> In 1997, who became the first non-white golf player to win the MastersTournament?And the answer: Tiger Woods. While Lee Elder was the first Black golfer to play at the Masters Tournament in1975, more than two decades later, on April 13, 1997, Tiger Woods became thefirst non-white player to actually win the Masters (he was also the youngestplayer in history to win).Photo credit: Getty Images.Tiger Woods' legacy as a unique golf prodigy remainsimpressive even today. Woods began swinging a golf club at the age of 1, and by2, he was featured winning a putting contest with Bob Hope on television's "MikeDouglas Show." Yet, it didn't take long for Woods to turn from child prodigy toyoung legend. By 15, he had won his first U.S. Junior Amateur golf championship,making him the youngest in history to do so. By 1992 (just 16 years old at thispoint), Woods was given a sponsor’s exemption in order to compete in the PGAtournament, making him (again) the youngest player ever to play in such acompetition. By the time Woods signed to go professional, he had under his belt threestraight consecutive wins in the U.S. Junior Amateur competition – a nearlyunheard of feat. Young Woods had not only amassed trophy after trophy but asignificant following as well, as the first Black player to win such titles. Then, in 1997, Woods made history yet again. With an incredible 12 stroke leadin a record-breaking performance, Woods won the Masters title. He reached numberone in the world rankings for the first time in June 1997, less than a yearafter turning pro. Throughout the first decade of the 21st century, Woods wasthe dominant force in golf. He was the top-ranked golfer in the world fromAugust 1999 to September 2004 (264 consecutive weeks) and again from June 2005to October 2010 (281 consecutive weeks). During this time, he won 13 of golf'smajor championships.Learn more about the incredible career of golf legend Tiger Woods below.