Tiger Woods Announced as 2021 Golf Hall of Fame Inductee

Tiger Woods is heading to the World Golf Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility next year.

The Hall announced Woods as an inductee into its 2021 class Wednesday, calling him a "global icon" and "game changer."

Woods turns 45 in December, the earliest age allowable for induction based on new rules put in place earlier this year. Previously, the Hall of Fame required a golfer be at least 50 years old.

Tiger has had the other Hall requirements—15 wins and two major championships—on deck for more than two decades.

Woods turns 45 in December, the earliest age allowable for induction based on new rules put in place earlier this year. Previously, the Hall of Fame required a golfer be at least 50 years old.

Tiger has had the other Hall requirements—15 wins and two major championships—on deck for more than two decades. He won his 82nd career tournament last October at the ZOZO Championship, tying Sam Snead for the most in history and capping off a year that saw him win his first major championship since 2008.

"I am both honored and humbled to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame," Woods said, per Golfweek's Adam Schupak. "This past year has been such an incredible journey and the support I've received from my family, friends and fans has been overwhelming. This achievement is the ultimate recognition to never give up and keep chasing."

Woods' brilliant 2019 came after years of frustration on and off the course. He was limited to just 19 tournaments from 2014-2017, which featured a series of aborted comebacks and back surgeries that nearly ended his career.

While he has been far healthier the last three years, Woods still deals with stiffness in his back that forced him to sit out the Arnold Palmer Invitational earlier this month. It's unclear when Woods will return to the course.

From a career-wide perspective, though, it's hard to find a greater golfer in history. Woods' brilliance was so great that it forced courses worldwide to adjust their difficulty (aka "Tiger Proofing") to stop him lapping the field. While age, injuries and a promising cabal of young golfers have caused that dominance to subside, Tiger's influence is still felt on Tour every week.