Tiger Woods has dominated professional golf during the last 10 years, and Wednesday, he was rewarded for his success when he was named Athlete of the Decade by The Associated Press.

From 2000-09, the 33-year-old Woods captured 64 worldwide titles, including 12 major championships. He won 56 events on the PGA Tour, giving him a winning percentage of 30 percent. Nine wins came by eight or more strokes.

Not only did Woods claim 12 majors, he was also runner-up six times. He prevailed in 14 of 27 starts in World Golf Championships events and was No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking for all but 32 weeks of the last 10 years.

During the decade, Woods won each major at least three times. Highlights included a record-setting, 15-stroke triumph in the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach; a courageous playoff victory over Rocco Mediate in the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines; and two runaway wins in The Open Championship at St. Andrews, by eight strokes in 2000 and five in 2005.

The PGA of America recognized Woods eight times during the decade as its Player of the Year. He also won the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average and the Jack Nicklaus Trophy for PGA Tour Player of the Year seven times each.

Woods received 56 of 142 votes cast by AP editors around the country. Lance Armstrong, who won the Tour de France six times during the decade, placed second with 33 votes. Tennis great Roger Federer finished third with 25 votes, followed by Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps (13), New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (6) and sprinter Usain Bolt (4).