20 Things That Have Happened Since Tiger's Last Major

By Derek Evers

June 06, 2012

Barack Obama Was Elected President

On January 20, 2009, Barack Obama became the first President of African-American descent when he took the Oath of Office. He was joined by a few friends for the occasion.

Brett Favre Retired

And returned! And retired. And returned! And retired for good (we think). Though his first retirement announcement came on March 4, 2008 -- prior to Tiger's U.S. Open victory -- all of his games played with the New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings occurred after.

A 59-Year-Old Man Almost Won The British Open

One of the most exciting golf stories since Tiger's reign was Tom Watson's remarkable run at the 2009 British Open. The 59-year old led almost the entire tournament, until a stroke of bad luck and a missed par putt on the 72nd hole forced a four hole playoff with Stewart Cink. Watson would eventually lose the playoff, but he was the talk of the sports world in July 2009.

The iPad Debuted

Apple released the first iPad in April 2010, selling 3 million units in just 80 days. During 2010 alone, Apple sold 14.8 million iPads worldwide, and by the release of the iPad 2 in March 2011, more than 15 million iPads had been sold.

The Seattle Supersonics Became The Oklahoma City Thunder

Four years has been long enough to see four professional sports franchises relocate; notably Kevin Durant's Oklahoma City Thunder made the move from Seattle in 2008. They've been followed by the Atlanta Thrashers move to Winnipeg, the New Jersey Nets move to Brooklyn, and the WNBA Detroit Shock, who moved to Tulsa, OK.

Lindsey Lohan Went To Rehab

Now used as a measurement of time, Tiger Woods has gone a total of four Lindsey Lohan rehab stints since last winning a major.

Majors Have Been Won By A Lot Of Different Guys

While many have been declared the "next Tiger Woods," no one has stepped up to take away his throne. 15 different players have won the 16 majors in his absence, including 11 first time winners. It all started with Y.E. Yang besting Woods at the 2009 PGA Championship.

People Began Instagramming

The mobile photo sharing app Instagram was launched in October of 2010. Less than two years later, in April 2012, Facebook purchased Instagram for $1 billion.

The Lakers Pulled Ahead Of Tiger

When Tiger won his 14th major at the 2008 Open he pulled in to a tie with the Lakers' 14 NBA Championships. Kobe and co. have since won two more titles to move ahead of Woods, but still two behind Jack.

A Plane Landed On The Hudson River

On January 15, 2009, minutes after takeoff from LaGuardia Airport, US Airways Flight 1549 was disabled when it flew into a flock of Canadian geese during its initial climb. 57-year old Captain Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger proceeded to successfully land the airplane on the Hudson river, saving all 155 occupants on board. The incident was dubbed the "Miracle on the Hudson" and Sullenberger became a national hero.

Albert Pujols has hit 161 Home Runs

And counting. Since June 16, the last Sunday of the 2008 U.S. Open, Albert Pujols has hit a total of 161 home runs -- 21 during the remainder of 2008; 47 in 2009; 42 in 2010; 37 in 2011; nine as of press time in 2012; and five postseason shots.

Facebook has exploded

Not literally of course, but the social networking juggernaut was at roughly 100 million users back in 2008. The company now boasts over 800 million users, an Academy Award-winning film about its inception, and a N.Y. Stock Exchange debut with the highest tech IPO of all time. Plus, founder Mark Zuckerberg married his longtime girlfriend Priscilla Chan. Not too shabby for four years.

Five perfect games have been thrown

A perfect game is one of the rarest feats in all of sports, with only 20 being thrown since 1900. But five have been thrown since Tiger last won a major: Mark Buehrle in 2009, Dallas Braden and Roy Halladay in 2010, and Philip Humber and Matt Cain in 2012. And that's not even including umpire Jim Joyce's botched call that cost Armando Galarraga another perfect game in 2010.

Plaxico Burress spends 20 months in prison

On November 28, 2008, Plaxico Burress suffered an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound in a New York City nightclub -- an incident that would lead to criminal possession of a weapon charges. Thanks to some prodding by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a jury convicted the Super Bowl receiver to two years behind bars. He would serve September 22, 2009 to June 6, 2011, and return to play a season in the NFL, all while Tiger Woods has gone major-less.

Bubba Watson has cried four times

It's a known fact that when Bubba Watson wins, the water works are soon to follow. And since all of Watson's four career wins have come post the 2008 U.S. Open (actually all have come since the 2010 Travelers Championship -- his first PGA Tour victory), one can only assume he's cried at least that many times. He also bought a sweet ride.

The Prince Took A Princess

It might not have created shockwaves on our side of the Atlantic, but royal weddings at Westminster Abbey happen less-often than perfect games. With only 15 weddings held at the Abbey since 1100, Prince William and Kate Middleton's marriage on April 29, 2011 might be the rarest feat on this list.

LeBron made his "decision"

By using a prime-time television special to tell the world he was leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers -- his home town and team -- to play with the Miami Heat, LeBron James might have become the second-most villainized athlete after Tiger Woods. And like Tiger, he has no major championships to show for himself in these past four years.

Tim Tebow (along with a lot of other people) has Tebowed

Tim Tebow didn't necessarily "do" anything since June 2008, but he's certainly become the football equivalent to Tiger Woods (in name only). His religious conviction and will to win has raised his star status to incredible heights, despite one of the lowest QB ratings of all time among playoff winning quarterbacks. He's also the man responsible for starting the one-kneed phenomenon that shares his name.

Tiger has kept busy

Though he wasn't winning majors, Tiger Woods still had plenty on his plate, including the birth of his son Charlie; the adulterous scandal that led to his divorce from Elin Nordegren; apologizing for his transgressions via an uncomfortable press conference; going to sex addiction rehab; firing a swing coach; firing a caddie; losing many sponsors; and using the world "process" more than 17,861 times.

Rachel Uchitel gave birth to a baby girl

And for anyone keeping tabs out there, Rachel Uchitel -- the first Tiger Woods mistress to be revealed -- and her husband Matt Hahn became the proud new parents of a baby girl named Wyatt Lilly.

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