50 Fun Facts About Tiger Woods

What first name was Tiger Woods given at birth?

Eldrick was his mother's invention: it begins with E for his father, Earl, and ends with K for her own name, Kultida.

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

South Vietnam's Vuong Dang Phong, an army officer Earl Woods nicknamed Tiger, served beside him in the Vietnam War; Earl said Phong twice saved his life.

In which California city was Tiger Woods born?

Cypress was the family home; because his father was a retired Army officer, the Woodses could use the nearby Navy Golf Course, where Tiger learned the game.

Tiger Woods's mother, Kultida, came from which country?

Thailand-born Kultida met Earl Woods while he was stationed there with the US Army; Tiger later coined 'Cablinasian' for his background so that her Asian side was not left out.

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

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

Which video game publisher put Woods's name on its PGA Tour golf series until 2013?

EA Sports ended the partnership in October 2013 after 15 years of annual Tiger Woods PGA Tour games; its next golf title carried Rory McIlroy's name instead.

Which university did Woods attend on a golf scholarship?

Stanford gave Woods a golf scholarship in 1994, but he left after two years to turn professional at 20.

Woods turned professional days after winning which title a third straight year?

The U.S. Amateur went to Woods for the third year running only after he came from five holes down and won in sudden death.

Which phrase announced Woods as a professional in 1996?

Hello, world was how he announced himself, yet the 20-year-old's first week as a professional ended in a tie for 60th place.

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

Twelve strokes is still the Masters record margin; afterwards Woods said he was no pioneer and thanked Charlie Sifford, Lee Elder and Ted Rhodes for opening the way.

Woods's one shaky stretch at the 1997 Masters, a 40, came on which nine?

Thursday's front nine cost him 40 strokes; he came home in 30 and led by nine shots after three rounds.

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

Pebble Beach saw only one player finish under par that week: Woods, whose 15-shot margin erased a majors record Old Tom Morris had held since 1862.

Which South African shared second place, 15 strokes behind Woods, at the 2000 U.S. Open?

Ernie Els shared second place, then chased Woods home again at the Open a month later; he finished runner-up in three of that year's four majors.

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

The 2001 Masters gave Woods all four major trophies at once; because the run began in June 2000 it was not a calendar-year Grand Slam, so it took his name instead.

Which rival ended Woods's streak of six straight PGA Tour wins in February 2000?

Phil Mickelson won that week and left Woods tied for second; the six in a row were the longest streak since Ben Hogan's in 1948.

Which Englishman ended Woods's record 281 straight weeks as world number one in 2010?

Lee Westwood took over on 31 October 2010 without a major title to his name, years after a slump had dropped him far outside the world's top 100.

How many major championships has Tiger Woods won?

15 majors came in two bursts: 14 by the age of 32, then nothing for almost eleven years until the 2019 Masters.

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 despite a badly damaged left knee?

Rocco Mediate matched him over the 18-hole Monday playoff, so the title went to sudden death, where Woods won the first extra hole with a par.

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

Torrey Pines in San Diego was staging its first U.S. Open; Woods needed 91 holes to win it and announced season-ending knee surgery two days later.

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

A fire hydrant and a tree stopped the car in the early hours after Thanksgiving 2009; the crash set off the infidelity scandal that ended his marriage the next year.

Whom did Woods marry in 2004 and divorce in 2010?

Elin Nordegren was working as a nanny for the Swedish golfer Jesper Parnevik, who introduced her to Woods at the 2001 Open Championship.

Which Olympic skier did Woods date from 2013?

Lindsey Vonn and Woods went public in March 2013, the month he climbed back to world number one after sinking as low as 58th; they parted in May 2015.

Which April 2017 back operation, his fourth, cleared the way for Woods's comeback?

Spinal fusion in April 2017 let him return pain-free that December, and within two years he had won the Masters again.

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

The Tour Championship ended with thousands of fans streaming down the 18th fairway behind him as he sealed his 80th PGA Tour title, his first in more than five years.

Who partnered Woods at the PNC Championship from 2020 to 2024?

Son Charlie was 11 at their first PNC Championship in 2020; a year later, ten months after the crash that shattered Woods's leg, the pair finished second.

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?

Jack Nicklaus was 46 when he won the 1986 Masters, storming home in 30 on the back nine with his son Jackie as his caddie.

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

The Presidential Medal of Freedom followed his Masters comeback by three weeks; Trump called him 'a true legend', and Woods became the fourth and youngest golfer to receive it.

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

Rancho Palos Verdes, California, is where his SUV left a downhill stretch of Hawthorne Boulevard and rolled; surgeons put a rod in his shattered right leg, and he returned at the 2022 Masters.

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?

Steve Williams had worked for Adam Scott while Woods was injured; weeks after the split he caddied Scott to victory and called it the most satisfying win of his life.

Which coach rebuilt Woods's swing after the 1997 Masters and guided him through the Tiger Slam?

Butch Harmon began coaching Woods in 1993; together they tore up a swing that had just won the Masters by a record margin, and Woods won eight majors in their time together.

Which sportswear giant ended a 27-year partnership with Woods in January 2024?

Nike signed him as he turned professional in 1996 and went on dressing him even after it quit making golf clubs and balls in 2016.

In 2009 Forbes named Woods the first athlete to pass which mark in career earnings?

$1 billion was the mark: Forbes reported that the $10 million bonus for winning the 2009 FedEx Cup tipped his career earnings over it.

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

Gatorade Tiger lasted under two years: the brand dropped the drink in late 2009, a decision it dated to before his scandal, then ended his sponsorship in February 2010.

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

TGL was meant to start in January 2024, but a power failure deflated its arena's air-supported roof, and the first match was not played until January 2025.

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.

Who called Woods 'Sam', the name he later gave his daughter?

His father rarely called him Tiger, telling him he looked more like a Sam; Woods's daughter was born in 2007, the year after Earl Woods died.

On which talk show did Woods describe himself as 'Cablinasian' in 1997?

The Oprah Winfrey Show heard the word soon after his first Masters win; he had made it up as a boy from Caucasian, Black, Indian and Asian.

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

Tiger-proofing named the trend of adding yardage to curb long hitters like Woods; Augusta National, where he won by a record margin in 1997, stretched its course in 2002 and again in 2006.

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 2015 letter to a bullied schoolboy who shared it?

A stutter was the bond: Woods wrote that he took a class for two years to beat it and used to talk to his dog until the dog fell asleep.

What procedure did Woods undergo in 1999, then repeat in 2007 when the problem returned?

Laser eye correction fixed his severe short sight in 1999, and he went straight back to winning; when his vision slipped again in 2007 he had the surgery a second time.

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

Laureus World Sportsman of the Year was first handed out in Monaco in May 2000, at the ceremony where Nelson Mandela declared that sport has the power to change the world.

Which General Motors brand did Woods endorse from 1999 until 2008?

Buick signed Woods in 1999 and gave him a hand in launching its Rendezvous SUV; when sales beat forecasts, a company spokesman put it down to Tiger.

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

Fluff Cowan carried the bag for Woods's first major win in 1997; let go in March 1999, he joined Jim Furyk within weeks and stayed with him for 25 years.

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

Anaheim was where Woods went to high school; Bill Clinton stood beside him when the Tiger Woods Learning Center opened there in February 2006.

In which Caribbean country did Woods get married in October 2004?

Barbados hosted the wedding at the Sandy Lane resort, which Woods booked out for the week; the vows were exchanged beside the golf course's 19th hole.

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

TaylorMade had supplied his clubs since 2017 when it became his partner in Sun Day Red, a label built around the red shirt Woods wears in final rounds.