<P> Following an outstanding junior , college , and amateur career , Woods was 20 years old when he turned professional at the end of summer in 1996 . By the end of April 1997 , he had won three PGA Tour events in addition to his first major , the 1997 Masters . Woods won this tournament by 12 strokes in a record - breaking performance and earned $486,000 . He first reached the number one position in the world rankings in June 1997 , less than a year after turning pro . Throughout the 2000s , Woods was the dominant force in golf -- he won the 2000 U.S. Open by a record 15 - shot margin . He was the top - ranked golfer in the world from August 1999 to September 2004 ( 264 weeks ) and again from June 2005 to October 2010 ( 281 weeks ) . </P>
<P> Following an outstanding junior , college , and amateur career , Woods was 20 years old when he turned professional at the end of summer in 1996 . By the end of April 1997 , he had won three PGA Tour events in addition to his first major , the 1997 Masters . Woods won this tournament by 12 strokes in a record - breaking performance and earned $486,000 . He first reached the number one position in the world rankings in June 1997 , less than a year after turning pro . Throughout the 2000s , Woods was the dominant force in golf -- he won the 2000 U.S. Open by a record 15 - shot margin . He was the top - ranked golfer in the world from August 1999 to September 2004 ( 264 weeks ) and again from June 2005 to October 2010 ( 281 weeks ) . </P>
what year did tiger woods win his first masters tournament
what year did tiger woods win his first masters tournament
1997
1997