Tiger Woods is set for a spell away from competitive action, but he’s already left a lasting mark on golf and sport in general.
Woods played in TGL earlier this year, but last featured in an outdoor tournament at The Open Championship in 2024.
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It remains to be seen if and when he can make a return, which cannot be ruled out given his heroics at The Masters in 2019.
A huge 11 years after his 14th major championship win, Woods clinched his 15th title at The Masters, coming back from a two-shot deficit after 54 holes.
It is just one achievement that has led to football legend Wayne Rooney naming Woods among his greatest sports stars ever.
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Wayne Rooney names Tiger Woods as the second greatest sports star ever
Rooney has drawn comparisons between Woods and fellow sporting icons Tom Brady and Michael Jordan, who he ranked as joint-fifth.
But naming Woods in second place, the former Manchester United and England striker said on The Wayne Rooney Show: “Especially when I was living in the States, there was always a debate about Jordan, Tiger Woods or Tom Brady.
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“I’ve put Tiger Woods here (second) and not there (fifth) because golf is a sport… I’m not great at but I play when I can, and I admire the sport, and again culturally what Tiger Woods has done for golf is incredible.
“His whole brand. I think he brought so many fans to golf. His achievements are incredible.
“I was lucky enough actually to be at Augusta when he last won The Masters. I was there on the Sunday.
“So that was a great occasion obviously, a special moment to be there, potentially, probably his last ever major. So it was great to be there.
“But yeah, I think what he’s done for golf… there are not many people who can completely transform the face of a sport… like Michael Jordan did with basketball.
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“I think what’s mad is you see Tiger from a young age, and all the video clips, the dedication… you see the same with Rory McIlroy.
“You’ve seen Roy McIlroy on a talk show when he was about four or five, hitting the ball into the washing machine and stuff.
“And you just think the dedication that’s taken, not just from him but from the parents as well, to keep taking them and stick with it, because it’s such a difficult sport to play at the top level.
“And then obviously, once he got to the top level, the things he was doing… firstly winning the trophies he’s won, but then completely his whole brand, with Nike, changing the face of that sport.”
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Tiger Woods ranked ahead of Serena Williams and Mike Tyson
Woods has, of course, already gone down as one of the greatest ever golfers and sportspeople thanks to his stunning achievements.
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That includes 15 major titles, second only to the 18 of Jack Nicklaus, and 82 PGA Tour wins, the joint-most alongside Sam Snead.
Such efforts have led to Rooney ranking Woods ahead of Jordan and Brady in joint-fifth, but also ahead of two other American legends.
The former footballer, who also played for D.C. United in Major League Soccer, ranked tennis star Serena Williams in fourth and boxing legend Mike Tyson in third.
But occupying first place in Rooney’s top five greatest sports stars ever is snooker icon Ronnie O’Sullivan.
He admitted it was a controversial decision in his star-studded list, in which he didn’t want to include footballers as he felt they would occupy all five spots due to his connection with his former profession.
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