Tiger Woods

Eldrick "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer who is widely considered to be one of the greatest players of all time. 

Woods is tied for first in PGA Tour wins alongside Sam Snead with 82 victories. 

He has won 15 major championships, which is second  to Jack Nicklaus who has claimed 18. 

Those major victories are made up of:

• Masters: 1997, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2019
• PGA Championship: 1999, 200, 2006, 2007
• U.S. Open: 2000, 2002, 2008
• The Open Championship: 2000, 2005, 2006

Woods has also won 41 times on the European Tour and holds numerous golf records following his outstanding junior, college and amateur golf career. 

Early career

He turned professional in 1996 at the age of 20. This was also when he signed with Nike. 

Woods left the swoosh in December 2023 and created his own line called Sun Day Red in partnership with TaylorMade 

As of 2024, Forbes estimated that Woods' net worth had reached $1.3bn. 

Parents

Woods was born on 30 December 1975 to Earl and Kultida "Tida" Woods. 

Woods is an only child but he has two half-brothers and a half-sister from his father's first marriage. 

His father Earl was a U.S. Army officer and a veteran of the Vietnam war. He died on 3 May 2006. 

Earl was in love with the game of golf and took a massive interest in his son's career. 

In 1978, Tiger made his first television appearance on The Mike Douglas Show.

Woods grew up in the Orange County area of California.

He was heavily recruited by colleges such was his precocious talent and eventually chose to attend Stanford University. 

Woods had an outstanding record in college and won 11 tournaments in two years. 

He turned professional aged 20 and immediately signed deals with Nike and Titleist. 

First PGA Tour season

He won the PGA Tour Rookie of The Year honour in his first season. 

In 1997 Woods won his first ever Masters in record-breaking fashion, beating Tom Kite by 12 strokes at Augusta National. 

The rest is history and Woods dominated the sport from the late 90s until 2007 when his injury troubles began. 

Woods' life has been affected by troubles off the course too. 

Woods married Swedish model and nanny Elin Nordegren in 2004. 

The pair met at the 2001 Open Championship and were introduced by golfer Jesper Parnevik. 

The couple have two children together. Samantha Woods was born on 18 June 2007. Charlie Woods was born on 8 February 2009. 

Samantha inducted Tiger into the World Golf Hall of Fame in March 2022. 

Controversy

Woods' life spiralled out of control in 2009 when the National Enquirer published a story claiming he had an affair with nightclub manager Rachel Uchitel. 

Two days later Woods was driving his Cadillac Escalade SUV when he collided with a fire hydrant in the early hours of the morning. 

He was treated for minor injuries but called the incident a private matter. 

It later emerged his wife Elin was chasing him out of their mansion after learning of his extramarital affair. 

Woods later admitted to his infidelity and apologised.

Divorce

Woods and Nordegren divorced in August 2010 after six years of marriage. 

He later dated Olympic gold medal skier Lindsey Vonn and also stylist Kristin Smith. 

In 2017, he began dating Erica Herman. They split in November 2023. 

Woods was also arrested in on 29 May 2017 near his home in Jupiter Florida at around 3am. 

He was found asleep behind the wheel. Tests showed he had a number of substances in his blood, including Vicodin, Dilaudid, Xanax, Ambien and the active ingredient in marijuana THC. 

Woods pleaded guilty to reckless driving, was fined $250 and ordered to undergo 50 hours of community service. 

Car crash

On 23 February 2021, Woods crashed his Genesis SUV in Rancho Palos Verdes in California. 

Woods was the only person in the vehicle and he sustained multiple leg injuries. 

Woods later said there was a 50 per cent chance his right leg could have been amputated. 

Return to golf

There was speculation that his career was over but Woods made his return to professional golf at the 2022 Masters.

He made the cut but finished 13-over par. 

Other ventures

In 2023, Woods was also announced as a co-founder of TMRW Sports alongside Rory McIlroy and former NBC sports executive Mike McCarley. 

TMRW Sports announced their first project - called TGL - in October. 

TGL is a tech-fused golf league and it will broadcast in 2025 on ESPN. 

Charity work

Woods also plays an active role in the TGR Foundation which he launched with his father in 1996. 

The TGR Foundation creates and support community-based programs that improve the health, education and welfare of all children in America.