How Old Is Tiger Woods? – Tiger Woods Biography

Eldrick Tont “Tiger” Woods is the first African American Professional golfer who started his professional life only at 21. And, he won his first Major championships only eight months later after starting as a pro golfer. Not only this, but Tiger is also the youngest winner of the U.S. Masters. Only at the age of nine,  this golf legend promised to his father, Earl, former Lieutenant Colonel, that he would get the top in his golf profession, and he has proved it. Woods is the most celebrated, wealthiest golfer and one of the famous athletes all the time. The more surprising fact is that he will inaugurate the World Golf of Fame in 2021.

Personal Life Information

Family Background

Tiger is Earl and Kultida, although he has two half-brothers, Earl Jr. and Kevin, and one half-sister, Royce, from Earl’s first marriage. His mother, Kultida, is Thai, Chinese, and Dutch in origin. His father was a retired lieutenant colonel, a veteran of the Vietnam War, African American, Chinese, and Native American. His middle name ‘Tont’ is a traditional word of Thailand. And the nickname “Tiger” is in honor of his father’s friend, Col. Vuong Dang Phong, who was also famous as ‘Tiger.’ According to his biography, he claims to be a Caucasian with African, Indian, and Asian origins.

Early Life and Amateur Golf Career

Woods started his child golf prodigy with his athlete father, Earl Woods, only at 2. Tiger’s father was a baseball player in his college life at Kansas State University. However, he turned his playing in golf and was a single-digit disabled amateur golfer. As a member of the American Military, Earl had the right to play in the Navy Golf Course, and Tiger also went there with his father and started golf swing training for competitive golf. Besides, he played at par 3 in Heartwell and several municipal or public golf courses in Long Pebble Beach. In 1978, when he was only three, he put against the comedian Bob Hope on The Mike Douglas Show. Only at the age of 5, Woods features in the Golf Digest, and ABC’s “That’s Incredible.’ In the American reality television show.

When he was only seven, he won the golf tournament of under 10 in the section of Drive, Pitch, and Putt at the Nave Golf Course in Cypress, California. In 1984, he broke 80 only at the age of 8 and won The Junior World Golf Championship for the first time. He also won this competition six times, including four consecutive winnings from 1988 to 1991. The more exciting thing is that the 11-year old-son defeated his father, Earl Woods, in a recreational golf tournament. At 13, Tiger participated in his first career Major National Junior Tournament. He started his amateur golf career, Big l, in 1989 and paired with Professional golfer John Daly at the final round. As a teenager, Tiger met Jack Nicklaus for the first time at the Bel-Air Country golf Club in Los Angeles and impressed Jack with his skills and potentials. Woods got the Youngest U.S. Junior Amateur Champion award when he was in Western High School in Anaheim. And he held it up to 2010 after the record score was breaking by Jim Liu.

Moreover, in 1991, he was recognized as the Southern California and Golf Digest Junior Amateur of the year. In 1992, he competed at The PGA Tour event for the first time and got Golf Digest Amateur, Golf World Player, and Golf Week National Amateur of the year. In1994. Tiger won the youngest winner, Trophy of the U.S. Amateur Championship at the TPC at Sawgrass in Florida and held the record until 2008 before breaking by Danny Lee.

College Golf Career

After completing his high school golf career, Tiger enrolled at Stanford University under a golf scholarship in 1994. Then, in September 1994, he won his first collegiate golf event, the 40th Annual William H. Tucker Invitational. The following year 1995, Woods successfully defended The U.S. Amateur at The Newport Country Club in Rhodes Island. In 1995, at 19, Woods participated his first PGA Tour major and The 1995 Masters, where he got the 41st position. Tiger is the first golfer who won three consecutive U.S. Amateur titles and NCAA Individual Golf Championship. He also owned the silver Medal in The Open championship. After two years at Stanford University, he left the college to turn his life into a Professional golfer.

Professional Golf Career

In August 1996, only at 20, Tiger started to participate in the professional tournament to build up a successful golf career. Within a short time, he signed advertising deals with Nike, Inc, and Titleist, the most money-spinning endorsement contracts of golf history. And only after eight months of the opening of pro-life, Woods won his first major on April 13, 1997. With it, he also got the title of the Tournament’s Youngest winner with an all-time record-breaking fashion in golf. After winning the golf major tournament two months, he reached the top position or #1 in the Official World Golf Rankings.

Except for Ben Hogan, Tiger is the only golfer who wins six consecutive PGA Tour events. At the age of 24, Tiger owned The Grand Slam as the youngest golfer. As he did not achieve this award in the same calendar year and got it in the successive year of 2000-2001, this award is known as ‘Tiger slam. Although there have been some ups and downs in his golf career, Woods dominated the golf events that make him one of the golf history legends.

1. Honors

On August 20, 2007, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the California governor, introduced Tiger into the California Hall of Fame. December 5 of that year, Woods was also honored by The California Museum of History, Women and The Arts in Sacramento. In December 2009, The Associated Press named him “Athletes of the Decade” and ‘Associated Press Male Athletes of The Year.’ In May 2019, U.S. President Donald Trump gave Tiger the award “The Presidential Medal Of Freedom.”

2. Endorsements

At the pro-life, Woods signed an endorsement deal with different companies, including General Motors, Titleist, General Mills, Nike Golf, Accenture, and American Express, Inc. In 2000, after signing the deals, Tiger became The World’s most marketable athlete at that time. Not only this, but Nike Golf Brand also became one of the leading Golf Apparel Companies. Woods also receives the percentage from Nike Golf apparel, gears, golf balls, and footwear sales. In the successive years, Woods deals with many golf companies that provide a lot of currency in his pro-career. In 2010, Forbes listed Tiger as the World’s Highest-paid athlete. With this Magazine, The Golf Digest also predicted that Woods passed the billion dollars in earnings. And the more exciting matter is that he held this highest-paid athlete position up to 2017.

Career Achievements

Tiger wins 82 official PGA tour events, including 15 Majors. He is the only American golfer who won all four Majors in a row in the 2000-2001 seasons. Due to the lowest career scoring average and the most career earnings in PGA Tour history, Woods heralded as “The greatest Closer in golf history.” Tiger is one of the legendary golfers who hold the #1 in The World Ranking for the most consecutive and cumulative weeks. Besides, he is one of the five golfers and Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, and Jack Nicklaus, who won all four Major Championships of the golf game in their entire career.

The winning list of the legend golfer, Tiger Woods

Winning List of four Majors

Achievements out of golf career

1. TGR Foundation

In 1996, Woods and his father, Earl, established The TGR Foundation for promoting golf among inner-city children. This TWF ( Tiger Woods Foundation) sponsors the National Junior Golf Team in The Junior World Golf Championships, and up to 2010, they employ around 55 golf players for the tournaments. Woods hosts the annual Chevron World Challenge and AT & T National Golf Tournaments, and TWF receives revenues and deposits them. Besides, his TGR foundation arranges charity golf tournaments to support the college and child golfer’s free training camp.

2. Tiger Woods Design

In November 2006, woods announced his golf course designing company Tiger Wood Design. But due to several personal problems and lack of required cash flow, this design company can not run successfully and lose its marketability in 2009 due to its infidelity scandal.

3. Writings

From 1997 to February 2011, Woods wrote a golf instruction column for the magazine Golf Digest. His best-selling golf instruction book, “How I Play Golf,” was published in 2001. And There were 1.5 million copies printed for the first edition. Besides, he published a Memoir, The 1997 Masters: My Story, focused on his first Master win with Lorne Rubenstein’s Co-Author.

Rumors

Before establishing the TGR Foundation, there is information that woods built up a company named ETW Corporation. On that ETW corporation, he kept all official records in the name of Eldrick Tont, where Tiger had no legal existence. Not only this complaint, but some golf companies, like Matthews and his partners, claimed about the violation of trade practice acts in Florida. In late 2017, Tiger engaged in a relationship with restaurant manager Erica Herman. In 2018, Woods celebrated The final round of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club with his girlfriend. Besides, there was also a scandal of an extramarital affair with a nightclub manager, Rachel Uchitel, in New York City.

Marital  Life

On October 5, 2004, Tiger married Elin Nordegren, a formal Swedish model at the Sandy Lane Resort, Barbados, but the couple divorced in 2010. They have one daughter, Sam Alexis Woods, and one son Charlie Axel Woods. Tiger’s 11-years old son, Charlie wood also a fantastic kid golfer. In 2020, he participated in a junior golf tournament for the first time. He won a 9-hole U. S. Kids event at a 3-under-par 33 by only five strokes. Charlie celebrates this winning with Tiger’s girlfriend, Erica Herman, after the final round of the PNC Championship golf competition held at Ritz-Carlton Golf Club. Charlie’s birthday photo had two children with Tiger and his ex-wife Elin Nordegren, except Charlie. It is a mysterious story about these two children.

Woods golf injuries

In 2009, Woods couldn’t participate his charity golf tournament (The Chevron World Challenge) due to injuries. Besides, he had to stay in the hospital bed for a double stress fracture in his leg muscles.  He got rid of this leg injury after removing the pressurized disc fragment by pinching on a nerve through a surgical release and return to golf again. Besides, he has suffered from severe orthopedic injuries and got treatment in the Harbor-UCLA Medical center. In early 2021, Tiger experienced a severe car accident where he was the car’s sole occupant in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.

Tiger and Charlie in sync: Like Father Like Son

Final Words

We all know that few legends have no ups and downs in their personal and professional lives. Tiger Woods, considered the World’s Most Successful and Richest American golfer, also has some scandals and rumors. But we overlook his unenthusiastic facts of life because of his more precious golf career that impressed people all over the World. Still, Tiger continues his luxurious golf life by overcoming all of his troubles, including his severe myopic problem, knee injury, also marital issues with his ex-wife Elin Nordegren. Recently, Woods arranges a formal Champions dinner at Augusta National Golf Club for fellow professional golfers due to the delayed tournament because of the COVID-19 issue. We hope he will pass his future with this same prestigious golf career and contribute to golf history.