Tiger Woods - One of the greatest golfers!
It’s no surprise that Tiger Woods is considered to be one of the greatest and most successful golfers of all time. When he was only 29 years old (in 2005), he won his tenth major golf championship which put him right on the all-time list behind prestigious golfers Jack Nicklaus and Walter Hagen. He has won the PGA tour more times than any other active golfer.
Eldrick T. Tiger Woods was born in Cypress, California on December 30, 1975. His father is a Vietnam war veteran and a retired US Army colonel. His mother is also of a mixed ancestry like his father which makes him Chinese, Thai, Black, Native American and Dutch. His mixed race is credited for creating a major interest in golf among young people and racial minorities in the United States.
Tiger Woods began playing golf at three years old. When he was only 8 years old, he already won the Junior World Championships six times. He won US Junior Amateur titles in 1991, 1992 and 1993 and in 1994, he won his first US Amateur win. His five USGA Championships before he reached 20 years of age qualify him to be considered as having the greatest under-20 golf career of all time. Tiger Woods attended Stanford University but only for a short time. He left after two years to pursue his professional golf career.
Tiger Woods played his first round of professional golf in August 1996 at the Greater Milwaukee Open. That year, he was also named Sports Illustrated “Sportsman of the Year” because of the unbelievable impact he had on the game of golf. In the summer of 1997, he rose to the top of the Official World Golf Rankings for the first time. From 1997 to 2005, he’s won the Masters game multiple times, the US open twice, the British open twice, the US PGA twice and has been named the PGA Tour Player of the Year every year except 2004. Tiger Woods also won the “World Sportsman of the Year” award in 2000 and 2001 and was named Sports Illustrated “Sportsman of the Year” again in 2000. Many say that all of his accomplishments, all before the age of 30, qualify him to be considered the greatest golfer of all time.
A little tidbit about Tiger Woods that many may not be aware of is that he always wears a red shirt on the final round of every tournament that he plays. He does this because according to his mother’s Thai heritage, the color red is a symbol of power.
Tiger Woods also has established several charities and youth projects which he is extremely proud and content with. They are the Tiger Woods Foundation which focuses on projects for children. There is the Tiger Woods Learning Center, which is a center for youth. In the City Golf Clinics and Festivals in which cities that choose to participate in these three-day festivals are selected among a formal bid process. Tiger Jam, which is an annual fundraising event that features music performances. Another is Target World Challenge which is another charity golf tournament. Finally the Tiger Woods Foundation National Junior Golf Team which is a team made up of eighteen members which compete in the Junior World Golf Championships.
Tiger Woods married Elin Nordegren on October 5, 2004 and they live in a suburb of sunny Orlando, Florida and also have homes in Wyoming, California and Sweden when they are looking for a little privacy.