greatest margin for victory in the competition's history. He finished eighteen under par, and at age twenty-one he also was the youngest Masters champ ever. That year, Woods earned over $800,000 on the Professional Golf Association tour, playing in just eight tournaments, and Sports Illustrated...