A Look Back at Tiger Woods' 'Tough' Decade Before Earning His 80th Win

Tiger Woods ended a five-year drought after earning his win on Sunday

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TOUR Championship - Final Round
Stan Badz/PGA TOUR

Tiger Woods finally brought an end to his five-year winless drought this weekend by earning his 80th career victory at the 2018 Tour championship in Atlanta. In an interview with NBC Sports following his performance, Woods eluded to the "tough" time he's endured over recent years, which has been plagued with scandals, injuries and run-ins with the law.

Here is a look back at the what made Sunday's win so special for the legendary golfer.

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Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods in 1998. Getty

June 2008: Woods has reconstructive surgery on his left knee, which leads him to take an eight-month hiatus from the sport. He does not return until the end of February 2009. Injuries have been a lingering problem for Woods throughout his career (especially to his back) and would play a major part in coming years.

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Florida Highway Patrol Releases Tiger Woods Car Accident Photographs
Florida Highway Patrol/Getty

November 2009: Woods crashes his Cadillac Escalade just after 2 a.m. outside of his Florida home, sparking speculation that he was having an affair after his then-wife, Elin Nordegren, uses two golf clubs to shatter a window. Shortly after, Woods' many infidelities come to light, and he enters a rehab for in-patient therapy dealing with sex addiction. It is the first time Woods has been at the center of a highly publicized scandal.

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David Cannon/Getty Images

August 2010: Woods and Nordegren finalize their divorce.

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PGA Championship - Round One
Rob Carr/Getty

March 2012: Woods earns his first victory following the sex scandal.

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Tiger Jam 2014
Ethan Miller/Getty

March 2013: Woods and champion skier Lindsey Vonn officially announce they are a couple.

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Lindsey-Vonn-tiger-woods
Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic; Christian Petersen/Getty

May 2015: Vonn and Woods end their relationship. "I will always cherish the memories that we've created together. Unfortunately, we both lead incredibly hectic lives that force us to spend a majority of our time apart," Vonn said at the time.

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Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images

April 2017: Woods has back surgery to relieve pain in his back and leg. It is his fourth surgery to his back in five years.

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tiger-woods-mugshot
Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office

May 2017: Woods was found asleep at the wheel of his Mercedes near his mansion in Jupiter, Florida. He failed a sobriety test (though no alcohol was found in his system) and would later plead guilty to reckless driving.

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WGC-Bridgestone Invitational - Round One
Keyur Khamar/PGA TOUR/Getty

August 2018: Woods puts on a tremendous showing at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club. Though he doesn't win, it is his best performance in years and a bright spot for fans to hold on to.

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Tim Bradbury/Getty Images

September 2018: Woods wins the Tour Championship, ending a five-year drought and giving everyone a reason to cheer for his comeback.

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