Tiger Woods has been inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame at the PGA Tour headquarters in Florida on Wednesday.

American Woods has won 15 majors, second only to Jack Nicklaus' 18, and a joint-record 82 times on the PGA Tour.

The 46-year-old is missing this week's Players Championship at Sawgrass as he continues to recover from the injuries he sustained in a car crash in 2021.

He played with his son Charlie at an event in December but is yet to set a date for his return to the PGA Tour.

The ceremony, which started at 19:00 local time (00:00 GMT) saw Woods introduced by his daughter Sam and he was inducted alongside former PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem, four-time major winner Susie Maxwell and course developer and architect Marion Hollins.

Speaking before the Players Championship, 2019 champion Rory McIlroy said: "He was going to be a Hall of Famer when he was five years old.

"He's been an inspiration for so many of us. We - all that are playing here this week - have to thank Tiger for where the game is and where the Tour is."

To emphasise that point, Woods recently won the PGA Tour's Player Impact Programme and with it $8m (£6m) for generating more media interest than any other golfer in 2021 - even though he played just one tournament in 2021.

His last official PGA Tour event was the 2020 Masters.

Woods was seriously injured in a car crash in February 2021 and was not seen publicly for much of the year. In late November a social media post of him hitting golf balls under the title "making progress" attracted 7.8 million views on Twitter.

A month later he partnered his son, Charlie, in the PNC Championship - a parent-child exhibition event. They finished second after making 11 consecutive birdies in the final round.

Woods won his 15th major at the 2019 Masters, 11 years after winning his 14th at the 2008 US Open.

His victory at the ZOZO Championship in Japan in October 2019 saw him draw level with Sam Snead on 82 PGA Tour wins.

Source: BBC

BDST: 1212 HRS, MAR 10, 2022
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