Tiger Woods celebrates his 50th birthday. We look back at a professional career that will remain nearly unreachable.
Eldrick Tont Woods was born on December 30, 1975, in Cypress, California, to Kultida Woods, originally from Thailand, and U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Earl Woods. Nicknamed \”Tiger\” by his father in honor of a fellow Vietnam War comrade, Woods grew up on the U.S. West Coast near Los Angeles with two half-brothers and a half-sister. At just six months old, the young Tiger was already mimicking his father’s golf swings and was invited as a golf prodigy on the Mike Douglas Show shortly before his second birthday, demonstrating golf swings and putts alongside his father and comedian Bob Hope.
From College Star to Amateur Champion
Tiger Woods first tasted success at eight years old by winning the Junior World Golf Championship in 1984. He continued capturing junior amateur titles leading up to his 1994 NCAA championship win at Stanford University, where he studied economics, gaining nationwide recognition. Woods turned professional in August 1996, signing some of the most lucrative golf endorsement deals in history, including a $40 million contract with Nike. In his debut season, he won two tournaments and qualified for the Tour Championship. Following that season, Sports Illustrated named him \”Sportsman of the Year,\” and the PGA Tour honored him as Rookie of the Year.
Woods claimed his first major victory in 1997 by winning the Masters Tournament at Augusta National with a score of 18 under par and a record 12-stroke lead, becoming the first African American Masters champion in an otherwise predominantly white professional golf arena. In June 1997, only 42 weeks after turning pro and securing additional victories, he achieved world No. 1 status for the first time.
