King Of The Course: Tiger's Winning Tale.

From the tee to the till, the young golf sensation is shattering records

With his recent record-smashing win at the U.S. Open, Tiger Woods has secured his place among golf's legends. Over the years we've watched the sport's most dynamic champion skyrocket to the No. 1 spot on the PGA Tour's rankings. We've seen him become the youngest person ever to win the Masters. We've watched him being followed by beaming crowds as he piled up seven straight wins, including this year's Pebble Beach Pro Am. We've marveled as he has come from behind to dismantle his competition.

We've grown to love that exuberant pumped fist and his unshakable confidence. The world has watched in awe as this 24-year old phenom single-handedly breathed new life into one of the world's oldest and, according to some, most boring sport. Not only is Tiger exciting to watch, but he is one of the greatest golfers around.

Golf, which was once reserved for the avid golf enthusiast, has now attracted a younger, more culturally diverse following thanks to Tiger. His mere presence on the circuit has helped the PGA Tour accomplish a long-standing goal: It has challenged golf to become one of the premier mass-market sports.

Judging from the surge in attendance at golf tournaments, a rise in television ratings over the past four years, and more and more young people involved in the game, golf has finally gone mainstream.

But what may not be apparent to the average person is the financial windfall that Tigermania has showered on corporate America and Tiger. Let's face it: Tiger has been good for golf.

Aside from Tiger, the two biggest beneficiaries from his emergence in the sport are the Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) and the television networks. Since 1996, the year Tiger turned pro, the PGA total prize money has increased from $69 million to $157 million. When Tiger won the 1997 Masters, by a record 12 strokes, CBS' coverage earned a 14.1 rating. Never before had such a high percentage of U.S. TV households watched a Masters final round; not even Jack Nicklaus has commanded such an audience.

After CBS cornered the Nielsen market with the Masters, it wasn't willing to relinquish its piece of pro golf coverage.

"Tiger has had a huge effect on golf," says Rob Correra, vice president of CBS Sports. "On a Sunday when Tiger is in the lead and playing late into the telecast, he is worth a 50% bump in the ratings. He has the same effect on his sport that Jordan had [on basketball]."

Tiger's effect on golf seems to be widening his appeal and network viewership as well. In February, Tiger's final round on the Buick International pulled in an 8.0 television rating, edging out the NBA All-Star game, which earned a 6.9 rating. For golf to overtake basketball in the ratings, Tiger must truly be Jordansesque, indeed.

"His impact has been great from the start and he's never waned," says Correra. "He does have youth, he's charismatic, he has an enthusiastic style of play ... and he wins."

The TV networks aren't the only ones profiting every time Tiger tees off and cruises to victory. Tiger's own sponsorship deals are ballooning to levels comparatively higher than those of any of his tour's counterparts. In just three and a half years as a pro, Tiger has gathered more than $45 million in endorsements and set the record for career winnings with almost $15.5 million. Nike pays Tiger $8 million a year just to wear its swoosh. Titleist, the golf equipment manufacturer, is paying him $4 million annually to use its products.

According to Golf World Business, Tiger is negotiating a new endorsement deal with Nike. Along with his base payments, the new endorsement deal will earn Tiger a percentage of the profits from the Nike Golf Division.

As Tiger's golf game and world ranking have continued their upward spiral. Tiger has attracted additional sponsors such as American Express and Buick, which recently signed him to a $30 million endorsement deal.

When the news first broke about Tiger's hefty endorsement deals, many of is fellow pros were peeved. But the discontent among the tour circuit didn't last long. Many of the tour's top players came to realize that Tiger's wealth would also mean additional money for them.

Phil Mickelson and David Duval are two players benefiting from Tiger's presence on the circuit. Phil landed an endorsement deal from IBM and David inked his own deal with AT&T.

But what makes Tiger's rise and domination of golf so impressive is that he is the first golfer of color to receive such a high level of recognition both monetarily and professionally. While African American golf pioneers such as Lee Elder, Bill Spiller, Teddy Rhodes, and Charlie Sifford have been lauded for their efforts in breaking golf's color barrier, they never received the accolades bestowed on Tiger. The young Woods, whose heritage is Thai and African American, didn't face the blatant prejudice on the tour that Elder, Sifford and other early black players faced.

According to Sifford, once when he reached into a cup to retrieve his golf ball, he touched human excrement. In 1961, Sifford became the first black to receive a PGA card after the organization abolished its "whites only" clause. It took another 14 years before Elder, a four-time PGA Tour winner, was allowed to play in the Masters in 1975.

While these great men endured hardships, they never profited from the sport they loved and fought to change.

Tiger has done that, and more.