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The game of golf is very Scottish, going back into the mists of time as Scottish shepherds had too much time on their hands, after all, they had to leave the wife and kids in the lowlands while they spent the summer in the highlands with their favorite sheep, come here Dolly, baaa. The earliest references to golf are in the form of royal prohibitions against playing it, proving how popular it was.

In 1141 the town of St. Andrews in Fife, E Scotland is founded by Bishop Robert, later becoming the official ecclesiastical capital of Scotland, and the home of golf in 1754.

In Mar. 1440 King James II of Scotland prohibits the playing of the game of Golf because he thinks it's too popular?

In 1457 Golf is banned in Scotland by King Jacob II and the Scottish Parliament because it interferes with archery, a vital sport for defense, not to mention sword practice; "futeball" is also banned.

In 1467 the Scottish Parliament decrees that "fute-ball and golfe not to be used".

In 1491 James IV of Scotland signs a law prohibiting the playing of Golf (along with soccer and other worthless amusements taking Scots away from military preparations), then repeals it after trying it himself?

In 1552 St. Andrew's Golf Club is founded in cool beautiful green Scotland; Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots becomes (probably) the first woman golfer, and the first to use a caddy.

In 1608 Royal Blackheath Golf Club in London is founded.

In 1735 the Royal Burgess Golfing Society in Edinburgh is founded.

In 1744 the Honorable Co. of Edinburgh Golfers, the world's first golf club is founded.

In 1754 the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews (originally the Society of St. Andrews Golfers) is founded in St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland, becoming the first golf club; 11 holes, and you go around twice?

In 1786 the First Golf Club in Am. is founded in Charleston, S.C.

In 1859 Scottish top golfer Allan Robertson (b. 1815), first golfer to score below 80 on the Old Course in St. Andrews dies of jaundice, causing the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of Scotland to raise funds for his widow - erin go bragh?

On Oct. 17, 1860 the first British Open golf tournament is held in Prestwick, Ayrshire, Scotland by the Prestwick Golf Club (founded 1851); William "Willie" Park Sr. (1834-1903) defeats Thomas Mitchell "Old Tom" Morris (1821-98) of St. Andrews by two strokes to become the 1st winner, receiving a red leather belt with silver buckle, but no money; next year amateurs are admitted. In 1866 "Old Tom" Morris wins his first pro golf championship. In 1868 Scottish golfer Thomas "Young Tom" Morris Jr. (1851-75) becomes the first golfer to score a hole-in-one; next year he and his father Old Tom Morris Sr. finish the Open Championship 1-2, becoming the first father-son 1-2 (until ?).

In 1873 the Royal Montreal Club, the first permanent golf club in North Am. is founded in Canada.

In 1886 the first British Amateur Golf Championship is played, won by Horace Hutchinson (1859-1932), although last year's Royal Liverpool Club winner Allan MacFie is grandfathered in.

In 1887 after a trip to Scotland, John Mickel Fox of Philadelphia, Penn. introduces golf to the U.S. with the Foxburg Country Club; it was really J. Hamilton Gillespi in 1886 with the Sarasota Golf Club in Fla.? In 1888 the St. Andrews Golf Club is founded in Westchester County, N.Y., causing golf to gain popularity in the U.S.

In 1893 Lady Margaret Rachel Scott (1874-1938) wins her first of three consecutive British women's golf championships.

On Oct. 4, 1895 the first U.S. Open Golf Championship is held in Newport, R.I., won by Horace Rawlins (1874-1940), who becomes the first winner of a golf major outside Britain.

In 1901 the first Prof. Golfers' Assoc. is founded in Britain.

In 1904 Walter J. Travis (1862-1927) of the U.S. becomes the first man to hold the British and U.S. amateur golf titles at the same time; the U.S. Open is won by Will Anderson.

In 1911 9-y.-o. Robert Tyre "Bobby" Jones Jr. (1902-71) of Atlanta, Ga. wins his first golf title, the Junior Championship of Atlanta.

In 1913 16-y.-o. U.S. amateur Francis DeSales Ouimet (1893-1967) (with a 10-y.-o. caddy) meets veteran British champ Harry Vardon (1870-1937) in the greatest U.S. Open golf championship until ?; subject of the 2005 Bill Paxton film The Greatest Game Ever Played.

In 1914 Am. golfer (golf's first extrovert?) Walter Hagen (1892-1969) wins the U.S. Golf Open, going on to win it again in 1919, become the first American to win the British Open in 1922 (first of 4x), racking up a total of 11 majors.

In 1916 Miniature Golf is invented in N.C.

In 1916 Charles E. "Chick" Evans Jr. (1890-1979), known for using only seven hickory-shafted clubs becomes the first man to win the U.S. Golf Assoc. amateur and Open championships in the same year; Bobby Jones makes his debut.

On Jan. 17, 1917 the Professional Golf Assoc. (PGA) is founded in the U.S. at Taplow Golf Club in New York City.

In 1922 Joyce Wethered (Lady Heathcote-Amory) (1901-97) of England wins the first of four golf championships; Jesse W. "Jess" Sweetser (1902-89) defeats Bobby Jones and Chick Evans to win the U.S. Golf Assoc. amateur title, and Gene Sarazen (1902-99) wins the U.S. Open along with the PGA Championship, going on to win a career Grand Slam; in 1926 Sweetser becomes the first U.S.-born player to win the British amateur golf title.

In 1922 Am. shoe manufacturer John Ward Melville (1877-1977) creates the Thom McAn shoe line, named after Scottish golfer Thomas McAnn, opening 650 stores by 1939 and becoming known for quality leather at affordable prices.

In 1923 Max R. Marston wins the U.S. Golf Assoc. amateur title, and Bobby Jones wins the Open.

In 1924 steel shafts are permitted in golf; being cheaper than hickory shafts, more people can afford to play.

In 1924 Walter Hagen of the U.S. wins the British Open golf title for a 2nd time; Bobby Jones wins the U.S. Golf Assoc. amateur title, and Cyril Walker wins the Open.

In 1925 Bobby Jones wins the U.S. Golf Assoc. amateur title, and Willie Macfarlane wins the U.S. Open.

In 1926 George Von Elm defeats Bobby Jones to win the U.S. Golf Assoc. amateur championship, and Bobby Jones wins the U.S. Open.

In 1927 the biennial Ryder Cup prof. golf tournament between Europe and the U.S. is founded, with four foursomes and eight singles; Bobby Jones wins the U.S. Golf Assoc. amateur title; Scottish-born Tommy Armour (1894-1968) wins the U.S. Open.

In 1928 Bobby Jones wins the U.S. Golf Assoc. amateur title, and Johnny Farrell wins the U.S. Open.

In 1929 H.R. Johnston wins the U.S. Golf Assoc. amateur title, and Bobby Jones wins the U.S. Open.

It don't mean a thing if you ain't got that swing? Sean Connery's and Scotland's big hero comes from the U.S.? In 1930 Atlanta-born Georgia Inst. of Tech. and Harvard grad. Robert Tyre "Bobby" Jones Jr. (1902-71), "greatest golfer of all time" becomes the only golfer to win the U.S. and British Open, and amateur tournaments (Grand Slam of Golf) in the same year; he then retires from golf at age 27 having won the U.S. open in 1923, 1926, 1929 and 1930, the U.S. nat. amateur in 1924, 1925, 1927, 1928, and 1930, the British open in 1926, 1927 and 1930, and the British nat. amateur in 1930; he then goes on to appear in several movies and become vice-pres. of A.G. Spalding and Bros.; meanwhile Tommy Armour wins the PGA title.

In 1931 Francis Ouimet wins the U.S. Golf Assoc. amateur title, and William John "Billy" Burke (Burkowski) (1902-72) wins the U.S. Open in its longest playoff (until ?); Tommy Armour wins the 1931 British Golf Open, and Thomas Daniel "Tom" Creavy (1911-79) wins the PGA title.

In 1932 C.R. Somerville wins the U.S. Golf Assoc. amateur title, and Gene Sarazen wins the U.S. Open.

In 1932 Henry Wilfred "Bunny" Austin (1906-2000) shocks the Victorian-recovering public by competing in the Forest Hills golf tournament wearing shorts, starting a trend.

In Jan. 1933 the par-72 7,435-yad Augusta Nat. Golf Club in Augusta, Ga. opens, founded by Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts; the 10th hole is the hardest; the 11th-12th-13th holes are called the Amen Corner; a second cut (short rough) is installed around the fairways in 1999; in 1956 Pres. Eisenhower hits the tree on the 17th hole several times, causing him to request it to be cut down, which is ignored, causing the tree to become known as the Eisenhower Tree (Pine); play is held in areas named Azalea, Flowering Peach, and Pink Dogwood; too bad, in Feb. 2014 after an ice storm it is cut down; next Mar. 22 it begins hosting the annual Masters Tournament; it takes until 1975 for them to allow blacks to compete, starting with Lee Elder, and until 1990 to admit African-Am. members; women are granted membership in Aug. 2012, starting with Condoleezza Rice and Darla Moore.

In 1933 George T. Dunlap Jr. wins the U.S. Golf Assoc. amateur title, and John George "Johnny" Goodman (1909-70) ' wins the U.S. Open, becoming the last amateur to win it (until ?).

In 1934 former boy wonder Horton Smith (1908-63) becomes the first winner of the Masters Tournament (AKA The Masters), played at the Augusta (Ga.) Nat. Golf Club, with a 284 score; he wins again in 1936 with a 285 score; William Lawson Little Jr. (1910-68) wins the U.S. and British Amateur golf titles, then repeats both titles next year; Sir Henry Thomas Cotton (1907-87) of Britain wins the British Open golf championship at Sandwich, ending U.S. dominance.

In 1935 the U.S. PGA hosts 34 golf tournaments with total prize money of $135K; Lawson Little wins the U.S. Golf Assoc. amateur title, and Sam Parks Jr. wins the Open.

In 1936 John W. Fischer wins the U.S. Golf Assoc. amateur title, and Tony Manero wins the U.S. Open.

In 1937 Johnny Goodman wins the U.S. Golf. Assoc. amateur title, and Ralph Guldahl wins the U.S. Open.

In 1938 William P. "Willie" Turnesa (1914-2001) wins the U.S. Golf. Assoc. amateur title, and Ralph Guldahl wins the U.S. Open.

In 1939 Marvin Harvey "Bud" Ward (1913-68) wins the U.S. Golf Assoc. amateur title, and Byron Nelson wins the U.S. Open after a playoff with Craig Wood and Denny Shute which Bud Ward misses by one shot.

In 1940 Richard D. "Dick" Chapman (1911-78) wins the U.S. Golf Assoc. amateur title, and William Lawson Little Jr. (1910-68) wins the U.S. Open.

In 1940 Am. golfer Ben Hogan (1912-97) becomes the top U.S. money winner, followed by 1941-2 and 1946, going on strong into the next decade.

In 1941 Marvin Ward wins the U.S. Golf. Assoc. Amateur title, and Craig Wood wins the Open.

On Apr. 3, 1943 German "Maj. Heinrich Strasser in Casablanca" actor Conrad Veidt (1893-1943) dies in Los Angeles, Calif. of a heart attack while playing golf.

In 1945 Tex.-born Byron Nelson (1912-2006) has the greatest year in pro golf history (until ?), winning 18 tournaments, incl. 11 in a row, and 31 of 54 in 1944-5, retiring in 1946 with 52 career wins (incl. 5 majors) to spend more time on his ranch; he finishes in the top 10 in 65 consecutive tournaments in 1942-6.

In May 1946 the first Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial in Ft. Worth, Tex. is held, becoming one of five invitational tournaments on the PGA Tour. In 1946 Ted Bishop wins the U.S. Golf Assoc. amateur title, and Lloyd Mangrum wins the Open; Babe Didrikson Zaharias (1911-56) wins the U.S. women's amateur title.

In 1947 R.H. Riegel wins the U.S. Golf Assoc. amateur title, and Lew Worsham wins the Open; Babe Didrikson Zaharias becomes the first U.S. golfer to win the British women's amateur title.

In 1948 William P. "Willie" Turnesa (1914-2001) wins the U.S. Golf Assoc. amateur title, and "Bantam Ben" Hogan wins the U.S. Men's Open; Babe Didrikson Zaharias wins the U.S. Women's Open.

In Feb. 1949 Am. golfer "Bantam Ben" Hogan fractures his ribs, collarbone, and ankle in a car accident, but comes back to win the 1950 U.S. Open; on May 31, 1949 Va. native Samuel Jackson "Sam" Snead (1912-2002) wins the PGA Championship at Hermitage Country Club in Richmond, Va. for a Virginia Moment; he also wins his 1st Master's golf tournament with a score of 282, winning again in 1952 (286) and 1954 (289).

In 1950 Babe Didrikson wins the U.S. Women's Open in golf again (1948, 1954); along with 12 others, incl. Louise Suggs and Patty Berg she founds the Ladies Prof. Golf Assoc. (LPGA).

In 1950 Billy Maxwell wins the U.S. Golf Assoc. amateur title, and Ben Hogan wins the U.S. Open.

In 1952 boxer Joe Louis (1914-81) breaks golf's color barrier by appearing under a sponsor's exemption in a PGA event; the PGA later grants him posth. honorary membership.

In 1953 Ben Hogan (1912-97) wins the Masters (breaking the record by five strokes), U.S. Open, and his first British Open golf title.

In 1954 Arnold Daniel Palmer (1929-2016) wins the U.S. Golf Assoc. amateur title; Babe Didrikson Zaharias wins the U.S. Women's Open in golf.

In 1955 E. Harvie Ward (1925-2004) wins the U.S. Golf Assoc. amateur title, and Jack Fleck (1921-) defeats Ben Hogan to win the U.S. Open.

In 1956 E. Harvey Ward wins the U.S. Golf Assoc. amateur title for the 2nd straight year, getting suspended next year after his employer is found to have paid his expenses; Cary Middlecoff wins the U.S. Open; 16-y.-o. Jack William Nicklaus (1940-) wins the Ohio Open golf tournament.

In 1958 the Chicago Daily News complains "Things are in an uproar. But what is Eisenhower doing? All you read about is that he's playing golf. Who's running the country?"

In 1958 former Coast Guard member Arnold Daniel Palmer (1929-) wins his first Master's golf tournament, with a score of 284; he also wins in 1960 (282), 1962 (280), and 1964 (276), plus the U.S. Open in 1960, the British Open in 1961 and 1962, and the PGA Championship in 1964, 1968, and 1970, gaining him the title "the King"; Charlie Coe wins the U.S. Golf Assoc. amateur title, and Tommy Bolt wins the U.S. Open.

In 1958 the World Amateur Golf Council is founded, later becoming the Internat. Golf Federation (IGF).

In 1959 Jack Nicklaus wins the U.S. Golf Assoc. amateur title, and William Earl "Billy" Casper Jr. (1931-) wins the U.S. Open.

In 1960 Deane R. Beman (1938-) (who won the British amateur title last year) wins the U.S. amateur golf title, and Arnold Daniel Palmer (1929-2016) wins the U.S. Open (his only win) at Cherry Hills Country Club in Colo., shocking the golf world on June 19 with a monstrous drive, starting with a birdie on hole #1 en route to a 65 as he overcomes a 7-shot deficit to overtake 14 players; Beman wins the U.S. amateur title again in 1963, then turns pro in 1967.

In 1961 Jack William Nicklaus (1940-), "the Golden Bear" wins the U.S. Golf Assoc. amateur title, and Gene Alec Littler (1930-) wins the U.S. Open; Gary Player (1935-) of South Africa (who always plays in all-black outfits) wins the Masters.

On Aug. 19, 1962 24-y.-o. U. of Houston grad. Homero Blancas Jr. (1938-) completes the 1st round of the Premier Invitational Tournament in 55 strokes (27 and 28), setting a golf record; Arnold Palmer wins his 2nd British Open in a row, and also ties with Jack Nicklaus in the U.S. Open, but Nicklaus wins the playoff, becoming his first major pro title; Palmer wins the Masters for a 3rd time, and wins $81,448.33 for the year.

In 1963 Jack Nicklaus wins his first Masters, followed by the Tournament of Champions in Las Vegas and the World Series of Golf in Akron, Ohio; Arnold Palmer fourpeats as the top money winner in golf for the year, with $128,230.

In 1964 Arnold Palmer wins his 4th Masters (first in 1958); Jack Nicklaus wins $113,284.50 to become the year's top golf money winner; Ken Venturi (1931-) wins the U.S. Open golf title after finishing #2 in the 1956 Masters as an amateur, then being edged out of winning it in 1958 and 1960 by Arnold Palmer and going on a slump.

In 1965 the Tournament Training and Qualifying Program is established by the PGA for aspiring golf pros, later described by David Gould as "golf's cruelest tournament".

In 1965 Jack Nicklaus wins the Masters golf tournament for a 2nd time.

In 1966 Jack Nicklaus wins the Masters golf tournament for a 2nd straight year (3rd time), along with his first British Open; William Earl "Billy" "Buffalo Bill" Casper (1931-2015) wins a playoff against Arnold Palmer in the U.S. Open, making him the year's biggest money winner with $121,944.92.

In 1968 ex-U.S. pres. Dwight David Eisenhower hits his first and only hole-in-one in golf, becoming the first for a U.S. pres. (Gerald Ford is #2).

On June 16, 1968 "Supermex" Lee Buck Trevino (1939-), son of a Dallas gravedigger defeats Jack Nicklaus to win the U.S. Open at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y., becoming a golf celeb, his followers becoming known as Lee's Fleas.

In 1968 48-y.-o. Conn.-born Julius Nicholas Boros (1920-1994) becomes the oldest player to win a major golf title (until ?), the PGA championship; Arnold Palmer becomes the first pro golfer to win $1M, eventually starting in 48 straight Masters tournaments.

In 1970 William Earl "Billy" Casper Jr. (1931-2015) wins the Masters golf tournament; Jack William Nicklaus (1940-), "the Golden Bear" wins his 2nd British Open; Tony Jacklin (1944-) becomes the first British golfer to win the U.S. Open in 50 years.

On Jan. 31, 1971 at 4:03 p.m. EST astronauts Stuart Allen Roosa (1933-94), "Smiley Al and Icy Commander" Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. (1923-98), and Edgar Dean Mitchell (1930-) blastoff aboard Apollo 14 on a mission to the Moon; on Feb. 5 Shepard and Mitchell land the lunar module Antares in Frau Mauro (3rd manned landing on the Moon) (most accurate landing), broadcasting the first color TV pictures from the lunar surface, with Shepard uttering the soundbyte after stepping on the surface: "It's been a long way, but we're here", followed by the soundbyte about the Earth as seen from the Moon: "You can see the blue water of the ocean. You can see the ice caps. I got a little misty-eyed thinking of all my friends on that beautiful planet"; 47-y.-o. Shepard becomes the first WWII vet and oldest man to walk on the Moon; on the last day of the mission Shepard hits two golf balls in the Fra Mauro region using a tool used to sample lunar material with a Wilson 6-iron attached, and one of the balls travels for about 50 ft., the other "miles and miles and miles"; they splashdown in the Pacific on Feb. 9 at 4:05 p.m. EST, bringing back 98 lbs. of lunar rocks.

In 1971 Jack Nicklaus wins his 2nd PGA golf title; "Supermex" Lee Trevino (1939-) has a 16-week winning streak, winning five tournaments and finishing among the top-5 in four others; he also wins the U.S. Open and British Open.

On July 30, 1972 John Boorman's Deliverance, based on the 1970 James Dickey novel debuts, starring Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight, Ronny Cox, and Ned Beatty as Atlanta businessmen Lewis Medlock, Ed Gentry, Drew Ballinger, and Bobby Trippe, who make a big mistake one weekend canoing down the Cahulawassee River in Ga. before the er, erection of a dam, and get captured by two hillbillies with er, small game guns, played by Bill McKinney (1931-) and Herbert "Cowboy" Coward (complete with Billy Bob teeth), after which Bill sodomizes Drew while making him squeal like a pig, then Billy Bob mouth utters the immortal soundbyte "He got a real purdy mouth, ain't he?" to Ed after he is forced to his knees, but are interrupted before he can stick it in by an arrow through the body of Bill by Lewis, after which their trip turns into a flight back to civilization while trying to hide the body, er, bodies; the subliminal message is that Christian men don't know what they're missing with other men?; the film debuts for er, Beatty and Cox; er, Dickey plays a sheriff, as does "Married: With Children" Ed O'Neill; Boorman's son Charley plays Voight's son; the Dueling Banjos Scene starring inbred albino Lonnie (Billy Redden) on banjo and Ronny Cox on guitar spawns a hit record; "This is the weekend they didn't play golf"; #4 grossing film of 1972 ($46.1M).

In 1973 Thomas Dean "Tommy" Aaron (1937-) wins the Master's golf tournament.

On Apr. 14, 1974 Gary Player (1935-) of South Africa (who always plays in all-black outfits) wins his 2nd Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Ga.; he also wins his 3rd British Open; meanwhile this year Johnny Miller (1947-) wins eight golf tournaments, and his total earnings of $353,030 set a single-season record.

In Apr. 1975 Robert Lee Elder (1934-) becomes the first African-Am. to play in the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Ga.

In June 1975 Lee Trevino, Jerry Heard, and Bobby Nichols are struck by lightning at the Western Open Golf Tournament; all three are hospitalized, but Heard returns to tie for 4th place; Trevino takes more than a year to recover fully; a week earlier spectators laughed when Ben Crenshaw scurried for shelter from lightning at a golf tournament.

On Dec. 30, 1975 Am. golfer Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods (1975-) is born in Cypress, Calif., the son of Earl Dennison Woods (1932-2006), the architect of his career, who starts him playing golf at age 6 mo., and gets him an appearance on the Mike Douglas Show at age 2 to show off his swing to Bob Hope and Jimmy Stewart; wins six Optimist Jr. Golf Tourneys from ages 8-15; wears a red golf shirt on the last day of a tournament; husband (2004-9) of Elin Maria Pernilla Nordegren (1980-).

On Apr. 14, 1976 U.S. judge (first African-Am. federal judge) William Henry Hastie Jr. (1904-76) dies while playing golf.

In 1976 Ga.-born rookie Jerome Kendrick "Jerry" Pate (1953-) wins the U.S. Open and Canadian Open golf championships; too bad, he never wins another major championship V.

On June 2, 1977 Irish "Messala in Ben-Hur" actor Stephen Boyd (1931-77) dies in Northridge, Calif. of a heart attack while playing golf.

On Oct. 14, 1977 Am. singer-actor Bing Crosby (1903-77) dies on a golf course outside Madrid, Spain after finishing all 18 holes, bowing to acknowledge applause, saying "It was a great game", then collapsing from a heart attack as he walks to the clubhouse; he leaves a fortune of $100M based on vast landholdings in Calif., oil wells in Tex., part ownership of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and distribution rights to Minute Maid frozen orange juice.

In 1978 Jack Nicklaus wins his 3rd British Open; Gary Player wins his 3rd Masters golf tournament, and becomes the 3rd after Gene Sarazen and Ben Hogan to win the grand slam of golf, with the most major championships in three decades; Calif.-born first year golfer Nancy Lopez (1957-) wins a record five LPGA championships, winning a record $161,235.

On Nov. 6, 1979 Am. golfer Chick Evans (1890-1979) dies in Chicago, Ill., leaving money to establish the Evans Scholars Foundation, which grants college scholarships to caddies.

In 1980 Jack Nicklaus wins his 4th U.S. Open, plus his 5th PGA title; Severiano "Seve" Ballesteros Sota (1957-2011) of Spain wins the Masters, and wins again in 1983.

On Apr. 9-12, 1981 the 1981 Masters Tournament in Augusta, Ga. (first with bentgrass greens instead of Bermuda and ryegrass) is won by Tom Watson (2nd win) by two strokes over Jack Nicklaus and Johnny Miller; 26-y.-o. Gregory John "Greg" Norman (1955-) of Australia (known for wearing black shirts and black hats with a shark drawing) finishes 4th in his first Masters, becoming the first of eight top-5 finishes, earning him the nickname "the Great White Shark".

On Apr. 13, 1986 Columbus, Ohio native Jack William Nicklaus (1940-), "the Golden Bear" wins the Masters at age 46 for his 18th and final major golf championship.

On Feb. 15, 1987 Craig Stadler is disqualified from the Andy Williams Open after he kneels on a towel to make a golf shot.

In 1987 English golfer Nick Faldo (1957-) wins the British Open, and goes on to win five majors by 1996, more than any other player (until ?).

On June 13, 1991 during the first round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn. lightning strikes, killing one spectator and leaving five others hospitalized.

On Aug. 28, 1994 18-y.-o. Eldrick "Tiger" Woods (1975-) wins his first of three U.S. amateur golf championships, becoming the youngest winner (until ?).

On Apr. 9, 1995 Tex.-born Ben Daniel Crenshaw (1952-) wins the 59th Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Ga. with a 14-under-par 274, the lowest Masters score since 1976. On Apr. 14, 1996 he wins the 60th Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Ga. for the 3rd time, with a 12-under-par 276.

On Apr. 13, 1997 (Sun.) Eldrick "Tiger" Woods (1975-) hugs his dad (who just suffered a heart attack) after winning his first major prof. golf title, the Masters by 12 strokes and a record low score of 270, the widest margin of victory in history, becoming the first non-white and youngest golfer to win the Masters, achieving #1 ranking in his 42nd week as a golf pro, already being the first player to win three consecutive U.S. amateur titles (1994-6); he doesn't win the Masters again until 2001, and his score creeps up to 272; too bad, white golfer Frank Urban "Fuzzy" Zoeller Jr. (1951-) (who won his first Masters in 1979, but comes in 35th this time) makes joking remarks about him, saying "Tell him not to serve fried chicken next year", offending Woods and the growing PC police, after which he apologizes.

In 1997 Carmichael, Calif.-born John Patrick Daly (1966-) becomes the first PGA Tour player to average 300+ yards per drive over a full season, repeating every year from 1999-2008, and becoming the only player to do it until 2003, earning the nickname "Long John".

On Apr. 2, 2001 Tiger Woods wins his 4th consecutive pro golf major, becoming the first to win the grand slam of golf.

In 2002 Se Ri Pak (1977-) of South Korea becomes the youngest woman to win four golf majors.

On June 14, 2005 Michelle Wie (1989-) becomes the first female player to qualify for an adult male U.S. Golf Assoc. championship, tying for first in a 36-hole U.S. Amateur Public Links sectional qualifying tournament; in 2003 she became the youngest woman to win the same tournament.

On July 15, 2005 "Golden Bear" Jack Nicklaus plays his last pro golf game at the British Open in St. Andrews, Scotland, uttering the soundbyte "I knew that hole would move wherever I hit it."

On Apr. 10, 2006 Phil Mickelson "works magic" for his 2nd Masters win in the Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, Ga.

On May 3, 2006 Tiger Woods' father Earl dies, and he withdraws from the Memorial Tournament in late May for the first time in his career, his first major tournament missed since turning pro in 1997; he returns on June 15 for the 106th U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y., and scores a 6-over-par 76 for 82nd place, three short of the cut, breaking his string of 39 consecutive cuts in majors, tied with Jack Nicklaus.

In May 2006 pro golfer "Long" John Patrick Daly (1966-) reveals that he has a little gambling habit, and gambled away as much as $60M.

On July 23, 2006 Tiger Woods wins the British Open and his 3rd Claret Jug with a 5-under-par 67 2-shot victory over Chris DiMarco, his 11th major championship, then walks off the 18th green with tears in his eyes in his first V since his daddy died of cancer on May 3 - Liquid Plummer Power Jet, blasts clogs away in 3 seconds?

On Aug. 27, 2006 Tiger Woods wins his 4th consecutive tournament at the Bridgestone Invitational; since missing the cut at the U.S. Open in June he has played five, and tied for 2nd in one.

On Apr. 16, 2007 102-y.-o. Elsie McLean (1905-) hits a hole-in-one at Bidwell Municipal Golf Course in Chico, Calif., becoming the oldest person to do it (until ?).

On Aug. 16, 2009 one of the greatest upsets in golf history sees South Korean golfer Y.E. Yang (Yang Yong-eun) (1972-) defeat Tiger Wins to wood, er, Tiger Woods to win the U.S. PGA title, becoming the first Asian-born player to win a major; Woods had not lost any tournament in nine years and was leading by two shots going into the final round.

On Nov. 27, 2009 (2:25 a.m.) Am. golf superstar Tiger Woods (1975-) crashes his Cadillac Escalde SUV into a fire hydrant outside his Fla. home, then locks himself up in his house until Nov. 29, when he admits responsibility, with the soundbyte "I'm human and I'm not perfect", after which he admits "transgressions" regarding allegations of extramarital affairs, after which at least 12 all-white mostly blonde babes come out of the er, woodwork to claim affairs with him, incl. high-priced hookers, giving his untarnished image mucho grass between the toes, causing his endorsement career to tank, with Gatorade being the first, dropping its Tiger Woods drink, although it claims it already decided to, followed on Dec. 12 by Accenture Pic, on Dec. 18 by Swiss watchmaker Tag Heuer, and on Dec. 31 by AT&T; shareholders in cos. that sponsored him lose a total of $12B; after his Swedish-born white blonde-blue wife (since 2004) Elin Maria Pernilla Nordegren (1980-) leaves him, he announces his retirement from golfing until he gets his life back together; she demands half of his $600M wealth plus custody of their two children; meanwhile on Dec. 16 he is voted top athlete of the decade by the AP, with 64 tournament wins incl. 12 majors and 56 PGA Tour wins.

In Oct. 2010 Cigar Guy steals the show from golfer Tiger Woods, standing in the crowd near him wearing a mustache and wig; he turns out to be 30-y.-o. investment analyst Rupesh Shingadia of S London, who claims he's paying tribute to Spanish golfer Miguel Angel Jimenez.

In 2011 Tiger Woods falls out of the top 50 world golf rankings for the first time since 1996.

On June 19, 2011 Rory McIlroy (1989-) of Northern Ireland wins the U.S. Open of golf in Bethesda, Md. with a record 16 under par; too bad, NBC-TV omits the words "under God" and "indivisible" from the Pledge of Allegiance, causing an outcry; in 2011 he beomces the youngest player ever to reach €10 million in career earnings on the European Tour; in 2012 he becomes the youngest player to reach $10 million in career earnings on the PGA Tour.

On Mar. 25, 2012 Tiger Woods wins the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando, Fla., becoming his first PGA Tour victory since 2009. On Apr. 8, 2012 6'5" Gerry Lester "Bubba" Watson Jr. (1978-) of the U.S. defeats Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa on the 2nd sudden death playoff hole to win the 2012 Masters Tournament.

On Apr. 12, 2013 5'8" Chinese amateur golfer Guan Tianlang (1998-) becomes the youngest player to make the cut in PGA history in the 2013 Masters.

On Apr. 12, 2015 Jordan Alexander Spieth (1993-) wins the Masters 18 under par, tying Tiger Woods' best record.

On Aug. 16, 2015 Australian golfer Jason Day (1987-) wins the 2015 PGA Championship with a majors record 20 under par.

On Feb. 3, 2016 robot golfer LDRIC (named after Eldrick "Tiger" Woods) hits a hole-in-one on the 16th hole of the Waste Management Phoenix Open in Scottsdale, Ariz.

On May 29, 2017 after attempting a return to the PGA after a nearly 2-year layoff, golfer Tiger Woods is caught sleeping at the wheel of his Mercedez-Benz by police in Jupiter, Fla., and charged with DUI, claiming "an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications" after a back surgery; he describes himself to police as "Cablinasian" (Caucasian, black, Am. Indian, Asian), which they list as "black".

On June 15-18, 2017 the 2017 U.S. Golf Open at Erin Hills Golf Course in Erin (NW of Milwaukee), Wisc. is won by Brooks Koepka (1990-), whose 16-under-par-272 matches the 2011 record of Rory McIlroy.

On June 14-17, 2018 the 2018 U.S. Golf Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Course in N.Y. is won by Brooks Koepka (1990-) (2nd in a row, first to defend since Curtis Strange in 1989 and Ben Hogan in 1951), who finishes one stroke ahead of Tommy Fleetwood of the U.K.

On Apr. 11-14, 2019 the 2019 Masters Tournament sees Tiger Woods win for the 5th time, putting him one back of Jack Nicklaus and one ahead of Arnold Palmer, becoming his first majors win in 11 years and first Masters win in 14 years; he hugs his children after the win, reminding fans of when he hugged his father in 1997.