Before he became one of the most decorated golfers in history, Tiger Woods was a teenager walking through Stanford’s campus, blending into the student body by day—and rewriting college golf history on the weekends.
From 1994 to 1996, Woods competed for the Stanford Cardinals, building a résumé in two seasons that most elite college players spend four years chasing. He arrived with three U.S. Junior Amateur titles already in hand, and he left with three U.S. Amateurs and an NCAA individual championship. No other player—before or since—has matched that six-title USGA run.
In a recent video tour of Stanford’s golf facility, head coach Conrad Ray, a former teammate of Woods, shared stories and context that bring that era to life.
“I got to spend two great years with Tiger,” Ray said. “Mostly carrying his luggage.”
That comment wasn’t a joke—at least not entirely. As a freshman, Woods made a bet with senior teammate Notah Begay that if he won his first college event, he wouldn’t have to haul team bags again. He won by five shots. From that point on, Woods traveled light, and Ray—next on the pecking order—got stuck with the heavy lifting.
Woods’ first event as a Stanford player came at the William H. Tucker Invitational, hosted by the University of New Mexico. He cruised to victory, setting in motion one of the most dominant amateur stretches in golf history. By the time he left school, Woods had won 11 college tournaments in just two years. For comparison, Stanford greats Patrick Rodgers and Maverick McNealy also won 11 events each—but over three and four years, respectively.
And Woods did it all while occasionally missing events to play in the Masters, the World Amateur Team Championship, and other elite-level tournaments.
“There’s no question it won’t be matched,” Ray said. “He was that far ahead.”
Ray also remembered standing in the clubhouse at Big Canyon Country Club, watching the numbers roll in from a conference tournament. “Tiger had gone 61, 61, 62 or something like that. I remember thinking I had played well—but I was 14 shots back after 36 holes.”
The Stanford facility today is different from what Woods had during his time, but the connection to the past is unmistakable. Championship bags, photos, and awards line the walls. Practice areas include six separate green complexes, each with different bentgrass varieties and bunker styles—providing endless shot combinations and surfaces to learn from.
This attention to detail is part of what has kept Stanford among the nation’s elite programs. It’s not just about the equipment or facilities—it’s the expectations.
“There’s this community here where excellence is expected,” Ray said. “It’s not an outlier.”
Current players feel that weight in a good way. The program shares a close bond with Stanford’s No. 1-ranked women’s team. Both groups use the same training spaces, cross paths regularly, and push each other to improve. The support system includes alumni, donors, and even tech leaders from Silicon Valley who love the game and quietly back the program.
Ray, now in his 20th season as head coach, knows how rare it is to coach a player like Woods. “When we go out recruiting now, you’ll hear people talk about a kid who won the U.S. Junior. That’s great. But Tiger won three in a row—and then won three straight U.S. Ams. It’ll never be touched.”
Woods’ legacy at Stanford is secure not just because of what he did, but because of how far ahead he was of everyone else—teammates, opponents, and sometimes even the course itself.
The team locker room, which Coach Ray calls a “sacred place,” has a wall of fame reserved for NCAA champions, major winners, USGA presidents, and four-time All-Americans. Woods’ spot on the wall is unquestioned—and maybe untouchable.
For a closer look at Stanford’s golf facility and to hear Coach Conrad Ray share more stories from his time with Woods, watch the full video tour here: