In Less Than Five Years,

IN LESS THAN FIVE YEARS, Eldrick Woods ascended to the pinnacle of professional golf and demonstrated the validity of his nickname—Tiger.

The 24-year-old Californian entered the 2000 British Open’s last round six strokes ahead of David Duval at 16-under-par. Through Sunday’s front nine, Duval sliced the margin in half with a sizzling 32. But in typical Woods fashion, he overcame a slow start with a fantastic finish.

On No. 10, Woods, the previous month’s United States Open winner, carded his second birdie of the day with a 12-foot putt. Two holes later, he regained his six-stroke lead by tapping in a three-footer for birdie, while Duval three-putted for bogey.

With six holes remaining, Duval faded with another bogey on 15 and a quadruple bogey at 17. Woods closed out with a 69, the first time he had recorded four rounds of a Grand Slam tournament in the 60s. The former Stanford golfer captured the British Open with a 269, which was 19-under-par and broke Nick Faldo’s record of 18-under-par set in 1990. Ernie Els and Thomas Bjorn tied for second at 11-under-par.

With the British Open title, Woods added his name to the list of Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Gene Sarazen, and Ben Hogan as winners of all of golf’s Grand Slam events: Masters, U.S. Open, British Open, and PGA Championship. Nicklaus completed the cycle at age 26, Player at 29, Sarazen at 33, and Hogan at 40. Meanwhile Woods swept the quartet at age 24.

EXTRA < < < < < < < < < < < < < <

POINT Like the source of his nickname, the golfer exhibited a tenacious attitude and fighting spirit. Lt. Col. Earl Woods gave young Eldrick the nickname “Tiger” after Vietnamese soldier Vuong Dang Phong. Earl hoped his son would be as courageous as his friend. And Tiger lived up to his dad’s hopes.

In the Bible, God gave Jacob a new name. The twin experienced both an extraordinary struggle and an extraordinary encounter with God. The life-changing experience began a new era. God left his mark on Jacob, and Jacob became Israel, a man at peace with himself and surrendered to God.

GOAL! Think about your nickname. What does it mean? Do you like it? Ask God to help you earn a nickname that reflects him. Read more about Jacob, also known as Israel, in Genesis 27 and 32.