Tiger Woods' unique feat trumps every other sporting great, says Ferrari F1 ace

Tiger Woods remains the biggest draw in golf despite the American not being at his best in recent years. The aura that surrounds the 15-time major champion has not diminished despite his troubles away from the game, and he continues to attract the biggest crowds.

Carlos Sainz has spoken about his admiration for the American golfer, and revealed why he thinks Woods is above every other sporting great. The Ferrari Formula 1 driver has met a number of his idols, but feels he will be very nervous if he gets a chance to meet the golf legend.

"He's the only guy that I think I would be nervous meeting," Sainz told the New York Times. "It sounds strange that I say that. I've met Rafael Nadal, I met Michael Schumacher back in the day, and many, many others, but Tiger I think would impress me."

Woods turned professional in 1996 at the age of 20, and less than a year later, he had not only won the first of his 15 majors, but also risen to number one in the golf world rankings. The 46-year-old would go on to dominate the game for the next decade.

The California-born golf legend sat atop the rankings for a combined 545 weeks in two separate spells. The first was from August 1999 to September 2004 and again in June 2005 to October 2010, during which he won 13 of golf's major championships.

Sainz feels Woods revels in the aura that surrounds him, and feels there is no other athlete that changed the history of their respective sport. He feels Woods' emergence completely altered the game of golf, and brought with it the global audience who followed his every move from the first hole.

"For me, I always look up to people that create a point in the history of their sport that changes that sport forever, and Tiger is the one that, for me, changed his sport the most of any other athlete in the world," the Ferrari driver added.

The F1 ace was unable to describe the furore around Woods, and his supporters' unwavering desire to see him win every time he steps on to the gold course. And this is in spite of the American golf legend facing public scrutiny over his infidelity and subsequent divorce.

"Even now, you can just see he creates something around him every time he walks around a golf course that no one can explain," Sainz said. "For me, it's a case study because it's something super interesting how someone can create so much charisma that everyone wants you to win, even if you've made a lot of mistakes."