Tiger Woods Bio
Eldrick Tont “Tiger” Woods (born December 30, 1975) is an American professional golfer widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. He turned professional in 1996 after a celebrated amateur career and quickly became the dominant figure in men’s golf. Woods is tied for first all-time in PGA Tour wins, ranks second in men’s major championships, and holds numerous scoring, earnings, and longevity records. He is also an inductee of the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Beyond his playing record, Woods is one of the most famous athletes of the modern era, recognized for transforming the popularity and economics of professional golf. He has built parallel careers as a course designer, author, philanthropist, and brand figure, while also weathering well-publicized personal setbacks and a serious 2021 car crash.
Early Life and Background
Eldrick Tont Woods was born on December 30, 1975, in Cypress, California, to Earl Woods and Kultida Woods. His father, a former Green Beret, introduced him to golf before his first birthday and became his first coach, nurturing an unusually focused childhood. The nickname “Tiger” came from Earl, who had served with a Vietnamese officer called “Tiger” during the war and later said he gave his son the name in part as a blessing.
Woods grew up in Southern California and became a child prodigy, appearing on television programs such as The Mike Douglas Show as a toddler putting with Bob Hope. He attended Western High School in Anaheim, where he was a four-time winner of the Junior World Golf Championships. His early amateur résumé already included three consecutive U.S. Amateur titles before he finished high school.
After graduating, Woods enrolled at Stanford University on a golf scholarship in 1994, studying economics. He won multiple collegiate events, the 1996 NCAA individual title, and was named Pac-10 Player of the Year and an NCAA First Team All-American. After two years at Stanford, he left to turn professional in August 1996.
Path to Professional Golf
Woods’s amateur career remains one of the most decorated in golf history. Between 1994 and 1996, he won three straight U.S. Amateur Championships, was part of two winning U.S. Walker Cup teams, and collected a string of invitational titles. His aggressive, power-based style set him apart from his peers, and his match-play success foreshadowed the mental toughness that would later define his professional career.
His college performance, including a runner-up finish at the 1994 U.S. Amateur before his freshman year, drew national attention. By the time he signed with Nike and Titleist in 1996, Woods was already the most anticipated rookie in golf history. He was named Sports Illustrated’s 1996 Sportsman of the Year and PGA Tour Rookie of the Year.
Within months of turning pro, he proved the hype was warranted, winning two Tour events before the end of 1996 and emerging as a generational talent poised to take over the sport.
Tiger Woods Career
Early Career (1996–1998)
Woods won his first PGA Tour event, the Las Vegas Invitational, in October 1996, and added the Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic later that fall. He began 1997 with three victories, culminating in his first major, the 1997 Masters, which he won by 12 strokes at age 21, a record-breaking performance that instantly reshaped the sport. By June 1997, he had risen to No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking, the fastest ascent in the ranking’s history.
After a quieter 1998, Woods returned to dominant form in 1999 with eight victories, including the PGA Championship. That year he also underwent laser eye surgery, which improved his previously poor nearsighted vision and helped fuel his late-1990s run.
Dominant Years (1999–2002)
From 1999 through 2002, Woods was the dominant force in professional golf. He held the No. 1 world ranking continuously from August 1999 to September 2004, a streak of 264 consecutive weeks that stood as the longest in history. During this stretch he captured 13 of his 15 career major championships, including the 2000 U.S. Open, which he won by 15 strokes and which Sports Illustrated called “the greatest performance in golf history.”
In 2000, Woods became the youngest player to complete the Career Grand Slam at age 24. He then won the 2001 Masters, making him the only player to hold all four major titles at the same time, an achievement now known as the “Tiger Slam.” He added two more majors in 2002, and by the end of that season he had 12 major titles in just six full professional seasons.
Slump, Comebacks, and Resurgence (2003–2010)
After 2002, Woods entered a relative slump, winning no majors in 2003 or 2004 and losing the No. 1 ranking to Vijay Singh in September 2004. He rebounded in 2005 with six Tour wins and reclaimed the top spot, then produced another dominant stretch in 2006 and 2007, reaching 12 majors by the end of 2006.
In 2008, Woods won the U.S. Open in a dramatic sudden-death playoff over Rocco Mediate at Torrey Pines while playing on a stress-fractured left knee, calling it “my greatest ever championship.” He then took time off for knee surgery. In late 2009, reports of marital infidelity led Woods to take an indefinite break from golf, and several of his major sponsors, including Gatorade and Accenture, ended their partnerships with him. He returned to competition in April 2010 at the Masters and finished tied for fourth.
2011 Car Crash and Later Career (2011–Present)
From 2011 to 2014, Woods dealt with injuries and inconsistent form, though he returned to the world No. 1 ranking between March 2013 and May 2014. Four back surgeries between 2014 and 2017 left him unable to compete regularly, and at one point he fell outside the top 1,000 in the world rankings. His comeback began with a victory at the 2018 Tour Championship, his first win in five years, and culminated in his fifth Masters title at the 2019 Masters, his 15th major championship.
On February 23, 2021, Woods was hospitalized after a single-car rollover crash in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, suffering compound fractures to his right leg and a shattered ankle. In a 2021 interview with Golf Digest, he said his full-time professional career was over, though he would continue to play selected events. He returned to the PGA Tour at the 2022 Masters and made a remarkable comeback at the 2022 PGA Championship, where he made the cut on a hobbled leg and received a standing ovation from the crowd at Southern Hills. He has since competed selectively while continuing rehabilitation.
Driving Style and Strengths
Woods built his game around elite iron play, creativity around the greens, and renowned poise under pressure. Although not always the longest or straightest driver, he became famous for clutch putting and an unmatched ability to close tournaments, with golf experts calling him “the greatest closer in history.” He has worked with several swing coaches, including Butch Harmon, Hank Haney, and Sean Foley, and since 2011 has used caddie Joe LaCava, a former looper for Fred Couples and Dustin Johnson.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among Woods’s milestone victories are his 1997 Masters win, the 2000 U.S. Open rout, his 2001 Masters title completing the “Tiger Slam,” and his 2019 Masters victory at age 43, capping a comeback from multiple back surgeries. He has also been part of American teams in the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup, including the winning 1999 Ryder Cup squad at Brookline.
Tiger Woods Career Wins
Tiger Woods has accumulated 82 official PGA Tour victories and 15 major championships, totals that place him among the most successful players in golf history. He is tied with Sam Snead for the all-time PGA Tour win record and trails only Jack Nicklaus in major championships. Beyond regular Tour events, he has also won 18 World Golf Championships, a record in that series.
PGA Tour and Major Highlights
Woods’s first Tour win came at the 1996 Las Vegas Invitational, and his first major came at the 1997 Masters, which he won by a then-record 12 strokes. His most recent major victory came at the 2019 Masters, his fifth green jacket, while his most recent Tour win came at the 2023 Zozo Championship in Japan, tying Snead’s all-time record of 82 PGA Tour victories.
Other Wins and Performances
Woods has represented the United States in multiple Ryder Cups and Presidents Cups, contributing to several team victories, including the 1999 Ryder Cup “Battle of Brookline.” He has also won the 2000 and 2001 Laureus World Sportsman of the Year awards and was named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year a record-tying four times.
Tiger Woods Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Woods is the son of Earl Woods, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and former college baseball player who introduced him to golf as a toddler, and Kultida “Tida” Woods, a Thai-born immigrant. His mixed African American, Native American, Chinese, Dutch, and Thai heritage has been widely noted, and he has spoken about how Buddhism, taught by his mother, shaped his discipline and focus during his early career.
Personal Life
Woods married Swedish model Elin Nordegren in 2004, and the couple had a daughter, Sam Alexis, in 2007 and a son, Charlie Axel, in 2009 before divorcing in 2010 following widely publicized reports of infidelity. Woods has since kept his personal life largely private, and his children, particularly his son Charlie, have appeared at junior golf events and the 2022 PNC Championship, drawing significant media attention.
2025 Season Performance
Entering 2025, Woods continues his selective schedule on the PGA Tour, focusing on majors and a handful of events consistent with his post-crash recovery. He has played in select tournaments, including his usual appearances at the Genesis Invitational, which he hosts, and the Masters. At the 2025 Masters at Augusta National, Woods made the cut, becoming only the second player in tournament history to make 24 consecutive cuts at the event, but he finished well off the lead and did not contend for the green jacket.
Outside of his playing role, Woods remains active with the TGR Foundation, which he founded in 1996 with his father to support youth education and golf access. In February 2024, he parted ways with Nike after 27 years and in 2024 launched his own apparel line, “Sun Day Red,” in partnership with TaylorMade. He is also developing course design projects and pursuing a memoir, with his long-term focus now on selective competition, business ventures, and philanthropy.