Born: December 30, 1975
Place of Birth: Cypress, California
Major Notes:
Eldrick Woods is the only child of a retired Army lieutenant Colonel, Earl Woods, and his wife Kultida.
The Woods son has a number of ethnic groups in his genetic background including black, white, indian, and Thai.
It is said that the father would take his toddler son to a make-shift driving range to watch his dad drive out golf balls.
Surprisingly, one day the toddler picked up a golf club himself and had no troubling driving a ball well out on the range.
At three years old, he broke 50 strokes on nine holes and by the time he was five was shooting in the 90's over 18 holes.
Named "Tiger" after a friend of his father's, the youth captured the attention of the golfing world throughout his play as an amateur.
Tiger Woods showed considerable talent by winning the US Junior Amateur three times and three consecutive US Amateur championships.
Still an amateur, he played in his first professional tournament at age 16 in 1992.
He entered Stanford University in 1994 winning 10 collegiate golfing events over two years.
When he turned professional in 1996, he signed a reported 40 million dollar endorsement contract with Nike.
He played so well in his first year he was named the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year and he received the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year award.
Tiger Woods continued winning or finishing in the top few tournament after tournament, too numerous to list here.
Over less than ten years of professional play, Woods won at least 53 tournaments, eight of which were major championships such as the US Open,
the British Open, and the Masters tournament.
In doing so, he became the top money winner ever in the world of golf without including endorsements which were substantial.
The Associate Press has named Tiger Woods as the Male Athlete of the Year on at least three occasions.
In October, 2004, he married Elin Nordegren, 24, a well-educated stunning Swedish model and nanny.
Tiger Woods impact and accomplishments in major tournament play has him described as the "Wayne Gretzky of Golf."
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