Tiger Woods is an American professional golfer having many “superlatives” up his sleeves. He is one of the most successful golfers of all time, and the highest-paid professional athlete in the United States and the world. He is the second highest winner of professional major golf championships, next to Jack Nicklaus, and has the most career major wins and career PGA Tour wins among active golfers of the present time. As the highest paid golfer, he is said to have earned 90.5 million US dollars from earnings and endorsements. The Forbes magazine, however, has estimated that the golfer’s net worth in 2009 was 600 million US dollars, making him as the second richest Afro-American next to American actress and TV talk show host Oprah Winfrey. The last title he won for 2011 was the Chevron World Challenge, but since September 2009 he has remained winless on the PGA Tour.
Family, Early Life and Amateur Golfing Career. Tiger Woods was born Eldrick Tont Woods on December 30, 1975 to Earl Woods and Kultida Punsawad. Earl was a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army and a veteran of the Vietnam War. He met Multiday in 1968 during his tour of duty in Thailand. Tiger’s first name Eldrick was coined by his mother to have the “E” in Earl and “k” in Kultida represented. He was nicknamed Tiger in honor of his father’s friend Colonel Vuong Dang Phong, who used to be called also as Tiger. At the young age of three he was already playing golf at the Cypress Navy Course. After winning the boys’ event at the Junior World Golf Championship in 1984, he went on to win the same championship six times including those from 1988 to 1991. While a student at the Western High School in Anaheim, California, he became the youngest ever U.S. Junior Golf Champion. By 1993, he had already on his third U.S. Junior Amateur Golf Championship title. He graduated from high school at 18 and was voted the “most likely to succeed” among his fellow graduates.
Professional Career. Two years from high school, he became a professional golfer, signing lucrative endorsement contracts with Nike, Inc. and Titleist. In 1997 he rose to number one position in the official world golf rankings after winning the Master’s—his first major win. In 1999, he raked up eight wins including the PGA, the first feat since 1974, and duplicated it in 2000 by registering six consecutive wins, which was considered as the longest winning streak since 1948. Winless in 2003 to 2004, he was overtaken by Vijay Singh of Fiji in the world golf rankings but only to rebound in 2005 by winning six PGA Tour events and reclaim the top position in the rankings. Upon the death of his father in 2006, he took a 9-week leave from competitive golf but managed to end the year with six consecutive wins of the Tour. After winning the 2008 U.S. Open, his knee injury worsened to force his temporary leave from golf.
Marital Infidelity Issue, Divorce. IN 2009, his marital infidelity issue surfaced, resulting later in a divorce with wife Elin Nordegren, a former Swedish model, with whom he has two children. With his failure to win a major event in 2009, his world ranking continued to slide down. His winning a third place at the Emirates Australian Open in August 2011 and a victory at the Chevron World Challenge in December 2011 broke his winless streak and stand to improve his world ranking in golf.
Related articles:
