Tiger Woods is perhaps the world’s best-known professional golfer and he has enjoyed one of the most decorated careers in the history of the sport. In addition to his success on the course, Woods became a household name thanks to his endorsement of Electronic Arts’ Tiger Woods PGA Tour video game series, as well as deals with brands like Gillette and Gatorade.
Today, Woods enjoys a varied career and immense wealth that give him the freedom to pursue many different interests.
Tiger Woods: Early Life, Education, and Relationships
Tiger Woods was born on 30th December 1975 in the Californian city of Cypress. His parents, Earl and Kutilda Woods gave him the name Eldrick Tont Woods, but he quickly acquired the nickname Tiger which was in honour of his father’s friend.
Earl Woods was an African American who had served as an officer for the US Army in Vietnam, but had retired by the time Woods was born. Kutilda was originally from Thailand but has mixed ancestry giving her links to Thailand, China, and the Netherlands. Tiger is the pair’s only offspring, but Tiger has two half-brothers and a half-sister on his father’s side.
In 2004, Woods married Elin Nordegren, a Swedish model who moved to the US to work as a nanny for the professional golfer Jasper Parnevik and his wife Mia. It was through the Parneviks that Nordegren was introduced to Woods. Their wedding, which took place at the Sandy Lane golf resort in Barbados, reportedly cost around $2 million. The pair later divorced in 2010 after nearly 12 months of public speculation about the state of their relationship.
Tiger Woods: Golfing Career
Woods has spent his entire life playing golf, following in the footsteps of his father who was a talented amateur golfer. Earl’s military service granted him the right to play at the Los Alamitos Navy golf course, a privilege that was also extended to Tiger.
At just 18, Woods became the only three-time winner of the US Junior Amateur golf tournament, and in 1994 he became the youngest winner of the US Amateur Championship, a record he held for 14 years.
He turned professional in August 1996 and won his first major tournament just seven months later at the Masters, becoming the youngest winner in the tournament’s history. He became the world number one by June 1997.
In 2019, Woods won his fifth Masters Tournament, his 15th major championship overall, and in 2021 he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Tiger Woods: Hobbies and Interests
Just like many other professional athletes, Tiger Woods has a diverse set of interests, several of which are athletic in nature. He regularly enjoys playing a wide range of sports, including soccer, basketball, and diving.
Woods has also been spotted in Vegas casinos on numerous occasions, having a flutter at the blackjack tables, and sometimes with other big-name sports stars like the basketballer Charles Barkley and the professional poker player Phil Hellmuth. Blackjack is one of the most popular card games on the planet, thanks in part to the fact that there are many variants tailored to different types of players. The game’s appeal also lies in its strategic element which requires you to assess the odds of what the next card out of the shoe will be, especially in versions that have the 21+3 side bet which contain two completely separate wagering mechanics. Woods’ ability to be strategic and think under pressure on the golf course are skills directly transferable to blackjack, so it’s unsurprising that he’s been spotted playing the popular card game.
Above all, though, Woods’ primary passion is golf. In recent years, his presence at professional tournaments has been more limited. This has been because of a number of reasons, including his 2021 car crash that left him out of action for several months.
However, he continues to be heavily involved in the sport. He has published several books about golf and his career, including How I Play Golf and The 1997 Masters: My Story. He’s also founded a golf course design business called Tiger Woods Design that has designed several courses in the US and the United Arab Emirates.
Leave a Reply