Editor’s Note: It’s been 10 years since Tiger Woods burst onto the PGA TOUR scene. On the anniversary of his debut at the Greater Milwaukee Open, as it was then known, PGATOUR.com begins a series of stories on Tiger Woods’ decade on TOUR -- covering everything from his first tournament to what his fellow pros were saying about him then and what they’re saying now to how he’s changed through the years (both personally and professionally) to a statistical breakdown of his career and to what the future holds for the No. 1 player in the world.

Sometime, in the next few decades, Hollywood will probably make a movie about the life of Tiger Woods and the impact he had on the game.

If the screenwriters had their druthers, the script would likely call for Woods to pull off a dramatic victory in his PGA TOUR debut. After all, expectations were extraordinarily high for the child prodigy who began his ascent towards stardom at the age of 2, when he putted against Bob Hope on the Mike Douglas Show.

Woods has been at the top for so long now that it’s hard to believe there was ever a time when he was just trying to earn his TOUR card. But that was the case a decade ago, when the then 20-year-old Woods tied for 60th in his professional debut.

His presence at what was then known as the Greater Milwaukee Open made the tournament instantaneously famous. Galleries tripled, ESPN quickly arranged to have the first two rounds put on TV and ticket, merchandise and concession sales were way up from the previous year. It was estimated that Woods’ presence in the tournament brought in at least $2.2 million for the golf industry.

Unfortunately, though, for the fans who turned out to cheer for the young phenom, Woods finished 12 strokes behind eventual winner Loren Roberts.

Tiger Woods was left scratching his head on Sunday at the 1996 Greater Milwaukee Open. (Getty Images)

“I just could never get anything going,” Woods said at the time. “It’s been a long grind, with last week as long as it was (at the U.S. Amateur), nine rounds in seven days, and all the hysteria going on here. It’s been a big mental drain more than anything. Physically I’m fine, but mentally I’m tired.”

And Woods, who in later years has seemed almost super-human, showed just how exhausted he was after he shot a 2-over 73 on Saturday, the second highest score of that day.

“I was so tired (Saturday). You could see it in the way I played. I was very sloppy,” Woods said after his third round.

He was so tired that the usually diligent Woods could not even bring himself to practice that Saturday afternoon. “That’s very unusual for me. I usually practice after every round,” he said. “But I went home and slept for 4½ hours. I woke up, had a little dinner and went back to sleep.”

It was the pressure that drained him more than the golf, as Woods turned pro just two days after winning his third straight U.S. Amateur.

“I don’t know what his expectations are, but everyone out here thinks he should be doing better than he is,” said Mike (Fluff) Cowan, who was caddying for Woods in his debut.

TOUR players echoed this sentiment, as they observed the effect the young Woods had on the huge crowds.

“Tiger’s got a lot of talent. I hope people let him relax and play,” Nolan Henke said.

Others, like Roberts, noted the extraordinary hoopla surrounding Woods but said they felt he had to win before he would be seen as a big threat.

“I heard where a couple of guys said they are in awe of him, and I think that’s taking it too far. He plays just like the rest of us. He’s a great player, but he still has to go out and beat the other 150 of us,” the eventual champion said. Even Woods’ was shocked at how many people came out for his debut. When asked what his biggest surprise was at his first event, Woods replied, “The overall media in general. The quantity of (them) around. This is just my first week. It will die down in the next few weeks.”

Little did he know, in the next few weeks he would win both the Las Vegas Invitational and the Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic. He had three top-10s in just eight starts, and was named the PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year, as well as Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year in 1996.

At the time of the Greater Milwaukee Open, though, Woods’ success stemmed more from his endorsement deals then his performance. Woods earned just $2,544 from his first tournament, a measly sum compared to the deal he had just signed with Nike for an estimated $40 million.

Nike also unveiled an ad where Woods’ said, in a voiceover, “There are still golf courses in the United States that I cannot play because of the color of my skin. I’m told that I’m not ready for you. Are you ready for me?”

Despite his substantial endorsement deal and decision to turn professional, though, Woods wasn’t entirely a grown-up yet. When asked about his Nike deal, Woods was excited about the hats, shirts and golf supplies that they sent him.

“The best thing about getting all this stuff is the bags,” Woods, circa 1996, said. “I’m serious. The Nike bags have so many pockets. They’re awesome.”

Woods was also excited about the highlight of his first tournament, a crowd-pleasing hole-in-one on the 14th hole on the final day.

“Suddenly everybody around the green started jumping up and down,” he said. “I couldn’t see exactly what had happened. People started saying I had a hole-in-one, and then I got excited.”

It may have been the only “Hollywood-ized” moment of his debut, but that hole-in-one was just a glimpse of the Woods to come.