Tiger Woods Biography
Even if you don’t really know anything about golf, you still know the name Tiger Woods. That’s because this young, talented, and multi-racial American golfing superstar and legend has worked hard at making a name for himself in the very competitive world of professional golf—and has succeeded.
He is considered by his fans, other golf enthusiasts, the golf illiterate, and critics to be without a doubt one of the top and most successful golfers in the entire history of the game. Tiger Woods finished and won his 11th and 12th golf championships in the majors in 2006—when he was only 30.
In addition, Tiger has won the PGA (Professional Golfers’ Association) Tour—the main men’s professional golfing tour in the U.S.—more times than any currently active golfer, and is also the only active golfer in golf’s Career Major Wins’ top 10. Furthermore, Tiger achieved the much-sought-after title of “highest-paid professional athlete” in 2005, with an estimated salary of $87 million that year alone.
Tiger was born as Eldrick Woods in California on December 30, 1975, the only child of parents Earl Woods, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and Vietnam War veteran of African-American, Chinese, and Native American descent who died in May 2006 from cancer, and mother Kultida Woods, part Thai, Chinese, and Dutch. Tiger has three half-siblings from his father’s first marriage to Barbara Gray Woods.
He currently resides in Isleworth, Windermere, Orlando, Florida, with his Swedish model wife Elin Nordegren, whom he married on October 5, 2004. The couple met through famous Swedish golfer Jesper Parnevik. Tiger and Elin also have homes in California, Wyoming, and Sweden, and recently purchased a huge estate in Florida’s Jupiter Island where they will be neighbors to golfers Nick Price, Greg Norman, and Gary Player, as well as singers Alan Jackson and Celine Dion.
Tiger has played golf his whole life, since he was two years old, and even won two junior championships when he was eight and nine. He decided to go professional in 1996, when he was only 20, after high school and two years of Stanford University. Under his golfing belt Tiger has achieved 74 professional wins, including 54 with the PGA Tour, and has won in the majors 12 times between 1997 and 2006: four times with the Masters, twice with The U.S. Open, three times with The Open, and another three times with the PGA Championship.
Tiger initially enlisted the help of noted swing coach Butch Harmon, but then switched to working with Hank Haney in spring 2004. He also switched caddies from Mike “Fluff” Cowan at the beginning of his professional career to Steve Williams in spring 1999, who became a close personal friend.
He is particularly renowned for breaking legendary and pioneer golfer Old Tom Morris’ record dating back to 1862 for largest margin in a major championship, with an impressive 15-shot win at the 2000 U.S. Open. He is also famous for winning all four professional major golf championships in his era—the “Career Grand Slam—along with golfers Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, and Gene Sarazen.
Tiger has also been honored with numerous awards for his outstanding golf-playing in his decade-long career: the No. 1 spot with the PGA Tour Money List six times; the PGA Tour Player of the Year eight times, the Vardon Trophy six times, and the Mark H. McCormack Award nine times. Let us know of updates to the Tiger Woods biography at editor@yuddy.com |
