Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods, Golf Prodigy

Eldrick TontWoods, nicknamed Tiger, is one of the world’s highest paid athletes. The professional golfer from the United States turned pro in 1996. He won his first major game the following year and remained a dominant force in professional golf until late in 2010.

His father, Earl, of Native American and African-American descent with a bit of Chinese ancestry thrown in, was a Vietnam War veteran and a retired Army officer. His mother, Katilda, was of Dutch, Thai and Chinese descent. His nickname, Tiger, was given to him by his father, after Colonel Vuong Dang Phong, his father’s friend who holds that nickname. Tiger was introduced to golf by his father when he was barely two and there was no stopping the child prodigy, who started winning several junior tournaments before he turned 12.

Tiger Woods entered Stanford University on a golf scholarship but left school after two years to turn professional. He has a total of 101 professional wins, including four Masters, three U.S. Open titles, three Open Championship titles and four PGA Tournament titles. Accolades, endorsements, numerous awards and trophies were awarded to Tiger Woods. He lost his form for a while and sank to a low rank of 58 by November 2011, but as they say, it is difficult to put a Tiger down. He’s  now almost back to his old form, achieving the number 3 rank by November 25, 2012.