50 Fun Facts About Tiger Woods

What is Tiger Woods's real first name?

Woods's given name is Eldrick, chosen by his mother because it begins with E for Earl and ends with K for Kultida.

The nickname 'Tiger' honours a friend of his father's from which country?

The nickname honours Colonel Vuong Dang Phong, a South Vietnamese Army officer known as Tiger who fought alongside Earl Woods in the Vietnam War.

In which California city was Tiger Woods born?

Woods was born in Cypress, California, and learned the game at the nearby Navy Golf Course in Los Alamitos, where his father, a retired Army officer, had playing privileges.

His mother Kultida came from which country?

Kultida Woods was born in Thailand and met Earl Woods in Bangkok in 1968 while he was stationed there; Tiger coined 'Cablinasian' for his mixed heritage.

As a two-year-old, Woods putted against which comedian on The Mike Douglas Show?

Two-year-old Tiger putted against Bob Hope on The Mike Douglas Show in October 1978; a year later he shot 48 for nine holes at the Navy course.

According to Earl Woods, how old was Tiger when he first beat his father at golf?

Earl Woods said Tiger first beat him at age 11, while Earl was playing his best golf, and that he never beat his son again.

Which university did Woods attend on a golf scholarship?

Woods enrolled at Stanford in 1994 on a golf scholarship, majored in economics, and was nicknamed 'Urkel' by teammate Notah Begay III.

Woods was the first golfer to win how many consecutive U.S. Amateur titles?

Woods won three consecutive U.S. Amateurs (1994-96), the first player to do so, after taking three straight U.S. Junior Amateurs.

How old was Woods when he turned professional in August 1996?

Born on 30 December 1975, Woods was 20 when he turned professional at the Greater Milwaukee Open in August 1996 and signed Nike and Titleist deals worth about $60 million.

By how many strokes did Woods win the 1997 Masters, his first major?

Woods won the 1997 Masters by twelve strokes, finishing 18 under par on 270, and at 21 became the youngest Masters champion.

Woods shot what score on his first nine holes of the 1997 Masters before running away with it?

Woods went out in 40 on Thursday at the 1997 Masters, came home in 30 for an opening 70, and led from Friday onward.

At which course did Woods win the 2000 U.S. Open by a record 15 strokes?

Woods won the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach on 272, a winning margin that beat Old Tom Morris's 13-shot major record from the 1862 Open at Prestwick.

Which two players tied for second at that 2000 U.S. Open?

Ernie Els and Miguel Ángel Jiménez shared second place at the 2000 U.S. Open on 287, both a record distance behind Woods's winning 272.

Winning which tournament completed the 'Tiger Slam' of four straight majors?

Woods's 2001 Masters win followed his 2000 U.S. Open, Open Championship and PGA Championship titles, making him the first player to hold every modern major at once.

How many consecutive PGA Tour events did Woods win spanning late 1999 and early 2000?

Woods won six straight PGA Tour starts, from the August 1999 NEC Invitational through the first two events of 2000, matching Ben Hogan's six in a row from 1948.

What is the record number of consecutive weeks Woods held the world number-one ranking?

Woods held the world No. 1 ranking for a record 281 consecutive weeks, from June 2005 to October 2010, after an earlier 264-week run that ended in 2004.

How many major championships has Tiger Woods won?

Only Jack Nicklaus, with 18, has more.

With whom does Woods share the all-time record of 82 PGA Tour wins?

Woods matched Sam Snead's 82 PGA Tour wins at the 2019 Zozo Championship in Japan, his first start after knee surgery, beating Hideki Matsuyama to claim his 82nd title.

Whom did Woods beat in a playoff to win the 2008 U.S. Open on a broken leg?

Woods beat Rocco Mediate at the 2008 U.S. Open after their Monday 18-hole playoff ended level on 71, winning on the first sudden-death hole despite a fractured left leg.

Which course hosted Woods's 2008 U.S. Open victory?

Torrey Pines in La Jolla, San Diego, hosted the 2008 U.S. Open, the first played on its South Course, which Woods won with a double stress fracture and a torn ACL.

What did Woods crash his Cadillac Escalade into outside his Florida home in November 2009?

Around 2:25 a.m. on the day after Thanksgiving 2009, Woods hit a fire hydrant and then a tree leaving his Isleworth home near Orlando, triggering the scandal that ended his marriage.

Whom did Woods marry in 2004 and divorce in 2010?

Woods married Swedish former model Elin Nordegren in Barbados in October 2004; they had two children, Sam and Charlie, and divorced in August 2010.

Which Olympic skier did Woods date from 2013?

Woods and Lindsey Vonn announced their relationship in March 2013, the same month he returned to world number one; they split in May 2015.

How many back surgeries did Woods undergo between 2014 and 2017?

Woods had four back operations between 2014 and 2017, microdiscectomies in 2014 and 2015 followed by an April 2017 spinal fusion, after which he fell outside the world's top 1,000.

Which event did Woods win in September 2018 for his first victory in five years?

Woods won the 2018 Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta by two strokes over Billy Horschel, his 80th PGA Tour title and first since August 2013.

How many years passed between Woods's 14th and 15th major titles?

The 2019 Masters was his fifth green jacket, and his first major won without leading after 54 holes.

Which leader found the water twice on the back nine to hand Woods the 2019 Masters?

Francesco Molinari, leading by two, found Rae's Creek at the 12th and then the pond at the 15th after clipping a tree, handing Woods the 2019 Masters.

At 43, Woods became the second-oldest Masters champion behind which golfer?

Nicklaus was 46 when he won his sixth green jacket in 1986.

Which honour did President Trump present to Woods in May 2019?

President Trump presented Woods with the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House on 6 May 2019, weeks after his Masters win, the first golfer so honoured since Charlie Sifford in 2014.

Where did Woods suffer his serious single-vehicle rollover crash in February 2021?

Woods's Genesis SUV rolled over on a downhill stretch of Hawthorne Boulevard in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, on 23 February 2021; he needed surgery for open fractures of his right leg.

At which course did Woods win his first Open Championship in 2000?

Woods won the 2000 Open at St Andrews by eight strokes, finishing 19 under par and avoiding every one of the Old Course's bunkers all week.

Which longtime caddie did Woods dismiss in 2011 after he carried Adam Scott's bag?

Woods fired Steve Williams in July 2011 after Williams caddied for Adam Scott at that year's U.S. Open while Woods was injured; Williams had been on Woods's bag since 1999.

Which coach worked with Woods almost exclusively from 1993 to 2004?

Butch Harmon coached Woods from 1993 through the 1997 Masters and the Tiger Slam before they split in 2004; Hank Haney followed until 2010, then Sean Foley.

After how many years did Woods and Nike part ways in January 2024?

Woods and Nike ended their partnership in January 2024 after 27 years, a relationship that began with his 1996 rookie deal; he then launched his own Sun Day Red apparel line.

In 2009, Forbes confirmed Woods as the first professional athlete to do what?

Forbes reported in September 2009 that Woods had become the first athlete to earn over a billion dollars in his career, his $10 million FedEx Cup bonus tipping him past the mark.

Which sports drink brand gave Woods his own product line in 2008?

'Gatorade Tiger' was discontinued in 2009 due to weak sales.

What is the name of the virtual golf league Woods and Rory McIlroy announced in 2022?

Woods and Rory McIlroy's TMRW Sports unveiled TGL in August 2022; the tech-driven team league debuted in January 2025 with Woods playing for Jupiter Links Golf Club.

In which religion was Tiger Woods raised?

Woods was raised in his mother's Buddhism; in his February 2010 public apology he said drifting from its teachings on restraint had contributed to his infidelity.

Woods's daughter Sam was named for what reason?

Woods said his father always called him Sam, because Earl thought he looked more like a Sam than a Tiger; Sam Alexis was born in June 2007.

How often has Woods completed the career Grand Slam, a feat matched only by one other golfer?

Woods has completed the career Grand Slam three times, first at age 24 in 2000, again in 2005 and a third time in 2008, the youngest ever to do it.

Courses lengthening their tees to blunt Woods's power gave rise to what term?

'Tiger-proofing' described courses adding yardage to blunt Woods's length; Augusta National grew from 6,925 yards in 1997 to 7,270 by 2002 after his rout there.

Woods's first PGA Tour victory came at which 1996 event?

Woods took his first PGA Tour title at the 1996 Las Vegas Invitational, beating Davis Love III in a playoff in just his fifth start as a professional.

What childhood difficulty did Woods reveal in a letter to a boy who had contemplated suicide?

In a 2015 letter to a bullied boy named Dillon, Woods revealed he had a childhood stutter, which he worked on in a class for two years and by talking to his dog until he fell asleep.

What procedure did the severely myopic Woods have in 1999, after which he immediately resumed winning?

Woods had LASIK laser eye correction in October 1999 to fix severe short-sightedness, won the Disney Classic the same month, and had the procedure repeated in 2007.

Which award did Woods receive in 2000 and 2001 as its inaugural recipient?

Woods was the inaugural Laureus World Sportsman of the Year in 2000 and retained it in 2001; the BBC separately named him Overseas Sports Personality of 2000.

Which Buick SUV did Woods help launch in 2002?

Woods fronted the launch of the Buick Rendezvous crossover, and Buick renewed his endorsement in 2004 for a further five years.

Who caddied for Woods from his 1996 pro debut until he was dismissed in March 1999?

Fluff Cowan caddied for Woods from his August 1996 debut through the 1997 Masters until Woods dismissed him in March 1999; Cowan then began a long partnership with Jim Furyk.

In which California city did the Tiger Woods Learning Center open in 2006?

The Tiger Woods Learning Center opened in Anaheim, California, in February 2006 beside the Dad Miller Golf Course where Woods played high-school golf, with Bill Clinton speaking at the dedication.

How large was the first-edition print run of Woods's 2001 book How I Play Golf, a record for a golf title?

Warner Books gave How I Play Golf a first printing of 1.5 million copies in 2001; Woods also wrote a Golf Digest column from 1997 to 2011 and a 2017 memoir on the 1997 Masters.

With which company did Woods launch his 'Sun Day Red' apparel line in February 2024?

Woods unveiled Sun Day Red with TaylorMade in February 2024, weeks after his Nike split; the line takes its name from the red shirt he wears in final rounds.