Sunday, October 5, 2008

Speech Differences And Stutter Series-Disabled Legend Anthony Quinn

Anthony Quinn was born Antonio Rodolfo Oaxaca Quinn in Chihuahua, Mexico, during the Mexican Revolution. Anthony Quinn was born on 21 April, 1915 and died on 3 June, 2001
Anthony Quinn was a 2-time Academy Award-winning Mexican-American actor, as well as a painter and writer. Anthony Quinn starred in numerous critically acclaimed and commercially successful films, including Zorba the Greek and Federico Fellini's La strada. Anthony Quinn also appeared in Lawrence of Arabia, Viva Zapata!, Lust for Life, Barabbas, Requiem for a Heavyweight, Mohammad, Messenger of God, The Shoes of the Fisherman, and The Guns of Navarone.

Anthony Quinn's mother, Manuela "Nellie" Oaxaca, was of Aztec ancestry. Anthony Quinn's father, Francisco Quinn, was born in Mexico to an Irish father and a Mexican mother. Frank Quinn rode with Pancho Villa, but later moved to Los Angeles and became an assistant cameraman at a movie studio. In Anthony Quinn's autobiography The Original Sin: A Self-Portrait by Anthony Quinn he denied being the son of an "Irish adventurer" and attributed that tale to Hollywood publicists.

When he was 6 years old, Anthony Quinn attended a Catholic church (even thinking he wanted to become a priest). At the age of 11, however, he joined the Pentecostals in the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel (the Pentecostal followers of Aimee Semple McPherson).

Anthony Quinn grew up first in El Paso, Texas, and later the Boyle Heights and the Echo Park areas of Los Angeles, California. Anthony Quinn attended Hammel St. Elementary School, Belvedere Junior High School, Polytechnic High School and finally Belmont High School but left before graduating. Tucson High School in Arizona years many later awarded him an honourary high school diploma.

As a young man Anthony Quinn boxed professionally to earn money, then studied art and architecture under Frank Lloyd Wright, both at Frank Lloyd Wright's Arizona residence and his Wisconsin studio, Taliesin. The 2 very different men became friends. When Anthony Quinn mentioned he was drawn to acting, Frank Lloyd Wright encouraged him. Anthony Quinn said he had been offered $800 a week by a film studio and didn't know what to do. Frank Lloyd Wright replied, "Take it, you'll never make that much with me."

After a short time performing on the stage, Anthony Quinn launched his film career performing character roles in the 1936 films Parole (his debut) and The Milky Way. Anthony Quinn played "ethnic" villains in Paramount films such as Dangerous to Know (1938) and Road to Morocco. By 1947, he had appeared in over 50 films and had played Indians, Mafia dons, Hawaiian chiefs, Filipino freedom-fighters, Chinese guerrillas, and Arab sheiks, but was still not a major star. Anthony Quinn returned to the theater, even playing Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire on Broadway.

In 1947, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States. Anthony Quinn came back to Hollywood in the early 1950s, specialising in tough roles. Anthony Quinn was cast in a series of B-adventures such as Mask of the Avenger (1951). Anthony Quinn's big break cane from playing opposite Marlon Brando in Elia Kazan's Viva Zapata! (1952). Anthony Quinn's supporting role as Zapata's brother won Anthony Quinn an Oscar. Anthony Quinn was the 1st Mexican-American to win any Academy Award. Anthony Quinn appeared in several Italian films starting in 1953, turning in one of his best performances as a dim-witted, thuggish and volatile strongman in Federico Fellini's La strada (1954) opposite Giulietta Masina. Anthony Quinn won his 2nd Oscar for Best Supporting Actor by portraying the painter Gauguin in Vincente Minnelli's Van Gogh biopic, Lust for Life (1956). The award was remarkable as he was onscreen for only 8 minutes. The following year, he received a Oscar nomination for his part in George Cukor's Wild Is the Wind. In The River's Edge (1957), he played the husband of the former girlfriend (played by Debra Paget) of a killer (Ray Milland), who turns up with a stolen fortune and forces Anthony Quinn and Paget at gunpoint to guide him safely to Mexico. Anthony Quinn starred in The Savage Innocents 1959 (film) as Inuk, an Eskimo who finds himself caught between 2 clashing cultures.

Anthony Quinn as Wogan in the trailer for The Black Swan(1942)as the decade ended, Anthony Quinn allowed his age to show and began his transformation into a major character actor. Anthony Quinn's physique filled out, his hair grayed, and his once smooth, swarthy face weathered became more rugged. Anthony Quinn's demeanor made him a convincing Greek resistance fighter in The Guns of Navarone (1961), an ideal ex-boxer in Requiem for a Heavyweight, and a natural for the role of Auda ibu Tayi in Lawrence of Arabia (both 1962). That year he also played the title role in Barabbas, based on a novel by Pär Lagerkvist. The success of Zorba the Greek in 1964 was the high water mark of his career and resulted in another Oscar nomination. Other successes include La Vingt-cinquième heure (1967, The Twenty Fifth Hour), with Virna Lisi; The Magus (1968), with Michael Caine and Candice Bergen, and based on the novel by John Fowles; and The Shoes of the Fisherman, where he played a Russian pope. In 1969, he starred in The Secret of Santa Vittoria with Anna Magnani.

Anthony Quinn appeared on Broadway to great acclaim in Becket, as King Henry II to Laurence Olivier's Thomas Becket in 1960. An erroneous story arose in later years that during the run, Anthony Quinn and Laurence Olivier switched roles and Anthony Quinn played Becket to Laurence Olivier's King. In fact, Anthony Quinn left the production for a film, never having played Becket, and director Peter Glenville suggested a road tour with Laurence Olivier as Henry. Laurence Olivier happily acceded and Arthur Kennedy took on the role of Becket for the tour and brief return to Broadway.

In 1971, after the success of a TV movie named The City, where Anthony Quinn played Albuquerque Mayor Thomas Jefferson Alcala, he starred in the short-lived (1-season) television drama spin-off The Man in the City. Anthony Quinn's subsequent television appearances were sporadic (among them Jesus of Nazareth).

In 1977, Anthony Quinn starred in the movie Mohammad, Messenger of God (aka The Message), about the origin of Islam, as Hamzah, a highly revered warrior instrumental in the early stages of Islam. In 1982, he starred in the Lion of the Desert, together with Irene Papas, Oliver Reed, Rod Steiger, and John Gielgud. Anthony Quinn played the real-life Bedouin leader Omar Mukhtar who fought Mussolini's Italian troops in the deserts of Libya. The film, produced and directed by Moustapha Akkad, is now critically acclaimed, but performed poorly at the box office because of negative publicity in the West at the time of its release, stemming from its having been partially funded by Libya's Muammar al-Gaddafi. In 1983, he reprised his most famous role, playing Zorba the Greek for 362 performances in a successful revival of the Kander and Ebb musical Zorba.

Anthony Quinn's film career slowed during the 1990s, but Anthony Quinn nonetheless continued to work steadily, appearing in Revenge (1990), Jungle Fever (1991), Last Action Hero (1993), and A Walk in the Clouds (1995). In 1994, he played Zeus in the five TV movies that led to the syndicated series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. (However, he did not continue in the actual series, and the role was eventually filled by several other actors).

Throughout his teenage years he won various art competitions in California and focused his studies at Polytechnic High School in Los Angeles on drafting. Later, Anthony Quinn studied briefly under Frank Lloyd Wright through the Taliesin Fellowship—an opportunity created by winning 1st prize in an architectural design contest. Through Frank Lloyd Wright's recommendation, Anthony Quinn took acting lessons as a form of post-operative speech therapy, which led to an acting career that spanned over 6 decades.

Apart from art classes taken in Chicago during the 1950s, Anthony Quinn never attended art school; nonetheless, taking advantage of books, museums, and amassing a sizable collection, he managed to give himself an effective education in the language of modern art. Although Anthony Quinn remained mostly self-taught, intuitively seeking out and exploring new ideas, there is observable history in his work because he had assiduously studied the modernist masterpieces on view in the galleries of New York, Mexico City, Paris, and London. When filming on location around the world, Anthony Quinn was exposed to regional contemporary art styles exhibited at local galleries and studied art history in each area.

In an endless search for inspiration, he was influenced by his Mexican ancestry, decades of residency in Europe, and lengthy stays in Africa and the Middle East while filming in the 1970s and 1980s.

By the early 1980s, his work had caught the eyes of various gallery owners and was exhibited internationally, in New York, Los Angeles, Paris, and Mexico City. Anthony Quinn's work is now represented in both public and private collections throughout the world.

Anthony Quinn wrote 2 memoirs, The Original Sin (1972) and One Man Tango (1997), a number of scripts, and a series of unpublished stories currently in the collection of his archive.

Anthony Quinn's personal life was as volatile and passionate as the characters he played in films. anthony Quinn's 1st wife was the adopted daughter of Cecil B. DeMille, the actress Katherine DeMille, whom he married in 1937. The couple had 5 children, they are Christopher (born 1939), Christina (born 1 December, 1941), Catalina (born 21 November, 1942), Duncan (born 4 August, 1945), and Valentina (born 26 December, 1952). One of their sons, Christopher, age 2, drowned in the swimming pool of next-door neighbor W.C. Fields. Anthony Quinn and DeMille were divorced in 1965.

The next year, he married costume designer Iolanda Quinn (Jolanda Addolori). They had 3 children they are Francesco (born 22 March, 1962), Danny (born 16 April, 1964), and Lorenzo (born 7 May, 1966). The union ended in 1997, after Anthony Quinn fathered a child with his secretary, Kathy Benvin. Anthony Quinn then married Benvin, with whom he had 2 children, Antonia (born 23 July, 1993) and Ryan Nicholas (born 5 July, 1996). Anthony Quinn and Kathy Benvin remained together until his death.

Anthony Quinn also fathered 3 other children out of wedlock: Alexander Anthony (born 30 December, 1976), Valentina, and Sean Quinn, a New Jersey real estate agent.

Anthony Quinn spent his last years in Bristol, Rhode Island. Anthony Quinn died aged 86 in Boston, Massachusetts from pneumonia and respiratory failure while suffering from throat cancer shortly after completing his role in his last film, Avenging Angelo (2002).

Anthony Quinn's funeral was held in a Baptist church; late in life, he had joined the Foursquare evangelical Christian community. Anthony Quinn is buried in a family plot near Bristol.

On 5 January, 1982, the Belvedere County Public Library in East Los Angeles was renamed in honour of Anthony Quinn. The present library sits on the site of his family's former home.

There is an Anthony Quinn Bay and Beach in Rhodes, Dodecanese, Greece, just 2.7 miles (4.3 km) south of the village of Faliraki (aka Falirakion or Falirákion).

The National Council of La Raza gives the Anthony Quinn Award for excellence in motion pictures as an ALMA Award.

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Speech Differences And Stutter Series-Disabled Legend Mel Tillis

Mel Tillis was born Lonnie Melvin Tillis, on 8 August, 1932 in Tampa, Florida. Mel Tillis is an American country music singer. Although he had been recording songs since the late 1950s, his biggest success occurred in the '70s, with a long list of Top 10 hits.

Mel Tillis' biggest hits include, "I Ain't Never", "Good Woman Blues", and "Coca-Cola Cowboy". Mel Tillis also has won the CMA Awards most coveted award, Entertainer of the Year. Mel Tillis' daughter is country music singer, Pam Tillis. Mel Tillis is also well-known for his speech impediment, which does not affect his singing voice.

Mel Tillis's stutter developed during his childhood, a result of a bout of malaria. As a child, Mel Tillis learned the drums, as well as guitar. At the age of 16, he won a local talent show, and soon joined the United States Air Force, and worked for the railroad. When young Mel Tillis was stationed in Okinawa, he formed a band called The Westerners, which played at local nightclubs. Mel Tillis attended the University of Florida.

After leaving the military in 1955, Mel Tillis worked a number of odd jobs and moved to Nashville, Tennessee the following year. Mel Tillis wrote "I'm Tired", a #3 country hit for Webb Pierce in 1957. Other Mel Tillis hits include "Honky Tonk Song" and "Tupelo County Jail". Ray Price and Brenda Lee also charted hits with Mel Tillis' material around this time. In the late-50s, after becoming a hit-making songwriter, he signed his own contract with Columbia Records in the late-50s. In 1958, he had his 1st Top 40 hit, "The Violet and a Rose", followed by the Top 25 hit, "Sawmill".

Although Mel Tillis charted on his own Billboard's Hot Country Songs list, he had more success as a songwriter. Mel Tillis continued to be Webb Pierce's songwriter. Mel Tillis wrote the hits, "I Ain't Never" (Mel Tillis' own future hit) and "Crazy, Wild Desire". Bobby Bare, Wanda Jackson, and Stonewall Jackson also covered his songs. Mel Tillis continued to record on his own. Some well-known songs from his Columbia years include "The Brooklyn Bridge", "Loco Weed", and "Walk on, Boy". However, he didn't achieve major success on the country charts on his own.

In the mid-60s, Mel Tillis switched over to Kapp Records. In 1965, he had his 1st Top 15 hit with "Wine". Other hits continued to follow, like "Stateside" and "Life Turned Her That Way" (which was later covered by Ricky Van Shelton in 1988, and went to #1). Mel Tillis wrote for Charley Pride ("The Snakes Crawl At Night") and wrote a big hit for Kenny Rogers & the 1st Edition called "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town". Mel Tillis also wrote the hit "Mental Revenge" for Outlaw superstar Waylon Jennings (and it has also been covered by the Hacienda Brothers, Linda Ronstadt, Gram Parsons, and Barbara Mandrell). In 1968, Mel Tillis achieved his 1st Top 10 hit with "Who's Julie". Mel Tillis also was a regular featured singer on The Porter Wagoner Show. Although success didn't come quickly or easily as a singer in the '60s, things would turn around for Mel Tillis a great deal in the '70s.

Mel Tillis finally achieved the success he always wanted with 2 Top 10 country hits, "These Lonely Hands of Mine" and "She'll Be Hanging Around Somewhere". In 1970, he reached the Top 5 with "Heart Over Mind", which peaked at #3 on the Hot Country Songs list. After this, Mel Tillis' career as a country singer went into full-swing. Hits soon came quite easily, like "Heaven Everyday" (1970), "Commercial Affection" (1970), "Arms of a Fool" (1970), "Take My Hand" (a duet with Sherry Bryce in 1971), and "Brand New Mister Me" (1971). In 1972, Mel Tillis achieved his 1st chart-topper with his version of his song "I Ain't Never". Even though the song was previously recorded and made a hit by Webb Pierce, Mel Tillis' version is the best-known version out of the 2. Most of these songs that were hits above were recorded under MGM Records, Mel Tillis' record company in the early part of the decade.

After the success of "I Ain't Never", Mel Tillis had another hit, which came close to #1 (reached #3) entitled "Neon Rose", followed by "Sawmill", which also came close at #2. "Midnight Me and the Blues" was another near-chart topper in 1974. Other hits Mel Tillis had under MGM include "Stomp Them Grapes" (1974), "Memory Maker" (1974), "Woman in the Back of My Mind" (1975), and his version of "Mental Revenge" (1976). In 1976, Mel Tillis signed on with MCA Records. Mel Tillis achieved his biggest success under MCA Records. It started with a pair of 2 #1 hits in 1976, "Good Woman Blues" and "Heart Healer". Thanks to this success, Mel Tillis won the CMA Awards's most coveted award, Entertainer of the Year, and was also inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame that year. Mel Tills achieved another #1 in 1978 with "I Believe In You", and then again in 1979 with "Coca-Cola Cowboy", which was put in the Clint Eastwood movie Every Which Way But Loose. Also in 1978, Mel Tillis co-hosted a short-lived variety series on ABC television, Mel and Susan Together with model Susan Anton. Other hits around this time included "Send Me Down to Tucson", "Ain't No California", and "I Got the Hoss". In mid-1979, Mel Tillis switched over to another record company once again, this time with Elektra Records.

After signing under Elektra in mid-1979, he continued to make hit songs, like "Blind In Love" and "Lying Time Again", both hits for Mel Tillis in 1979. Up until 1981, Mel Tillis remained on top his game as one of country music's most successful vocalists of the era. "Your Body Is an Outlaw", went to #3 in 1980, followed by another Top 10 hit, "Steppin' Out". "Southern Rains" was his last No. 1 hit, when it became a hit in 1981. That same year, he dueted with Nancy Sinatra on the Top 30 hit "Texas Cowboy Night". Mel Tillis remained with Elektra until 1982, before switching back over to MCA for a brief period in 1983. That summer, he scored a Top 10 hit with "In The Middle Of The Night" and had his last Top 10 hit with "New Patches" in 1984. By this time however, Mel Tillis built up a financial empire, thanks to investing in music-publishing companies, like Sawgrass and Cedarwood. Mel Tillis also appeared in movies, like The Villain (1979 film), Love Revival, W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings, The Cannonball Run and Uphill All the Way, a comedy western in which he starred with fellow country singer Roy Clark, among others. In 1979 he acquired radio station KIXZ (AM) in Amarillo, TX from Sammons-Ruff Associates, which converted from Top 40 to country music and became a force in the Panhandle region. A short time later Mel Tillis acquired Rock FM station KYTX, which changed calls to KMML (a play on Mel Tillis' stutter). Still later he operated WMML in Mobile, Alabama. All stations were sold in the fullness of time for a healthy return. Mel Tillis briefly signed with RCA Records, as well as Mercury Records, and later Curb Records in 1991. By this time, his chart success faded from view.

Since his heyday in the 1970s, Mel Tillis remained a songwriter in the 1980s, writing hits for Ricky Skaggs and Randy Travis respectively. Mel Tillis also wrote his autobiography called Stutterin' Boy, (the title comes from Mel Tillis' speech impediment). Mel Tillis appeared as the television commercial spokesman for the fast-food restaurant chain Whataburger during the 1980s. Mel Tillis also built a theater in Branson, Missouri, where he performed on a regular basis until 2002. In 1998, he teamed up with Bobby Bare, Waylon Jennings and Jerry Reed to form The Old Dogs. The group recorded a double album of songs penned entirely by Shel Silverstein. In July, 1998 Old Dogs Volumes 1 and 2 were released on the Atlantic Records label. A companion video, as well as a Greatest Hits album (composed of previously released material by each individual artist), were also available. In the 1990s, Mel Tillis's daughter, Pam Tillis, became a successful country music singer in her own right, having hits like "Maybe It Was Memphis" and "Shake the Sugar Tree". In June 1999 ABC news ran a story about Mel Tillis being frustrated by his speech impediment, and stated that he went on to grow in confidence using techniques from stutterfree and, although Mel Tillis has never spoken about this, many did note a small improvement in his problematic articulation about that time. Mel Tillis's speech problem is not evident in singing, only in talking.

Mel Tillis was inducted into the Opry by his daughter Pam. Along with being inducted into the Grand Ole Opry, it was announced on 7 August that year that Mel Tillis along with Ralph Emery and Vince Gill are the newest to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Mel Tillis has 6 children, they are: Mel Tillis Jr. (a songwriter), Pam Tillis, Carrie April Tillis, Connie Tillis, Cindy Tillis, and Hannah Tillis. Mel Tillis has 1brother, Richard, and 2 sisters, Linda and Imogene.

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Speech Differences And Stutter Series-Disabled Legend Robert Merrill

Robert Merrill was born Morris (Moishe) Miller on 4 June, 1917 in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York, USA and died on 23 October, 2004 at home in New Rochelle, NY, while watching Game 1 of the 2004 World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals. Robert Merrill is interred at the Sharon Gardens Cemetery in Valhalla, NY, which is a subdivision of the Kensico Cemetery. Robert Merrill's headstone features an opera curtain that has been drawn open. In keeping with Jewish tradition, small rocks rest on top of the headstone.

Robert Merrill was an American operatic baritone. While there has been dispute of his birth year (some claim he was born in 1919), the social security index, his family, and his gravestone state that he was born in 1917.

Robert Merrill was born to tailor Abraham Miller, originally Milstein, and his wife Lillian, née Balaban, immigrants from Warsaw, Poland. Lillian claimed to have had an operatic and concert career in Poland (a fact denied by her son in his biographies) and encouraged her son to have early voice training: he had a tendency to stutter, which disappeared when singing. Robert Merrill was inspired to pursue professional singing lessons when he saw the baritone Richard Bonelli singing Count Di Luna in a performance of Il Trovatore at the Metropolitan Opera, and paid for them with money earned as a semi-professional pitcher.

In his early radio appearances as a crooner he was sometimes billed as Merrill Miller. While singing at bar mitzvahs and weddings and Borscht Belt resorts, he met an agent, Moe Gale, who found him work at Radio City Music Hall and with the NBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Arturo Toscanini. With Arturo Toscanini conducting, he eventually sang in 2 of the famous maestro's NBC broadcasts of famous operas, La traviata (with Licia Albanese, in 1946), and Un ballo in maschera (with Herva Nelli, in 1954). Both of those broadcasts were eventually released on both LP and CD.

Robert Merrill's 1944 operatic debut was in Verdi's Aida at Newark, New Jersey, with the famous tenor Giovanni Martinelli, then at the end of his long stage career.

Robert Merrill, who had continued his vocal studies under Samuel Margolis made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 1945, as Germont in La Traviata. Also in 1945, Robert Merrill recorded a 78rpm record set with Jeanette MacDonald featuring selections from the operetta Up In Central Park; MacDonald and Robert Merrill did 2 duets together on this album. In 1952, his role in the musical comedy film Aaron Slick from Punkin Crick led to conflict with Sir Rudolf Bing and a brief departure from the Met in 1951. Robert Merrill sang many different baritone roles, becoming, after the on-stage death of Leonard Warren in 1960, the Met's principal baritone. In the late 1950s and early 1960s he appeared under the direction of Alfredo Antonini in performances of arias from the Italian operatic repertoire for the open air Italian Night concert series at Lewisohn Stadium in New York City. Robert Merrill was described by Time as "one of the Met's best baritones". The tenor-baritone duet "Au fond du temple saint" from the opera The Pearl Fishers by Georges Bizet, which he recorded with Jussi Bjorling, was always top of listener's polls for the BBC's Your Hundred Best Tunes. It was also No 1. in ABC's "The Classic 100 Opera", a poll in which Australians voted for the one moment in opera they could not live without. It is regarded as one of the most perfect tenor/baritone performances of all time. Robert Merrill also continued to perform on radio and television, in nightclubs and recitals. Robert Merrill retired from the Met in 1976. For many years, he led services, often in Borscht Belt hotels, on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.

In honour of Robert Merrill's vast influence on American vocal music, on 16 February,1981 he was awarded the prestigious University of Pennsylvania Glee Club Award of Merit. Beginning in 1964, this award "established to bring a declaration of appreciation to an individual each year that has made a significant contribution to the world of music and helped to create a climate in which our talents may find valid expression."

Relatively late in his singing career, Robert Merrill also became known for singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Yankee Stadium. Robert Merrill 1st sang the national anthem to open the 1969 baseball season, and it became a tradition for the Yankees to bring him back each year on Opening Day and special occasions. Robert Merrill sang at various Old Timer's Days (wearing his own pinstriped Yankee uniform with the number "1 1/2" on the back) and the emotional pre-game ceremony for Thurman Munson at Yankee Stadium on 3 August, 1979, the day after the catcher's death in a plane crash. A recorded Robert Merrill version is sometimes used at Yankee Stadium today. Robert Merrill preferred a traditional approach to the song devoid of additional ornamentation, as he explained to Newsday in 2000, "When you sing the anthem, there's a legitimacy to it. I'm extremely bothered by these different interpretations of it." Robert Merrill received the National Medal of Arts in 1993.

Robert Merrill married soprano Roberta Peters in 1952. They parted amicably; he had 2children, a son David and a daughter Lizanne, with his second wife, Marion, née Machno, a pianist. Robert Merrill liked to play golf and was a member of the Westchester Country Club in Rye, New York, for many years.

Robert Merrill wrote 2 books of memoirs, Once More from the Beginning (1965) and Between Acts (1976), and he co-authored a novel, The Divas (1978). Robert Merrill toured all over the world with his arranger and conductor, the world famous Angelo DiPippo who wrote most of his act and performed at concert halls throughout the world. Robert Merrill always donated his time on the Cerebral Palsy telethon with Dennis James.

The opera show "La Traviata" inspired Robert to become an opera singer, this meant fighting his stuttering problems. Robert Merrill found that while he was singing his speech disorder would go away.

Robert Merrill's epitaph states:

Like a bursting celestial star, he showered his family and the world with love, joy, and beauty.

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Saturday, October 4, 2008

Speech Differences And Stutter Series-Disabled Legend Julia Roberts

Julia Fiona Roberts was born on 28 October, 1967 in Atlanta, Georgia at Crawford Long Hospital. Julia Roberts is an American film actress and former fashion model. Julia Roberts became well known during the early 1990s after starring in the romantic comedy Pretty Woman opposite Richard Gere, which grossed US $463,000,000 worldwide. Julia Roberts won the Best Actress Academy Award in 2000 for her critically acclaimed turn as the title character in Erin Brockovich and earned Oscar nominations as Best Supporting Actress for Steel Magnolias (1989) and Best Actress for Pretty Woman (1990). Julia Roberts's films, which also include romantic comedies such as My Best Friend's Wedding, Mystic Pizza, Notting Hill, Runaway Bride, and crime films such as The Pelican Brief and Ocean's Eleven, have collectively earned box office receipts of over US$2,000,000,000, making her the most successful actress in terms of box office receipts.

Julia Roberts had become one of the highest-paid actresses in the world, topping the Hollywood Reporter's annual "power list" of top-earning female stars from 2002 to 2005, until 2006, when Nicole Kidman won the top spot. Julia Roberts's fee for 1990's Pretty Woman was $300,000; in 2003, she was paid an unprecedented $25,000,000 for her role in Mona Lisa Smile. As of 2007, Julia Roberts's net worth was estimated to be US$140,000,000.

Julia Roberts was the 1st actress to appear on the cover of Vogue and the 1st woman to land the cover of GQ. Julia Roberts has been named 1 of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" 11 times, tied with Halle Berry. In 2001 Ladies Home Journal ranked her as the 11th most powerful woman in America, beating out then national security advisor Condoleezza Rice and first lady Laura Bush. Julia Roberts has a production company called Red Om Films ("Moder" spelled backwards; formerly Shoelace Productions).

Julia Roberts's father, Walter Grady Roberts, was a vacuum cleaner salesman, and her Minneapolis, Minnesota-born mother, Betty Lou Motes (née Bredemus), was a one-time church secretary and real estate agent. Julia Roberts's parents, one-time actors and playwrights, met while performing theatrical productions for the armed forces and later co-founded the Atlanta Actors and Writers Workshop in Atlanta, Georgia off Juniper Street in Midtown; the 2 divorced in 1971. Julia Roberts's mother later married Michael Motes and had another daughter, named Nancy Motes who was born in 1976. Julia Roberts's father died of cancer when she was 10. Julia Roberts's older brother and sister, Eric Roberts (from whom she was once estranged but reconciled since 2004) and Lisa Roberts Gillan, are also actors.

Julia Roberts moved to Smyrna, Georgia (a suburb of Atlanta) in 1972, where she attended Fitzhugh Lee Elementary School, Griffin Middle School and Campbell High School. Julia Roberts wanted to be a veterinarian as a child, but soon after graduating from Smyrna's Campbell High School, she headed to New York to join her sister Lisa Roberts Gillan and pursue a career in acting. Once there, she signed with the Click modeling agency and enrolled in acting classes. She reverted to her original name "Julia Roberts" when she discovered that a "Julie Roberts" was already registered with the Screen Actors Guild. Julia Roberts's niece, Emma Roberts, whom Julia used to take to movie sets when she was a young girl, has joined her father and aunts in the acting business.

Julia Roberts made her film debut playing a supporting role opposite her brother, Eric, in Blood Red (she has just 2 words of dialogue), which, although completed in 1986, was not released until 1989. Julia Roberts's 1st television appearance was as a juvenile rape victim in the initial season of the series Crime Story with Dennis Farina, in the episode titled "The Survivor", broadcast on 13 February, 1987. Julia Roberts also once appeared on Sesame Street opposite the character Elmo, demonstrating her ability to change emotions. Julia Roberts 1st caught the attention of moviegoers with her performance in the independent film Mystic Pizza in 1988; that same year, she had a role in the 4th season finale of Miami Vice. The following year, she was featured in Steel Magnolias as a young bride battling diabetes and garnered her 1st Oscar nomination (as Best Supporting Actress) for her performance.

Julia Roberts become known to worldwide audiences when she co-starred with Richard Gere in the Cinderella/Pygmalionesque story Pretty Woman in 1990. Julia Roberts won the role after the 1st 2 choices for the part, Molly Ringwald and Meg Ryan both turned it down. The role also earned her a 2nd Oscar nod, this time as Best Actress. Julia Roberts's next box office success was the thriller Sleeping with the Enemy, playing a battered wife who escapes her demented husband, Patrick Bergin, and begins a new life in Iowa. Julia Roberts played Tinkerbell in Steven Spielberg's Hook in 1991, and also played a Nurse in the 1991 film Dying Young; which was followed by a 2-year hiatus, during which she made no films other than a cameo appearance in Robert Altman's The Player (1992). In early 1993, she was the subject of a People magazine cover story asking, "What Happened to Julia Roberts?"

In 1993, she co-starred with Denzel Washington in the successful The Pelican Brief, based on the John Grisham novel. Julia Roberts also starred alongside Liam Neeson in the 1996 film Michael Collins. Over the next few years, she starred in a series of films that were critical and commercial failures, primarily because she was cast in roles that strayed too far from her film persona, such as Stephen Frears' Mary Reilly (1996) for which earned a Razzie Worst Actress nomination. Julia Roberts broke her losing streak with the hugely popular comedy My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), and eventually regained her earlier reputation as an actress who could open a movie and guarantee box office success. Julia Roberts starred with Hugh Grant in the popular 1999 film Notting Hill. That same year, she also starred in Runaway Bride, the 2nd film with the Julia Roberts-Richard Gere duo. Julia Roberts was a guest star on the Law & Order television series in an episode broadcast on 5 May, 1999 entitled "Empire", with series regular Benjamin Bratt (at that time her boyfriend).

In 2001, Julia Roberts received the Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Erin Brockovich, who helped wage a successful lawsuit against energy giant Pacific Gas & Electric. Whilst presenting the Best Actor Award to Denzel Washington the following year, she made a gaff when she said she was glad that Tom Conti wasn't there. Julia Roberts meant the conductor Bill Conti, who had tried to hasten the conclusion of her Oscar speech the previous year, but instead named the Scottish actor. Julia Roberts would team up with Erin Brockovich director Steven Soderbergh for 3 more films: Ocean's Eleven (2001), Full Frontal (2002), and Ocean's Twelve (2004). Later in 2001 she starred in the road gangster comedy The Mexican giving her a chance to work with long time friend Brad Pitt. In 2005, she was featured in the music video for the hit single "Dreamgirl" by the Dave Matthews Band.

Julia Roberts's 2 films released in 2006, The Ant Bully and Charlotte's Web, were both animated features for which she provided only voice acting. Julia Roberts's next film was Charlie Wilson's War, with Tom Hanks and Philip Seymour Hoffman, directed by Mike Nichols and based on the book by former CBS journalist George Crile; it was released on 21 December, 2007. Fireflies in the Garden, also starring Ryan Reynolds and Willem Dafoe is currently in post-production, with release set for 2008. It has also been announced that Julia Roberts will star in The Friday Night Knitting Club, based on the novel of the same name by Kate Jacobs. Julia Roberts's niece, Emma Roberts, is said to be considered for the role of her daughter.

Julia Roberts made her Broadway debut on 19 April, 2006 as Nan in a revival of Richard Greenberg's 1997 play 3 Days of Rain opposite Bradley Cooper and Paul Rudd. Although the play grossed nearly US$1,000,000 in ticket sales during its 1st week and was a commercial success throughout its limited run, most critics heavily criticized Julia Roberts' performance. The New York Times' critic Ben Brantly, a self-proclaimed 'Juliaholic,' described her as being fraught with "self-consciousness (especially in the 1st act) [and] only glancingly acquainted with the 2characters she plays." Brantley also criticized the production of “Greenberg's slender, elegant play,” writing that “it's almost impossible to discern its artistic virtues from this wooden and splintered interpretation, directed by Joe Mantello.” 3Days of Rain received 2 Tony Award nominations in stage design categories, but took home neither prize. Julia Roberts did, however, receive a Broadway.com audience award (a minor theatrical prize) for her performance.

Julia Roberts has brought to life some of the books from American Girl as movies and serves as Executive Producer, along with her sister Lisa. The company's product lines and services are focused on pre-teen-girl characters from various periods of American history, who are embodied as dolls and featured in narratives including books and movies. Its flagship line is a collection of historical 18-inch dolls that have books and accessories. Currently Julia Roberts has produced 4 movies.

Directors Robert Altman, Mike Nichols, Joel Schumacher, Steven Soderbergh, and Garry Marshall have repeatedly cast Julia Roberts in their films. But Steven Spielberg, after directing her in Hook (1991) for which she earned a Razzie Worst Supporting Actress nomination, never worked with her again. In a 1993 interview with Barbara Walters, Julia Roberts said that she was confused by Steven Spielberg's recollection of working with her, as she only has positive memories of working on his film. In 1993, The New York Times wrote that Herbert Ross, the director of Steel Magnolias, criticized that Julia Roberts's acting was 1-dimensional, despite the fact that she received her 1st Academy Award nomination for it. Although, Julia Roberts eventually called for a truce, they too never worked together again.

As of February 2007, Julia Roberts's films have grossed $2,204,631,930 at the American box office making her the biggest female movie star in history and achieving this feat with only 31 films to her name. Julia Roberts was also placed at the pinnacle of the Ulmer Scale, a comprehensive guide to the global star power of actors and directors in independent and studio films created by James Ulmer, ahead of such other luminaries as Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks. This was partly owing to her ability to attract filmgoers solely on the basis of her name's appearance above the title and without the support of a male co-star, something few other actresses have been able to do.

Julia Roberts's personal life has often been in the spotlight. Julia Roberts has had widely reported romantic relationships with numerous famous men, including Liam Neeson, Dylan McDermott, Kiefer Sutherland, Lyle Lovett, Matthew Perry, and Benjamin Bratt. Julia Roberts was briefly engaged to Dylan McDermott, her Steel Magnolias co-star. Julia Roberts met Kiefer Sutherland in 1990, when he was her co-star in Flatliners; he left his wife and children to move in with Julia Roberts. In August 1990, Julia Roberts and Kiefer Sutherland announced their engagement, with an elaborate studio-planned wedding scheduled for 14 June, 1991. Julia Roberts broke the engagement 3 days before the wedding when she discovered Kiefer Sutherland had been meeting with a stripper named Amanda Rice. Julia Roberts subsequently went to Ireland with Jason Patric, a friend of Kiefer Sutherland's. On 27 June, 1993, she married country singer Lyle Lovett; the couple had met only 3 weeks earlier. The wedding took place on 72-hours' notice and was held in Marion, Indiana, near where Lyle Lovett was appearing on tour with his band. Less than 2 years later, in March 1995, the couple announced their separation. They subsequently divorced.

In 1998, Julia Roberts began dating Law & Order star Benjamin Bratt, who was her escort for the 25 March, 2001 Academy Awards ceremony at which she won her Oscar. 3months later, in June 2001, Julia Roberts and Benjamin Bratt announced that they were no longer a couple. "It's come to a kind and tenderhearted end," she said of their relationship. Julia Roberts met her current husband, cameraman Daniel Moder, on the set of her movie The Mexican in 2000 and they began an affair. Though at the time, Daniel Moder was married to Vera Steinberg Moder, he filed for divorce a little over a year later, and after it was finalised, he and Julia Roberts married on 4th of July 2002, at her ranch in Taos, New Mexico. On 28 November, 2004, they became the parents of fraternal twins, daughter Hazel Patricia and son Phinnaeus "Finn" Walter. Their 3rd child, son Henry Daniel Moder, was born on 18 June, 2007 in Los Angeles.

Julia Roberts has given her time and resources to UNICEF as well as to other charitable organisations. In Spring 1995, Julia Roberts, an enthusiastic supporter of UNICEF, asked if she could meet some of the relief agency's neediest recipients. On 10 May, she arrived in Port-au-Prince, as she said, "to educate myself". The poverty she found was overwhelming. "My heart is just bursting", she said. UNICEF officials hoped that her 6-day visit would trigger an outburst of giving: $10,000,000in aid was sought at the time.

In 2000, Julia Roberts narrated Silent Angels, a documentary about Rett syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder, which was shot in Los Angeles, Baltimore and New York. The documentary was designed to help raise public awareness about the disease. In July 2006, Earth Biofuels announced Julia Roberts as a spokeswoman for the company and as chair of the company's newly formed Advisory Board promoting the use of renewable fuels.

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Speech Differences And Stutter Series-Disabled Legend Tiger Woods

Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods was born on 30 December, 1975 in Cypress, California, USA. Tiger Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Currently the World No. 1, he was the highest-paid professional athlete in 2007, having earned an estimated $122,000,000 from winnings and endorsements. According to Golf Digest, Tiger Woods made $769,440,709 from 1996 to 2007, and the magazine predicts that by 2010, Tiger Woods will become the world's 1st athlete to pass $1,000,000,0000 in earnings.

Tiger Woods has won 14 professional major golf championships, the 2nd highest of any male player, and 65 PGA Tour events, 3rd all time. Tiger Woods has more career major wins and career PGA Tour wins than any other active golfer. Tiger Woods is the youngest player to achieve the career Grand Slam, and the youngest and fastest to win 50 tournaments on tour.

Tiger Woods has held the number 1 position in the world rankings for the most consecutive weeks and for the greatest total number of weeks. Tiger Woods has been awarded PGA Player of the Year a record 9 times, the Byron Nelson Award for lowest adjusted scoring average a record 8 times, and has tied Jack Nicklaus' record of leading the money list in 8 different seasons. Tiger Woods has been named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year a record-tying 4 times, and is the only person to be named Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year more than once.

Tiger Woods, who is multiracial, is credited with prompting a major surge of interest in the game of golf. Tiger Woods dramatically increased attendance and TV ratings and generated interest among a multicultural audience in a game that used to be considered insular and elitist.

After winning the 2008 U.S. Open, Tiger Woods is sitting out the rest of the 2008 PGA Tour, missing 2 major championships and the 2008 Ryder Cup, in order to concentrate on the rehabilitation of his injured left knee.

Tiger Woods was born to Earl (1932-2006) and Kultida (Tida) Woods. Tiger Woods is the only child of their marriage but has 2 half-brothers, Earl Jr. (born 1955) and Kevin (born 1957), and 1 half-sister, Royce (born 1958) from the 18-year marriage of Earl Woods and his 1st wife, Barbara Woods Gray. Earl, a retired United States Army lieutenant colonel and Vietnam War veteran, was of mixed African American(50%), Chinese (25%)and Native American (25%) ancestry. Kultida (nee Punsawad), originally from Thailand, is of mixed Thai (50%), Chinese (25%), and Dutch (25%) ancestry. This makes Tiger Woods himself 1/4 Chinese, 1/4 Thai, 1/4 African American, 1/8 Native American, and 1/8 Dutch. Tiger Woods refers to his ethnic make-up as “Cablinasian” (a portmanteau he coined from Caucasian, Black, (American) Indian, and Asian).

At birth, Tiger Woods was given "Eldrick" and "Tont" as 1st and middle names, respectively. Tiger Woods' middle name, Tont, is a traditional Thai name. Tiger Woods got his nickname from a Vietnamese soldier friend of his father, Vuong Dang Phong, to whom his father had also given the "Tiger" nickname. Tiger Woods became generally known by that name and by the time he had achieved national prominence in junior and amateur golf, he was simply known as "Tiger" Woods. Tiger Woods grew up in Orange County, California, USA and graduated from Western High School in Anaheim in 1994.

Tiger Woods is a Buddhist. Tiger Woods has said that his faith was acquired from his mother and that it helps control both his stubbornness and impatience.

In November 2003, Tiger Woods became engaged to Elin Nordegren, a Swedish model. They were introduced during The Open Championship in 2001 by Swedish golfer Jesper Parnevik, who had employed her as an au pair. They married on 5 October, 2004 at the Sandy Lane resort on the Caribbean island of Barbados and live at Isleworth, a community in Windermere, a suburb of Orlando, Florida, USA. They also have homes in Jackson, Wyoming, California, USA and Sweden. In January 2006, they purchased a $39,000,000 residential property in Jupiter Island, Florida, USA which they intend to make their primary residence. Their Jupiter Island neighbours will include fellow golfers Gary Player, Greg Norman and Nick Price, as well as singers Celine Dion and Alan Jackson. In 2007, a guest house on the Jupiter Island estate was destroyed in a fire caused by lightning.

Early in the morning of 18 June, 2007, Elin gave birth to the couple's 1st child, a daughter, Sam Alexis Woods, in Orlando. The birth occurred just 1 day after Tiger Woods finished tied for 2nd in the 2007 U.S. Open. Tiger Woods chose to name his daughter Sam because his father said that Tiger Woods looked more like a Sam. On 2 September, 2008, Tiger Woods announced on his website that he and his wife are expecting their 2nd child.

Tiger Woods was a child prodigy who began to play golf at the age of 2. In 1978, he putted against comedian Bob Hope in a television appearance on The Mike Douglas Show. At age 3, he shot a 48 over 9 holes at the Navy Golf Club in Cypress, California, USA and at age 5, he appeared in Golf Digest and on ABC's That's Incredible. In 1984 at the age of 8 he won the 9–10 boys' event, the youngest age group available, at the Junior World Golf Championships. Tiger Woods went on to win the Junior World Championships 6 times, including 4 consecutive wins from 1988 to 1991.

While attending Western High School in Anaheim at the age of 15, Tiger Woods became the youngest ever U.S. Junior Amateur Champion, was voted Southern California Amateur Player of the Year for the 2nd consecutive year, and Golf Digest Junior Amateur Player of the Year 1991. Tiger Woods successfully defended his title at the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, becoming the 1st multiple winner, competed in his 1st PGA Tour event, the Nissan Los Angeles Open and was named Golf Digest Amateur Player of the Year, Golf World Player of the Year and Golfweek National Amateur of the Year in 1992.

The following year, Tiger Woods won his 3rd consecutive U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, and remains the event's youngest-ever and only multiple winner. In 1994, he became the youngest ever winner of the U.S. Amateur Championship, a record that stood until 2008 when it was broken by Danny Lee. Tiger Woods was a member of the American team at the 1994 Eisenhower Trophy World Amateur Golf Team Championships and 1995 Walker Cup. Later that year, he enrolled at Stanford University, and won his 1st collegiate event, the William Tucker Invitational. Tiger Woods declared a major in Economics and was nicknamed "Urkel" by his college teammates. In 1995, he defended his U.S. Amateur title, and was voted Pac-10 Player of the Year, NCAA First Team All-American, and Stanford's Male Freshman of the Year (an award that encompasses all sports). Tiger Woods participated in his 1st PGA Tour major, the Masters Tournament, and tied for 41st as the only amateur to make the cut. At age 20 in 1996, he became the 1st golfer to win 3 consecutive U.S. Amateur titles and won the NCAA individual golf championship. In winning the Silver Medal as leading amateur at The Open Championship, he tied the record for an amateur aggregate score of 281. Tiger Woods left college after 2 years and turned professional.

With the announcement, "Hello World," Tiger Woods became a professional golfer in August 1996, and signed endorsement deals worth $40,000,000 from Nike, Inc. and $20,000,000 from Titleist. Tiger Woods played his 1st round of professional golf at the Greater Milwaukee Open, tying for 60th place, but went on to win 2 events in the next 3 months to qualify for the Tour Championship. For his efforts, Tiger Woods was named Sports Illustrated's 1996 Sportsman of the Year and PGA Tour Rookie of the Year. Tiger Woods began his tradition of wearing a red shirt during the final round of tournaments, a link to his college days at Stanford and a colour he believes symbolizes aggression and assertiveness.

The following April, Tiger Woods won his 1st major, The Masters, by a record margin of 12 strokes, becoming the youngest Masters winner and the 1st winner of African-American or Asian-American descent. Tiger Woods set a total of 20 Masters records and tied 6 others. Tiger Woods won another 3 PGA Tour events that year, and on 15 June, 1997, in only his 42nd week as a professional, rose to number 1 in the Official World Golf Rankings, the fastest-ever ascent to world No. 1. Tiger Woods was named PGA Player of the Year, the 1st golfer to win the award the year following his rookie season.

While expectations for Tiger Woods were high, his form faded in the 2nd half of 1997, and in 1998 he only won 1 PGA Tour event. Tiger Woods answered critics of his "slump" and what seemed to be wavering form by maintaining he was undergoing extensive swing changes with his coach, Butch Harmon, and was hoping to do better in the future.

In June 1999, Tiger Woods won the Memorial Tournament, a victory that marked the beginning of one of the greatest sustained periods of dominance in the history of men's golf. Tiger Woods completed his 1999 campaign by winning his last 4 starts, including the PGA Championship, and finished the season with 8 wins — a feat not achieved in the past 25 years. Tiger Woods was voted PGA Tour Player of the Year and Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year for the 2nd time in 3 years.

Tiger Woods started 2000 with his 5th consecutive victory and began a record-setting season, where he would win 3 consecutive majors, 9 PGA Tour events, and set or tie 27Tour records. Tiger Woods went on to capture his 6th consecutive victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am with a comeback for the ages. Trailing by 7 strokes with 7 holes to play, he finished eagle-birdie-par-birdie for a 64 and a 2-stroke victory. Tiger Woods' 6 consecutive wins were the most since Ben Hogan in 1948 and only 5 behind Byron Nelson’s record of 11 in a row. In the 2000 U.S. Open, he broke or tied a total of 9 U.S. Open records with his 15-shot win, including Old Tom Morris's record for the largest victory margin ever in a major championship, which had stood since 1862, and became the Tour's all-time career money leader. Tiger Woods led by a record 10 strokes going into the final round, and Sports Illustrated called it "the greatest performance in golf history." In the 2000 Open Championship at St Andrews, which he won by 8 strokes, he set the record for lowest score to par (−19) in any major tournament, and he holds at least a share of that record in all 4 major championships. At 24, he became the youngest golfer to achieve the Career Grand Slam.

Tiger Woods' major championship streak was seriously threatened at the 2000 PGA Championship, however, when Bob May went head-to-head with Tiger Woods on Sunday at Valhalla Golf Club. Tiger Woods played the last 12 holes of regulation 7 under par, and won a 3-hole playoff with a birdie on the 1st hole and pars on the next 2. Tiger Woods joined Ben Hogan (1953) as the only other player to win 3 professional majors in 1 season. 3 weeks later, he won his 3rd straight start on Tour at the Bell Canadian Open, becoming only the 2nd man after Lee Trevino in 1971 to win the Triple Crown of Golf (U.S., British, and Canadian Opens) in 1 year. Of the 20 events he entered in 2000, he finished in the top 3, 14 times. Tiger Woods' adjusted scoring average of 67.79 and his actual scoring average of 68.17 were the lowest in PGA Tour history, besting his own record of 68.43 in 1999 and Byron Nelson's average of 68.33 in 1945, respectively. Tiger Woods was named the 2000 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year, becoming the 1st(and only) athlete to be honoured twice. Tiger Woods was ranked as the 12th best golfer of all time by Golf Digest magazine just 4 years after he turned professional.

Tiger Woods' 2001 Masters Tournament win marked the only time within the era of the modern Grand Slam that any player has been the holder of all four major championship titles at the same time, a feat now known as the "Tiger Slam." It is not viewed as a true Grand Slam, however, because it was not achieved in a calendar year. Surprisingly, he was not a factor in the 3 remaining majors of the year, but finished with the most PGA Tour wins in the season, with 5. In 2002, he started off strong, joining Nick Faldo (1989-90) and Jack Nicklaus (1965-66) as the only men to have won back-to-back Masters Tournaments.

2 months later, Tiger Woods was the only player under par at the U.S. Open, and resurrected buzz about the calendar Grand Slam, which had eluded him in 2000. All eyes were on Tiger Woods at the Open Championship, but his 3rd round score of 81 ended Grand Slam hopes. At the PGA Championship, he nearly repeated his 2000 feat of winning 3 majors in 1 year, but bogeys at the 13th and 14th holes in the final round cost him the championship by 1 stroke. Nonetheless, he took home the money title, Vardon Trophy, and Player of the Year honours for the 4th year in a row.

The next phase of Tiger Woods's career saw him remain among the top competitors on the tour, but lose his dominating edge. Tiger Woods did not win a major in 2003 or 2004, falling to 2nd in the PGA Tour money list in 2003 and 4th in 2004. In September 2004, his record streak of 264 consecutive weeks as the world's top-ranked golfer came to an end at the Deutsche Bank Championship, when Vijay Singh won and overtook Tiger Woods in the Official World Golf Rankings.

Many commentators were puzzled by Tiger Woods's "slump," offering explanations that ranged from his rift with swing coach Butch Harmon to his marriage. At the same time, he let it be known that he was again working on changes to his swing, this time in hopes of reducing the wear and tear on his surgically-repaired left knee, which was subjected to severe stress in the 1998-2003 version of his swing. Again, he anticipated that once the adjustments were complete, he would return to his previous form.

In the 2005 season, Tiger Woods quickly returned to his winning ways. Tiger Woods won the Buick Invitational in January and in March he outplayed Phil Mickelson to win the Ford Championship at Doral and temporarily return to the Official World Golf Rankings number 1 position (Vijay Singh displaced him once again 2 weeks later). In April, he finally broke his "drought" in the majors by winning the 2005 Masters Tournament in a playoff, which regained him the number 1 spot in the World Rankings. Vijay Singh and Tiger Woods swapped the number 1 position several times over the next couple of months, but by early July, Tiger Woods had established an advantage, propelled further by a victory at the 2005 Open Championship, a win that gave him his 10th major. Tiger Woods went on to win 6 official money events on the PGA Tour in 2005, topping the money list for the 6th time in his career. Tiger Woods' 2005 wins also included 2 at the World Golf Championships.

For Tiger Woods, the year 2006 was markedly different from 2005. While he began just as dominantly (winning the 1st 2 tournaments he entered on the year) and was in the hunt for his 5th Masters championship in April, he never mounted a Sunday charge to defend his title, allowing Phil Mickelson to claim the green jacket.

On 3 May, 2006, Tiger Woods's father/mentor/inspiration, Earl, died after a lengthy battle with prostate cancer. Tiger Woods took a 9-week hiatus from the PGA Tour to be with his family. When he returned for the 2006 U.S. Open, the rust was evident — he missed the cut at Winged Foot, the 1st time he had missed the cut at a major as a professional, and ended his record-tying streak of 39 consecutive cuts made at majors. A tie for 2nd at the Western Open just 3 weeks later showed him poised to defend his Open crown at Hoylake.

At the 2006 Open Championship, Tiger Woods staged a tour de force in course management, putting, and accuracy with irons. Using almost exclusively long irons off the tee (he hit driver only one time the entire week — the 16th hole of the 1st round), he missed just 4 fairways all week (hitting the fairway 92% of the time), and his score of −18 to par (3 eagles, 19 birdies, 43 pars, and 7 bogeys) was just 1off of his major championship record −19, set at St Andrews in 2000. The victory was an emotional one for Tiger Woods, who dedicated his play to his father's memory.

4 weeks later, at the 2006 PGA Championship, Tiger Woods again won in dominating fashion — making only 3 bogeys, tying the record for fewest in a major. Tiger Woods finished the tournament at 18-under-par, equaling the to-par record in the PGA that he shares with Bob May. In August 2006, he won his 50th professional tournament at the Buick Open, and at the age of 30 years and 7 months, became the youngest golfer to do so. Tiger Woods ended the year by winning 6 consecutive PGA Tour events, and won the 3 most prestigious awards given by the PGA Tour (Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and Byron Nelson Awards) in the same year for a record 7th time.

At the close of his 1st 11 seasons, Tiger Woods's 54 wins and 12 major wins had surpassed the all time 11-season PGA Tour total win record of 51 (set by Byron Nelson) and total majors record of 11 (set by Jack Nicklaus). Tiger Woods was named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year for a record-tying 4th time.

Tiger Woods and tennis star Roger Federer, who share a major sponsor, first met at the 2006 U.S. Open tennis final. Since then, they have attended each other's events and have voiced their mutual appreciation for each other's talents.

Tiger Woods began 2007 with a 2-stroke victory at the Buick Invitational for his 3rd straight win at the event and his 7th consecutive win on the PGA Tour. The victory marked the 5th time he has won his 1st tournament of the season. With this win, he became the 3rd man (after Jack Nicklaus and Sam Snead) to win at least 5 times in 3 different events on the PGA Tour (his 2 other events are the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and WGC-CA Championship). Tiger Woods earned his 2nd victory of the year at the WGC-CA Championship for his 3rd consecutive and 6th win overall at the event. With this victory, he became the 1st player to have 3 consecutive victories in 5 different events.

At the 2007 Masters Tournament, Tiger Woods was in the final group on the last day of a major for the 13th time in his career, but unlike the previous 12 occasions, he was unable to win. Tiger Woods finished tied for 2nd 2 strokes behind winner Zach Johnson.

Tiger Woods earned his 3rd victory of the season by 2 strokes at the Wachovia Championship, the 24th different PGA Tour tournament he has won. Tiger Woods has collected at least 3 wins in a season 9 times in his 12-year career. At the U.S. Open, he was in the final group for the 4th consecutive major championship, but began the day 2 strokes back and finished tied for 2nd once again. Tiger Woods' dubious streak of never having come from behind to win on the final day of a major continued.

In search of a record-tying 3rd consecutive Open Championship, Tiger Woods fell out of contention with a 2nd-round 75, and never mounted a charge over the weekend. Although his putting was solid (he sank a 90-footer in the 1st round), his iron play held him back. "I wasn't hitting the ball as close as I needed to all week," he said, after he finished tied for 12th, 5 strokes off the pace.

In early August, Tiger Woods won his record 14th World Golf Championships event at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational by 8 strokes for his 3rd consecutive and 6th victory overall at the event. Tiger Woods became the 1st golfer to win the same event 3 straight times on 2 different occasions (1999-2001) and (2005-2007). The following week, he won his 2nd straight PGA Championship by defeating Woody Austin by 2 strokes. Tiger Woods became the 1st golfer to win the PGA Championship in back-to-back seasons on 2 different occasions: 1999-2000 and 2006-2007. Tiger Woods became the 2nd golfer, after Sam Snead, to have won at least 5 events on the PGA Tour in 8 different seasons.

Tiger Woods earned his 60th PGA Tour victory at the BMW Championship by shooting a course record 63 in the final round to win by 2 strokes. Tiger Woods sank a 50-foot putt in the final round and missed only 2 fairways on the weekend. Tiger Woods led the field in most birdies for the tournament, and ranked in the top 5 in driving accuracy, driving distance, putts per round, putts per green, and greens in regulation. Tiger Woods finished his 2007 season with a runaway victory at the Tour Championship to capture his 4th title in his last 5 starts of the year. Tiger Woods became the only 2-time winner of the event, and the champion of the inaugural FedEx Cup. In his 16 starts on Tour in 2007, his adjusted scoring average was 67.79, matching his own record set in 2000. Tiger Woods's substantial leads over the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th players were similar in 2000 (1.46 (Phil Mickelson), 1.52 (Ernie Els), 1.66 (David Duval)) and 2007 (1.50 (Els), 1.51 (Justin Rose), 1.60 (Steve Stricker)).

Tiger Woods started the 2008 season with an 8-stroke victory at the Buick Invitational. The win marked his 62nd PGA Tour victory, tying him with Arnold Palmer for 4th on the all time list. This marked his 6th victory at the event, the 6th time he has begun the PGA Tour season with a victory, and his 3rd PGA Tour win in a row. The following week, he was trailing by 4 strokes going into the final round of the Dubai Desert Classic, but made 6 birdies on the back 9 for a dramatic 1-stroke victory. Tiger Woods took home his 15th World Golf Championships event at the Accenture Match Play Championship with a record-breaking 8 & 7 victory in the final.

In his next event, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Tiger Woods got off to a slow start, finishing the 1st round at even par and tied for 34th place. After finishing the 3rd round in a 5-way tie for 1st place, he completed his 5th consecutive PGA Tour victory with a dramatic 24-foot putt on the 18th hole to defeat Bart Bryant by a stroke. It was also his 5th career victory in this event. Geoff Ogilvy stopped Tiger Woods's run at the WGC-CA Championship, a tournament Tiger Woods had won in each of the previous 3 years. Tiger Woods remains the only golfer to have had more than 1 streak of at least 5 straight wins on the PGA Tour.

Despite bold predictions that Tiger Woods might again challenge for the Grand Slam, he would never mount a serious charge at the 2008 Masters Tournament, struggling with his putter through each round. Tiger Woods would still finish alone in 2nd, 3strokes behind the champion, Trevor Immelman. On 15 April, 2008, he underwent his 3rd left knee arthroscopic surgery in Park City, Utah, and missed 2 months on the PGA Tour. The 1st surgery he had was in 1994 when he had a benign tumor removed and the 2nd in December 2002. Tiger Woods was named Men's Fitness's Fittest Athlete in the June/July 2008 issue.

Tiger Woods returned for the 2008 U.S. Open in one of the most anticipated golfing groupings in history between him, Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott, the top 3 golfers in the world. tiger Woods struggled the 1st day on the course, notching a double bogey on his 1st hole. Tiger Woods would end the round at +1 (72), 4 shots off the lead. Tiger Woods scored -3 (68) his 2nd day, still paired with Mickelson, managing 5birdies, 1 eagle and 4 bogeys. On the 3rd day of the tournament, he started off with a double bogey once again and was trailing by 5 shots with 6 holes to play. However, he finished the round by making 2 eagle putts, a combined 100 feet(30 m) in length, and a chip-in birdie to take a 1 shot lead into the final round. Tiger Woods's final putt assured that he would be in the final group for the 6th time in the last 8 major championships.

On Sunday, 15 June, Tiger Woods began the day with another double bogey, and trailed Rocco Mediate by 1 stroke after 71 holes. Tiger Woods winced after several of his tee shots, and sometimes made an effort to keep weight off of his left foot. Tiger Woods was behind by 1 stroke when he reached the final hole. Left with a 12-foot putt for birdie, he made the shot to force an 18-hole playoff with Mediate on Monday. Despite leading by as many as 3 strokes at one point in the playoff, Tiger Woods again dropped back and needed to birdie the 18th to force sudden death with Mediate, and did so. Tiger Woods made par on the 1st sudden death hole; Mediate subsequently missed his par putt, giving Tiger Woods his 14th major championship. After the tournament, Mediate said "This guy does things that are just not normal by any stretch of the imagination," and Kenny Perry added, "he beat everybody on 1 leg."

2 days after winning the U.S. Open, Tiger Woods announced that he would be required to undergo reconstructive anterior cruciate ligament(ACL)surgery on his left knee and would miss the remainder of the 2008 golf season including the final 2 major championships: The Open Championship, and the PGA Championship. Tiger Woods also revealed that he had been playing for at least 10 months with a torn ligament in his left knee, and sustained a double stress fracture in his left tibia while rehabbing after the surgery he had after the Masters. Publications throughout the world asserted his U.S. Open victory as "epic" and praised his efforts especially after learning of the extent of his knee injury. Tiger Woods called it "My greatest ever championship - the best of the 14 because of all the things that have gone on over the past week."

When Tiger Woods 1st joined the professional tour in 1996, his long drives had a large impact on the world of golf. However, when he did not upgrade his equipment in the following years (insisting upon the use of True Temper Dynamic Gold steel-shafted clubs and smaller steel clubheads that promoted accuracy over distance), many opponents caught up to him. Phil Mickelson even made a joke in 2003 about Tiger Woods using "inferior equipment" (meaning outdated technology), which did not sit well with either Nike, Titleist or Tiger Woods. During 2004, Tiger Woods finally upgraded his driver technology to a larger clubhead and graphite shaft, which, coupled with his prodigious clubhead speed, made him one of the Tour's lengthier players off the tee once again.

Despite his power advantage, Tiger Woods has always focused on developing an excellent all-around game. Although in recent years he has typically been near the bottom of the Tour rankings in driving accuracy, his iron play is generally accurate, his recovery and bunker play is very strong, and his putting (especially under pressure) is possibly his greatest asset. Tiger Woods is largely responsible for a shift to higher standards of athleticism amongst professional golfers, and is known for putting in more hours of practice than most.

Early in his professional career, Tiger Woods worked almost exclusively with leading swing coach Butch Harmon, with whom he started in 1993, but since March 2004, he has been coached by Hank Haney. In June 2004, Tiger Woods was involved in a media spat with Butch Harmon, who works as a golf broadcaster, when Butch Harmon suggested that he was in "denial" about the problems in his game, but they publicly patched up their differences.

While Tiger Woods is considered one of the most charismatic figures in golfing history, his approach is, at its core, cautious. Tiger Woods aims for consistency. Although he is better than any other Tour player when he is in top form, his dominance comes not from regularly posting extremely low rounds, but instead from avoiding bad rounds. Tiger Woods plays fewer tournaments than most professionals (15–21 per year, compared to the typical 25–30), and focuses his efforts on preparing for (and peaking at) the majors and the most prestigious of the other tournaments. Tiger Woods's manner off of the course is cautious as well, as he carries himself in interviews and public appearances with a carefully controlled demeanor reminiscent of the corporate athlete persona developed between Nike and Michael Jordan.

As of June 2008, Tiger Woods has won 65 official PGA Tour events, an additional 22 individual professional titles, owns 2 team titles in the 2-man World Golf Championships-World Cup, and won the inaugural FedEx Cup playoffs. Tiger Woods has successfully defended a title 21 times on the PGA Tour, has finished runner-up 24 times, 3rd place 17 times, and has won 29% (65 out of 222) of his professional starts on the PGA Tour. Tiger Woods has hit a combined total 18 holes-in-1 in the course of his lifetime — his 1st at the age of 6. Tiger Woods has a 31-6 record when leading after 36 holes in Tour events, and a 44–3 record when leading after 54 holes. Tiger Woods is 14-0 when going into the final round of a major with at least a share of the lead, and he has never lost any tournament when leading by more than 1shot after 54 holes. Tiger Woods has been heralded as "the greatest closer in history" by multiple golf experts. Tiger Woods owns the lowest career scoring average and the most career earnings of any player in PGA Tour history.

Tiger Woods has been the PGA Player of the Year a record 9 times, the PGA Tour Money Leader a record-tying 8 times (with Jack Nicklaus), the Vardon Trophy winner a record 7 times, and the recipient of the Byron Nelson Award a record 8 times. Tiger Woods has spent over 9 years atop the world rankings in his 12-year career. Tiger Woods is 1 of 5 players (along with Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, and Gary Player) to have won all 4 professional major championships in his career, known as the Career Grand Slam, and was the youngest to do so. Bobby Jones won all 4 of what were in his era considered major championships. Tiger Woods is the only player to have won all 4 professional major championships in a row, accomplishing the feat in the 2000-2001 seasons. Tiger Woods's win at the 2005 Open Championship made him only the 2nd golfer (after Nicklaus) to have won all 4 majors more than once. With his win in the 2008 U.S. Open, Tiger Woods joins Nicklaus as the only golfers to win each major at least 3 times. Tiger Woods holds at least a share of the scoring record in relation to par in all 4 majors, and also holds the margin of victory record in 2 majors, The Masters and the U.S. Open.

At the 2003 Tour Championship, Tiger Woods set the all-time record for most consecutive cuts, starting in 1998, with 114 (passing Byron Nelson's previous record of 113)and extended this mark to 142 before it ended on 13 May, 2005 at the EDS Byron Nelson Championship. Many consider this to be one of the most remarkable golf accomplishments of all time, given the margin by which he broke the old record (and against stronger fields in terms of depth than those in Byron Nelson's day) and given that during the streak, the next longest streak by any other player was usually only in the 10s or 20s. With his victory at the 2006 WGC-American Express Championship, he became the 1st player in PGA Tour history to win at least 8 times in 3 seasons. Tiger Woods's victory in the Buick Invitational in January 2007 placed him 2nd for the longest PGA Tour win streak at 7 straight, trailing only Byron Nelson's streak of 11 wins in 1945.

At the 2008 Arnold Palmer Invitational, Tiger Woods became the 1st golfer to win 4 PGA Tour events 5 or more times. In winning the U.S. Open in 2008, he became only the 6th person to win it 3 or more times, the 1st person to win a PGA Tour tournament on the same course 7 times, and the 1st person to win 2 tournaments at the same golf course in the same season.

When Tiger Woods turned pro, Mike "Fluff" Cowan was his caddie until 8 March, 1999. Tiger Woods was replaced by Steve Williams, who has become a close friend of Tiger Woods and is often credited with helping him with key shots and putts.

Unlike the Nike Forged irons available to the public, with the Nike swoosh toward the toe on the topline, these Miura custom forgings have the Nike swoosh stamp centered behind the muscle. Although Miura is acknowledged to have created Tiger Woods's Titleist-branded irons when they sponsored him, Nike denies that Miura is making any Nike irons and Miura does not comment.

Tiger Woods has used the same exact putter since 1999, and has won 11 of his 12 majors with it. This is the only club in his bag that he's not paid to use, and has said several times that it gives him a confidence that he's never had with another putter.

Tiger Woods has established several charitable and youth projects.

The Tiger Woods Foundation was established in 1996 by Tiger Woods and his father Earl. It focuses on projects for children. Initially these comprised golf clinics(aimed especially at disadvantaged children), and a grant programme. Further activities added since then include university scholarships, an association with Target House at St. Jude Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee; the Start Something character development programme, which reached 1,000,000 participants by 2003; and the Tiger Woods Learning Center. The Tiger Woods Foundation recently has teamed up with the PGA Tour to create a new PGA tour event that will take place in the nation's capital (Washington, D.C.) beginning in July, 2007.

Since 1997, the Tiger Woods Foundation has conducted junior golf clinics across the country. The Foundation began the “In the City” golf clinic programme in 2003. The 1st 3 clinics were held in Indio, California, Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, and San Juan, Puerto Rico, and were targeted to all youth, ages 7-17, and their families. Each 3-day event features golf lessons on Thursday and Friday of clinic week and a free community festival on Saturday. Host cities invite 15 junior golfers to participate in the annual Tiger Woods Foundation Youth Clinic. This 3-day junior golf event includes tickets to Disney Resorts, a junior golf clinic, and an exhibition by Tiger Woods.

This is a 35,000-square-foot (3,300 m2) educational facility in Anaheim, California which opened in February 2006. It is expected to be used by several thousand students each year in grades 4 to 12. The center features 7 classrooms, extensive multi-media facilities and an outdoor golf teaching area.

Tiger Jam: An annual fundraising concert which has raised over $10,000,000 for the Tiger Woods Foundation. Past performers at Tiger Jam include Sting, Bon Jovi and Stevie Wonder.

Chevron World Challenge: An annual off-season charity golf tournament. The event carries generous prize money, and in 2007 Tiger Woods donated his $1.35,000,000 1st-place check to his Learning Center.

Tiger Woods Foundation National Junior Golf Team: An 18 member team which competes in the annual Junior World Golf Championships.

Tiger Woods has also participated in charity work for his current caddy, Steve Williams. On 24 April, 2006 Tiger Woods won an auto racing event that benefited the Steve Williams Foundation to raise funds to provide sporting careers for disadvantaged youth.

Tiger Woods has written a golf instruction column for Golf Digest magazine since 1997and in 2001 wrote a best-selling golf instruction book, How I Play Golf, which had the largest print run of any golf book for its 1st edition, 1.5,000,000 copies.

Tiger Woods announced on 3 December, 2006 that he will develop his 1st golf course in the United Arab Emirates through his golf course design company, Tiger Woods Design. The Tiger Woods Dubai will feature a 7,700-yard (7,000 m), par-72 course named Al Ruwaya (meaning "serenity"), a 60,000-square-foot (6,000 m2) clubhouse, a golf academy, 320 exclusive villas and a boutique hotel with 80 suites. Tiger Woods Dubai is a joint venture between Tiger Woods and Tatweer, a member of the government-affiliated Dubai Holding. Tiger Woods chose Dubai because he was excited about the "challenge of transforming a desert terrain into a world-class golf course." The development is scheduled to be finished in late 2009 at Dubailand, the region's largest tourism and leisure project.

On 14 August, 2007, Tiger Woods announced his 1st course to be designed in the U.S., The Cliffs at High Carolina. The private course will sit at about 4,000 feet (1,200 m)in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Asheville, North Carolina, USA.

Tiger Woods has been called the world's most marketable athlete; shortly after his 21st birthday in 1996, he began signing numerous endorsement deals with companies including General Motors, Titleist, General Mills, American Express, Accenture and Nike, Inc.. In 2000, he signed a 5-year, $105,000,000 contract extension with Nike. It was the largest endorsing deal ever signed by an athlete at that time.

Tiger Woods's endorsement has been credited in playing a significant role in taking the Nike Golf brand from a "start-up" golf company earlier in the past decade, to becoming the leading golf apparel company in the world and a major player in the equipment and golf ball market. Nike Golf is one of the fastest growing brands in the sport, with an estimated $600,000,000 in sales. Tiger Woods has been described as the "ultimate endorser" for Nike Golf, frequently seen wearing Nike gear during tournaments and even in advertisements for other products. Tiger Woods receives a cut from the sales of Nike Golf apparel, footwear, golf equipment and golf balls and has a building named after him at Nike’s headquarters campus in Beaverton, Oregon.

In 2002, Tiger Woods was involved in every aspect of the launch of Buick's Rendezvous SUV. A company spokesman stated that Buick is happy with the value of Tiger Wood's endorsement, pointing out that more than 130,000 Rendezvous vehicles were sold in 2002 and 2003. "That exceeded our forecasts," he was quoted as saying. "It has to be in recognition of Tiger." In February 2004, Buick renewed Tiger Woods's endorsement contract for another 5 years, in a deal reportedly worth $40,000,000.

Tiger Woods collaborated closely with TAG Heuer to develop the world's 1st professional golf watch, released in April 2005. The lightweight, titanium-construction watch, designed to be worn while playing the game, incorporates numerous innovative design features to accommodate golf play. It is capable of absorbing up to 5,000 Gs of shock, far in excess of the forces generated by a normal golf swing. In 2006, the TAG Heuer Professional Golf Watch won the prestigious if product design award in the Leisure/Lifestyle category.

Tiger Woods also endorses the Tiger Woods PGA Tour series of video games; he has done so from 1999 up to 2007 and it is likely that he will continue to do so.

In February 2007, along with Roger Federer and Thierry Henry, Tiger Woods became an ambassador for the "Gillette Champions" marketing campaign. Gillette did not disclose financial terms, though an expert estimated the deal could total between $10,000,000 and $20,000,000.

In October 2007, Gatorade announced that Tiger Woods will have his own brand of sports drink starting in March 2008. "Gatorade Tiger" marks his 1st U.S. deal with a beverage company and his 1st licensing agreement. Although no figures were officially disclosed, Golfweek magazine reported that it was for 5 years and could pay him as much as $100,000,000.

On 20 August, 2006, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver announced that Tiger Woods would be inducted into the California Hall of Fame. Tiger Woods was inducted on 5 December, 2007 at The California Museum for History, Women and the Arts in Sacramento.

In both Nelson's and Tiger Woods's eras, "making the cut" has been defined as receiving a paycheck. However, in Nelson's day, only players who placed in the top 20 in an event won a paycheck whereas in Tiger Woods's day only players who reach a low enough score within the 1st 36 holes win a paycheck. Several golf analysts argue that Tiger Woods did not actually surpass Nelson's consecutive cuts mark, reasoning that 31 of the tournaments in which Tiger Woods competed were "no-cut" events, meaning all the players in the field were guaranteed to compete throughout the entire event regardless of their scores through 36 holes (and hence all "made the cut," meaning that they all received a paycheck). These analysts argue that this would leave Tiger Woods's final consecutive cuts made at 111, and Nelson's at 113.

However, at least 10 of the tournaments in which Nelson played did not have modern-day cuts; that is, all of the players in these events were guaranteed to compete past 36 holes. The Masters, for example, did not institute a 36-hole cut until 1957 (which was well after Nelson retired), the PGA Championship was match play until 1958 and it is unclear whether or not 3 other events in which Nelson competed had 36-hole cuts. Therefore, these analysts remove "no 36-hole cut" events from both cut streak measures, leaving Nelson's consecutive cuts made at 103 (or possibly less) and Tiger Woods's at 111.

In the tournaments in which Nelson competed that did not have 36-hole cuts (that is: the Masters, PGA Championship and the possible 3 other tournaments), only the top 20 players received a paycheck even though all players in these events were guaranteed to compete past 36 holes. Hence, in these no-cut events, Nelson still placed in the top 20, so Nelson's 113 cuts made are reflective of his 113 top 20 finishes. Tiger Woods achieved a top 20 finish 21 consecutive times (from July 2000 to July 2001) and, in the 31 no-cut events in which he played, he won 10 and finished out of the top 10 only 5 times. Others, including Tiger Woods himself, argue that the 2 streaks cannot be compared, because the variation of tournament structures in the 2 eras is too great for any meaningful comparison to be made.

Early in Tiger Woods's career, a small number of golf experts expressed concern about his impact on the competitiveness of the game and the public appeal of professional golf. Sportswriter Bill Lyon of Knight-Ridder asked in a column, "Isn't Tiger Woods actually bad for golf?" (though Bill Lyon ultimately concluded that he was not). At first, some pundits feared that Tiger Woods would drive the spirit of competition out of the game of golf by making existing courses obsolete and relegating opponents to simply competing for second place each week.

A related effect was measured by economist Jennifer Brown of the University of California, Berkeley who found that other golfers played worse when competing against Tiger Woods than when he was not in the tournament. The scores of highly skilled (exempt) golfers are nearly one stroke higher when playing against Tiger Woods. This effect was larger when he was on winning streaks and disappeared during his well-publicized slump in 2003-04. Jennifer Brown explains the results by noting that competitors of similar skill can hope to win by increasing their level of effort, but that, when facing a "superstar" competitor, extra exertion doesn't significantly raise one's level of winning while increasing risk of injury or exhaustion, leading to reduced effort.

Many courses in the PGA Tour rotation (including Major Championship sites like Augusta National)began to add yardage to their tees in an effort to slow down long hitters like Tiger Woods, a strategy that became known as "Tiger-Proofing". Tiger Woods himself welcomed the change as he believes adding yardage to the course does not affect his ability to win.

Tiger Woods's performance in the Ryder Cup playing for the American team has been mediocre throughout the years. In his 1st Ryder Cup in 1997, he earned only 1½ points competing in every match and partnering mostly with Mark O'Meara. Costantino Rocca defeated Tiger Woods in his singles match. In 1999, he earned 2 points over every match with a variety of partners. In 2002, he lost both Friday matches, but, partnered with Davis Love III for both of Saturday's matches, won 2 points for the Americans, and was slated to anchor the Americans for the singles matches, both squads going into Sunday with 8 points. However, after the Europeans took an early lead, his match with Jesper Parnevik was rendered unimportant and they halved the match. In 2004, he was paired with Phil Mickelson on Friday but lost both matches, and only earned 1 point on Saturday. With the Americans facing a 5-11 deficit, he won the 1st singles match, but the team was not able to rally. In 2006, he was paired with Jim Furyk for all of the pairs matches, but they only won 1 point. Tiger Woods won his singles match, 1 of only 3 Americans to do so that day. Tiger Woods is 3-1-1 in singles matches but has a much worse record in the team matches, which has led critics to question his partnership abilities. By comparison, in the Presidents Cup, Tiger Woods is 3-2 in singles matches and 10-10 in partnership matches.

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