Tiger Woods: Biography of the Greatest Golfer In The World
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VOICE OVER: Rebecca Brayton
Eldrick Tont Woods was born on December 30th, 1975 in Cypress, California. The nickname of “Tiger” pays tribute to a South Vietnamese officer who had saved his father's life during the Vietnam War. Growing up in Orange County, Tiger was introduced to golf before he was even two years old. Tiger first came under the media spotlight at age 3, when he putted against comedian Bob Hope on daytime television, before quickly becoming world recognized for his unparalleled talent and personal exploits. Join http://www.Watchmojo.com as we explore the career of Tiger Woods.
Tiger Woods: Biography of the Greatest Golfer In The World
This child prodigy became the world’s greatest golfer, and the highest-paid professional athlete of all time. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’ll be taking a look at the life and career of Tiger Woods.
Eldrick Tont Woods was born December 30th, 1975 in Cypress, California, and was brought up in Orange County. His father nicknamed him “Tiger” in honor of a Vietnamese Army pilot with whom he had served.
Tiger was raised Buddhist, and this instilled him with self-discipline early on. Before he even reached age two, his father introduced him to golf. By 1978, Tiger’s golf talent placed him in the media spotlight: that year, he played against comedian Bob Hope on daytime television.
By age five, Woods’ skills earned him appearances in Golf Digest and on ABC’s program “That’s Incredible.” Before his seventh birthday, he competed in an Under-10 Pitch, Putt and Drive competition, and won. He continued winning numerous other events, before he beat his father when he was only eleven.
In 1994, he earned a golf scholarship to Stanford University. After two years and several more amateur golf wins, Woods finally went pro in 1996.
It wasn’t long before he scored several record-breaking endorsement deals, including a $40 million payday from Nike. In addition, he was named PGA Tour Rookie of the Year and Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year for 1996. The rising star also started donning a red shirt for the last round of competitions, as he considered the color a sign of forcefulness and aggression.
That year, he established the first of his many charitable organizations: The Tiger Woods Foundation was created to improve the lives of American children.
In 1997 at age 21, Tiger Woods became the youngest ever winner of The Masters with a record score of 18-under-par. Not only that, he was also the tournament’s first African-American and Asian-American winner.
After only 42 weeks as a pro, Woods took the top spot on the Official World Golf Rankings. This was the fastest rise to number one in the sport’s history.
In 1999, he began one of the longest win streaks in golf when he dominated four consecutive events to end the year.
In 2000, Woods cleaned up at the British Open, the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship, and in 2001 he won The Masters. This was later nicknamed a “Tiger Slam,” despite the fact that an official Grand Slam required the completion of all four events within the same calendar year.
Woods then failed to win a major between 2003 and 2004. After 264 consecutive weeks as the world’s top golfer, he lost the title to Vijay Singh. Some blamed this slump on Woods’ rocky relationship with his coach, whom he later replaced, or his engagement and marriage to Elin Nordegren.
He was also making major changes to his swing to reduce wear on his left knee, which he had previously had surgically repaired.
By 2005, Tiger reclaimed his spot at the top of the game. However, the next year he failed to defend his Masters title against Phil Mickelson. Woods then took a personal hiatus after his father passed away following a bout with prostate cancer. He returned to dominance at the 2006 Open Championship and dedicated that win to his father.
After a few more years of success, Woods underwent reconstructive ligament surgery on his left knee, and was sat out the second half of the season. Without Tiger, PGA Tour ratings fell almost 47 per cent from the previous year.
At the end of 2009, Woods’ personal life took center stage when accusations of marital infidelity surfaced. After issuing a public apology, he pulled out of competitive golf while his marriage disintegrated. Woods was abandoned by four major sponsors, so to rebuild his brand; Tiger participated in an ad campaign that featured the voice of his father. Not surprisingly, Woods also experienced his longest PGA drought, which finally ended when he won the last event of 2011.
Despite recent controversy, Woods remains the world’s highest-paid athlete and he continues to impress with his focus on an excellent all-around game. There is no doubt that Tiger Woods has left a major impact on the world of golf.
This child prodigy became the world’s greatest golfer, and the highest-paid professional athlete of all time. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’ll be taking a look at the life and career of Tiger Woods.
Eldrick Tont Woods was born December 30th, 1975 in Cypress, California, and was brought up in Orange County. His father nicknamed him “Tiger” in honor of a Vietnamese Army pilot with whom he had served.
Tiger was raised Buddhist, and this instilled him with self-discipline early on. Before he even reached age two, his father introduced him to golf. By 1978, Tiger’s golf talent placed him in the media spotlight: that year, he played against comedian Bob Hope on daytime television.
By age five, Woods’ skills earned him appearances in Golf Digest and on ABC’s program “That’s Incredible.” Before his seventh birthday, he competed in an Under-10 Pitch, Putt and Drive competition, and won. He continued winning numerous other events, before he beat his father when he was only eleven.
In 1994, he earned a golf scholarship to Stanford University. After two years and several more amateur golf wins, Woods finally went pro in 1996.
It wasn’t long before he scored several record-breaking endorsement deals, including a $40 million payday from Nike. In addition, he was named PGA Tour Rookie of the Year and Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year for 1996. The rising star also started donning a red shirt for the last round of competitions, as he considered the color a sign of forcefulness and aggression.
That year, he established the first of his many charitable organizations: The Tiger Woods Foundation was created to improve the lives of American children.
In 1997 at age 21, Tiger Woods became the youngest ever winner of The Masters with a record score of 18-under-par. Not only that, he was also the tournament’s first African-American and Asian-American winner.
After only 42 weeks as a pro, Woods took the top spot on the Official World Golf Rankings. This was the fastest rise to number one in the sport’s history.
In 1999, he began one of the longest win streaks in golf when he dominated four consecutive events to end the year.
In 2000, Woods cleaned up at the British Open, the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship, and in 2001 he won The Masters. This was later nicknamed a “Tiger Slam,” despite the fact that an official Grand Slam required the completion of all four events within the same calendar year.
Woods then failed to win a major between 2003 and 2004. After 264 consecutive weeks as the world’s top golfer, he lost the title to Vijay Singh. Some blamed this slump on Woods’ rocky relationship with his coach, whom he later replaced, or his engagement and marriage to Elin Nordegren.
He was also making major changes to his swing to reduce wear on his left knee, which he had previously had surgically repaired.
By 2005, Tiger reclaimed his spot at the top of the game. However, the next year he failed to defend his Masters title against Phil Mickelson. Woods then took a personal hiatus after his father passed away following a bout with prostate cancer. He returned to dominance at the 2006 Open Championship and dedicated that win to his father.
After a few more years of success, Woods underwent reconstructive ligament surgery on his left knee, and was sat out the second half of the season. Without Tiger, PGA Tour ratings fell almost 47 per cent from the previous year.
At the end of 2009, Woods’ personal life took center stage when accusations of marital infidelity surfaced. After issuing a public apology, he pulled out of competitive golf while his marriage disintegrated. Woods was abandoned by four major sponsors, so to rebuild his brand; Tiger participated in an ad campaign that featured the voice of his father. Not surprisingly, Woods also experienced his longest PGA drought, which finally ended when he won the last event of 2011.
Despite recent controversy, Woods remains the world’s highest-paid athlete and he continues to impress with his focus on an excellent all-around game. There is no doubt that Tiger Woods has left a major impact on the world of golf.
