TIGER WOODS

Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods

African American golfer who, by his mid-twenties, had become one of the greatest players of all time. Tiger Woods already possesses one of the best records in professional golf history. In his first five years as a professional, Woods won thirty-nine Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) tournaments, making him one of the top players of all time. His $33,103,852 total earnings at PGA events through 2002 made him the top all-time money winner in professional golf. Woods's success opened many African American youths' eyes to the sport of golf, a traditionally white sport.

Eldrick “Tiger” Woods was born on December 30, 1975, to Earl and Kultida Woods. His father was a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, and his mother was a native of Thailand. Woods's nickname, “Tiger,” came from a friend of his father's who served with Earl Woods in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. (Andrisani, 1997)

Tiger showed an interest in golf at an early age, when, as just a toddler, he imitated his father's golf swing. By the time he turned two years old, Woods began to receive attention for his skill on the golf course. In 1978, he appeared on the Mike Douglas Show, where he putted with comedian Bob Hope. Three years later, Tiger was featured on the show That's Incredible. (Andrisani, 1997)

Woods's media exposure continued to grow as he continued to play and win golf tournaments. By the time he turned seventeen years old, he had won the Optimist International Junior World Championship six times, the Southern California Junior Championship, and the CIF-SCGA High School Invitational Championship. Woods also became the youngest person ever to win the Insurance Youth Golf Classic and U.S. Junior Amateur Championship. H S. Junior Amateur Championship a record two more times, and the U.S. Amateur a record three successive times.

Woods's accomplishments brought many awards. Golf Digest named him its player of the year twice. He was also named the Golf World Player of the Year three times, and in 1993, he won the Dial Award, given annually to the top male athlete in the nation. That same year, the seventeen-year-old Woods accepted a scholarship to play golf for Stanford University. (Clary, 1997)

While at Stanford, Woods continued to dominate the world of amateur golf. As a freshman, he won the Stanford Invitational as well as his second of three consecutive U.S. Amateur Championships, and he tied for fifth at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championship. Awards of recognition soon followed, including the Pac-10 Player of the Year, First Team All-American, and Stanford's Male Freshman of the Year.

Woods grew up in Orange shire, California. He was a child prodigy, introduced to golf before the age of two years, his father Earl sport, it was a good golfer standard fans and one of the first black players in baseball at the University of Kansas State University. In 1978, Tiger putt against comedian Bob Hope in a television appearance on the Mike Douglas ...