When you think of iconic golfers, who comes to mind? While individual preferences surely vary, one name always rises to the top: Tiger Woods.
Talented, hard working, and tenacious, Tiger Woods has managed to succeed, and come back from what often seemed insurmountable difficulties — beyond most sports observers' wildest expectations.
Because we admire him greatly, and since we think his story is fascinating, we’ve gathered some interesting facts about Tiger that you might not know.
The Early Years
Without a doubt: Tiger Woods was a child prodigy, destined for greatness.
His birth name is actually “Eldrick” He was nicknamed “Tiger” to honor a friend of his father — who was a Colonel in South Vietnam.
Tiger’s father Earl was an amateur player who taught his son to play golf before the age of two.
Tiger first beat his dad at a game of golf when he was only 11-years-old, even though his dad insists he was giving it his all. From that point on: His father was never able to beat Tiger’s score again.
Remarkably, Tiger turned pro at the age of twenty. And just a year later, he’d won 3 PGA tours as well as a Masters. That same year, Tiger became the top ranking golfer in the world.
Goal Focused
According to Steve Williams — who was Wood’s caddie for many years — Tiger never looked at the prize money sheet at a PGA tour. Not even once.
His focus was always on winning, and breaking records, never on money.
Setbacks and Comebacks
In early 2010, at the height of his career, Tiger took an extended break from professional golf to concentrate on rebuilding his marriage — which eventually culminated in divorce.
In late 2011, he fell to #58 in world rankings. However, by 2013— true to Tiger’s innate determination — he’d made an amazing comeback to the #1 status.
Then following multiple injuries, back surgeries and limited competitions, Tiger found himself no longer listed in the top 1,000 golfers of the world.
But his star rose again in 2018 and 2019 with both Tour and Masters wins. Fans were thrilled to see another example of Tiger’s amazing comeback ability and cheered him on with overwhelming enthusiasm.
Tragically, after a serious car accident in 2021, Tiger announced he’d be ending his full time professional golf career and, going forward, would only play a few events per year. However, many fans speculate another comeback might be in his future.
Charitable Legacy
In 1996, Tiger had the foresight to launch the TGR Foundation for inner city children with the goal of helping kids excel at their dreams.
Although Woods has stepped back from the sport on a professional level, the foundation has allowed Tiger the continued opportunity to extend his legacy of talent, dedication and success to future generations.
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“Tiger Woods is not an endorser, sponsor or promoter IBKUL products, and IBKUL makes no claim nor shall it be inferred that Tiger Woods uses IBKUL products. This blog is for informational purposes only.”
