Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods (1975–) is an African American golfer, considered to be one of the greatest players of all time. Voted ‘Athlete of the Decade’ in 2009 by the Associated Press, he has now won over 80 PGA Tour events and 15 major titles. He is also the only player to have achieved what is nicknamed the ‘Tiger Slam’, winning all four major golf tournaments in a row. Discover more about this talented and dedicated sportsman and enjoy our printable resources below.

Photo by Keith Allison

Fun Facts

• Tiger Woods was just 21 when he won his first Masters Tournament in 1997 –the youngest man and first African American to do so. Tiger and fellow American Jack Nicklaus are the only golfers to have won each major tournament at least three times.
• At 21, Tiger was the youngest golfer to be ranked number one. He has spent 683 weeks in the top spot (more than double that of Australia’s Greg Norman, the second-longest player at number one, with 331 weeks).
• Tiger has played golf with four US presidents – Bill Clinton, George Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump.
• Tiger loves other sports, too. He learnt to free dive so he can go spearfishing.

Tiger Woods Quotes

“No matter how good you get you can always get better, and that’s the exciting part.”

“The greatest thing about tomorrow is that I will be better than I am today.”

“I love to compete. That’s the essence of who I am.”

A Short Biography of Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods was born Eldrick Tont Woods in Cypress, California, in 1975, the only child of Earl Woods and his wife Kultida. Earl met Kultida in Thailand when he was working as an army officer. He began calling his son Tiger in honour of one of his soldier friends. Tiger also has three half siblings from his father’s first marriage.

Earl Woods was a keen amateur golfer, and, as a baby, Tiger would watch him hitting balls in the garage from his highchair. Earl introduced Tiger to the sport aged just two, and by three, Tiger was already playing on golf courses. He showed exceptional talent at such a young age. At five, he even featured in Golf Digest magazine! He won the Junior World Golf Championship aged eight (competing against children a year or two older than himself) and won it six times during his childhood. He then became the youngest US Junior Amateur champion at 15 and the youngest US Amateur champion at 18.

After graduating from high school, Tiger studied economics at Stanford University, continuing with amateur golf at the same time. He left Stanford after two years, however, to turn professional after winning the US Amateur for the third time in a row – the only player to do so.

As a professional, Tiger got off to a great start, winning four PGA Tour events including the Masters in 1997 and eight PGA Tour events in 1998. He also had a long winning streak in 2000 when he won six consecutive events. At 24, he became the youngest player to achieve a career grand slam, winning all four major golf tournaments – the Masters, the PGA Championship, the US Open and The Open Championship. He also won them consecutively in 2000–2001.

Tiger married his long-time girlfriend Swedish model Elin Nordegren in 2004 and the couple went on to have two children together. Tiger hasn’t been without his setbacks, however. In 2006, he was devastated when his father died from cancer, and he and Elin divorced in 2010. A series of knee, back and leg injuries have also interrupted his career. That said, Tiger is well known for his strong mental attitude and ability to play under pressure. In 2008, he made a legendary comeback to win the US Open, despite suffering from a double stress fracture in his leg, and knee ligament injuries. This was his third US Open win and 14th major title. Some consider it the greatest golf tournament ever played.

In 2017, Tiger had his fourth back surgery in four years, but was soon back playing regularly and is now ranked 12th in the world. In a thrilling comeback in 2019, he won his 15th major with an outstanding win at the Masters. It is no surprise that Tiger has been voted PGA Tour Player of the Year a record eleven times.

In 1996, Tiger set up The Tiger Woods Foundation with his father Earl, to help make golf accessible for American inner-city children. Now called The TGR Foundation, the charity also helps to educate underprivileged children worldwide. Tiger has given millions to the cause.

Tiger’s tournament earnings have been supplemented by endorsements from companies such as Nike and American Express. He has also published books about his life and golf technique, and has a range of computer games called Tiger Woods PGA Tour. Tiger has amassed the most career earnings of any PGA Tour player and became the first billion-dollar sportsman after 13 years as a professional golfer. He now lives in a mansion in Jupiter Island, Florida, which includes a golf course, tennis court and private dock. Tiger also owns a golf course design company, has his own restaurant in Jupiter called ‘The Woods’, and owns a private jet!

Our Tiger Woods Resources