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Eldrick Tont (Tiger) Woods is an American golfer, widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. In 2005, at the age of 29, he won his 10th major golf championship, placing him third on the all-time list behind Jack Nicklaus and Walter Hagen. He has more wins on the PGA Tour than any other active golfer. Woods, who is of mixed race, is credited with prompting a major surge of interest in the game of golf among minorities and young people in the United States.

Tiger Woods Biography

Name : Tiger Woods

Birth Date : Dec 30, 1975

Birth Place : Cypress, California

Height : 6' 2

Weight : 180 lbs.

Full name : Eldrick 'Tiger' Woods

Profession : Professional Golfer

Best Known As : Dominating pro golfer and Nike celebrity

Wife : Elin Nordegren, aformer Swedish nanny

Tiger Woods Trivia

Woods collected his first strokeplay title of a difficult year when he stormed to an 8-shot victory at the Dunlop Phoenix tournament. His triumph signalled a welcome return to form, after his 5 years reign as world no. 1 was ended by Fiji's Vijai Singh.

Tiger Woods Detailed Biography

Record breaking pro golfer Eldrick 'Tiger' Woods was born on the 30th of December, 1975, the only child to parents Earl, retired lieutenant, and Kultida, of Thai descent. Earl Woods gave his son Eldrick the nickname 'Tiger', after a soldier and friend of his father who was also nicknamed Tiger in his days as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army. Tiger grew up in Cypress, California, where his future passion and talent was foreshadowed while he was only a baby. Tiger would watch his father hit golf balls and would mimic his father's swing while still in his crib. Even before becoming a graduate from Western High School in Anaheim, California, Tiger was appearing on television and winning golf tournaments. At the mere age of 2, Tiger played with comedian and golfer Bob Hope on a national televisor, the Mike Douglas Show. He was featured in Golf Digest at age 5, after having already succeeded in shooting 48 for nine holes while the same children his age were still playing with building blocks.

A six-time winner at the Optimist International Junior Tournament, Tiger won at the ages of 8 and 9, and consecutively from ages 12 to 15. While a student at Stanford University, Tiger won 10 collegiate events and held the NCAA title. Before his years at Stanford, Tiger had already played in a professional tournament when he was 16 years old, the Nissan Los Angeles Open in 1992. One year later, he participated in three PGA Tour events and in 1994, Tiger placed 34th in the 1994 Johnnie Walker Asian Classic in Thailand and appeared in three more PGA Tours that same year. After having won the 1994 Western Amateur and representing the United States in the 1994 World Amateur Team Championships in France and the 1995 Walker Cup Match in Wales, Tiger was ready for his first major championships in 1995 -- the Masters and The British Open. Tiger couldn't play in the US Open that year because he injured his wrist.

Even as an amateur in 1995 and 1996, Tiger was making and breaking records and it was for this reason (among many others) that he was named Sports Illustrated's 1996 Sportsman of the Year. In 1997, Tiger won the first Mercedes Championships of the season, the Masters and four PGA events. Tiger became the leading money winner, winning $2,440,831. Among the records Tiger has broken are:

In 1997, the youngest ever No.1 golfer at age 21, 24 weeks.
In 1999 alone, Tiger won 81.7 percent more than the runner up during the PGA Tour.
In 1999, he had as many as 8 victories in one year.
In 1999, he achieved the highest point average (20.61) in the history of the World Ranking.
In 1999, earned a record setting 750 points.
In 1999, achieved the lowest ever adjusted scoring average of 68.43 strokes.

Legendary Shots

The following are generally regarded to be the most memorable shots from the career of Tiger Woods.

2005 Masters - Augusta National Golf Club - final round - 16th hole - wedge - chip in from 30 feet, behind green down steep slope 2003 Buick Invitational - Torrey Pines South - final round - 15th hole - 4-iron - 203 yards under branches over bunkers to green 2002 PGA Championship - Hazeltine National Golf Club - second round - 18th hole - 3-iron - 202 yard carry over tall trees from fairway bunker 2001 Players Championship - TPC at Sawgrass - third round - 17th hole - putter - 60 foot downhill putt on famous island green; eventually won by 1 stroke. Known as the "better than most" putt due to NBC announcer Gary Koch initially proclaiming the putt as merely "better than most," and then repeating the phrase more excitedly as the ball wound its way towards the hole.

2000 PGA Championship - Valhalla Golf Club - final round - 18th hole - putter - 6 foot putt to force playoff and later win 2000 Bell Canadian Open - Glen Abbey Golf Club - final round - 18th hole - 6-iron - 218 yards from bunker over a large pond to 18 feet to win tournament 2000 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am - Pebble Beach - final round - 15th hole - wedge - holed out from 97 yards to eventually win from 7 down with 7 to play 1997 Grand Slam of Golf - Poipu Bay Golf Course - final round - 16th hole - sand wedge - blast from buried wet downhill lie through grass embankment onto green 1997 Masters - Augusta National Golf Club - first round - 12th hole - 9-iron - chip in from behind green 1997 Phoenix Open - TPC of Scottsdale - third round - 16th hole - 9-iron - ace from 155 yards 1996 U.S. Amateur - Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club - final round - 11th hole - putter - 35 foot eagle putt while 2-down with 8 to play

Major championships

Woods' major championship victories are as follows:

The Masters (1997, 2001, 2002, 2005) US Open (2000, 2002) The Open Championship (sometimes referred to as the "British Open") (2000, 2005) PGA Championship (1999, 2000) THE PLAYERS Championship (2001) (golf's unoffical "5th" Major) With his victory in The Masters in 2001, Tiger became the only player ever to hold all four professional majors at once (although this did not occur in a calendar year, and is therefore not recognized by some as a true Grand Slam). The achievement has been nicknamed "The Tiger Slam".

Woods holds at least a share of the record for lowest 72-hole score in relation to par in all four majors, and at least a share of the low-72 holes record in two of them. The "to par" and "low 72-holes" records are not always the same because, while most championship golf course have a par of 72, or 288 for four rounds, some have a par of 71 or 70:

The Masters: -18 (270), 1997 (outright to-par and low 72 holes record) US Open: -12 (272), 2000 (outright to par record) Woods shares the low 72-holes record with Jack Nicklaus, Lee Janzen, and Jim Furyk. The Open Championship: -19 (269), 2000 (outright to-par record) Greg Norman holds the low 72-holes record at 267. PGA Championship: -18 (270), 2000 (to-par record shared with Bob May) David Toms holds the low 72-holes record at 265. The above performances have also given him the record for victory margin in two majors:

The Masters: 12 strokes, 1997 US Open: 15 strokes, 2000 (record for all majors) Woods is one of the few players to have finished in the Top 5 and Top 10 in All 4 Majors in a year. He has done this twice, first in 2000 and then in 2005.

Including Woods' three U.S. Amateur Championship wins, he and Bobby Jones are the only golfers to win thirteen total majors before age 30.

PGA tour wins

1996 (2) Las Vegas Invitational, Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic 1997 (4) Mercedes Championships, The Masters, GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic, Motorola Western Open 1998 (1) BellSouth Classic 1999 (8) Buick Invitational, Memorial Tournament, Motorola Western Open, PGA Championship, WGC-NEC Invitational, National Car Rental Golf Classic/Disney, The Tour Championship, WGC-American Express Championship 2000 (9) Mercedes Championships, AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Bay Hill Invitational, Memorial Tournament, U.S. Open, The Open Championship, PGA Championship, WGC-NEC Invitational, Bell Canadian Open 2001 (5) Bay Hill Invitational, THE PLAYERS Championship, The Masters, Memorial Tournament, WGC-NEC Invitational 2002 (5) Bay Hill Invitational presented by Cooper Tires, The Masters, U.S. Open, Buick Open, WGC-American Express Championship

2003 (5) Buick Invitational, WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, Bay Hill Invitational presented by Cooper Tires, 100th Western Open presented by Golf Digest, WGC-American Express Championship 2004 (1) WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship 2005 (6) Buick Invitational, Ford Championship at Doral, The Masters, The Open Championship, WGC-NEC Invitational, WGC-American Express Championship 2006 (2) Buick Invitational, Ford Championship at Doral

Other professional wins 1997 Asian Honda Classic (Asian Tour) 1998 Johnnie Walker Classic (co-sanctioned by Asian Tour and European Tour), PGA Grand Slam of Golf (United States - unofficial event) 1999 Deutsche Bank Open-TPC of Europe (European Tour), World Cup of Golf: individual (unofficial event), World Cup of Golf: team (unofficial event - with Mark O'Meara), PGA Grand Slam of Golf (United States - unofficial event) 2000 Johnnie Walker Classic (co-sanctioned by Asian Tour and European Tour), World Cup of Golf: team (unofficial event - with David Duval), PGA Grand Slam of Golf (United States - unofficial event) 2001 Deutsche Bank-SAP Open TPC of Europe (European Tour), Williams World Challenge (United States - unofficial event), PGA Grand Slam of Golf (United States - unofficial event) 2002 Deutsche Bank-SAP Open TPC of Europe (European Tour), PGA Grand Slam of Golf (United States - unofficial event)

2004 Dunlop Phoenix (Japan Golf Tour), Target World Challenge (United States - unofficial event) 2005 Dunlop Phoenix (Japan Golf Tour), PGA Grand Slam of Golf (United States - unofficial event) 2006 Dubai Desert Classic (European Tour, won by playoff)

United States national team appearances

Amateur

Eisenhower Trophy: 1994

Walker Cup: 1995

Professional

Ryder Cup: 1997, 1999, 2002, 2004

Dunhill Cup: 1998

The Presidents Cup: 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005

WGC-World Cup: 1999, 2000, 2001

Woods' dad plays through his past

Fred Mitchell

March 28, 2006

It was not exactly "Tuesdays With Morrie" but more like "Saturdays With Earl" when I co-wrote the 1997 book "Playing Through" with Earl Woods.

Those sessions were no less profound and memorable coming from a determined and--well, let's face it--obstinate man who had served two tours of duty in Vietnam as a Green Beret and had retired as a lieutenant colonel. The father of the world's most renowned golfer is battling cancer these days, and his famous son, Tiger Woods, has taken detours from the PGA Tour to spend what may be precious few remaining days with him.

I recall spending countless hours listening to Earl Dennison Woods speak both on and off the record about his childhood (both parents died by the time he was 13), military duty, marriages, parenting, education, baseball, racism, love of Chicago and golf. On several occasions I visited his home on Teakwood Street in Cypress, Calif.

To begin our interviews, Earl would light a cigarette, stretch out on his sofa, close his eyes and transport his mind back to earlier years, often choking up with emotion. Then he would prop himself up, take a drag on his cigarette and rattle off a series of expletives, thinking that would somehow offset the emotional side he had revealed.

He gave me a tour of the house that included Tiger's childhood bedroom, where his walls were adorned with pictures of idols Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and others. Earl showed me the scorecard that revealed 11-year-old Tiger shooting a 71 to beat his father for the first time on Nov. 28, 1987. Earl had shot a 72 at the Long Beach Naval Golf Course.

"He beat me that day, and I never beat him again. Never," Earl said.

During golf tournaments in New York, Chicago and Miami, I shadowed Earl in '97, and I even made the trip to Spain for the Ryder Cup, where Tiger played. In Miami I was able to personally observe the genuine respect and affection between Tiger and Earl as they kibitzed and clowned before a golf clinic, well out of the way of the camera's eye.

When Earl and I could not meet in person, I would call him on Monday nights for two- to three-hour sessions.

An outstanding catcher who was offered a contract by the Kansas City Monarchs of the old Negro leagues, Woods told me how his mother had forced him to pass up a professional baseball career to attend Kansas State. Earl and Ernie Banks, who played with the Monarchs before joining the Cubs in 1953, remain friends to this day. Earl would become the first African-American baseball player in the Big Eight while earning a degree in sociology.

He has had his share of detractors over the years for being an overbearing, self-indulgent stage parent. But I would defy any parent not to provide every opportunity for his child to succeed when he or she displays such marvelous gifts at an incredibly young age as Tiger did.

His prophetic words nine years ago ring true today for Tiger to ponder as Earl endures serious health issues:

"Playing through means getting down to business, not letting anything get in your way, dealing with the task at hand, accomplishing your goals, not getting distracted by things that don't really matter, knowing yourself and drawing on that sense of self to get you through difficult times."

Word on the street

Chicago-based CSMG Inc., a full-service sports and entertainment management firm, has broken new ground in the industry.

Mike Hall, an advertising executive with more than 20 years of experience at Leo Burnett, has been appointed chief executive officer.

"Bringing Mike to CSMG underscores a major change at the company as we continue to innovate and expand the traditional ways of managing sports clients," said Alan Nero, chairman of CSMG. "We are thrilled to gain Mike's vast experience in the strategic development of worldwide brands."

Hall will oversee CSMG's entire global operation. Top CSMG clients include Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat, Donovan McNabb of the Philadelphia Eagles, Randy Johnson of the New York Yankees and Antwaan Randle El of the Washington Redskins.

CSMG also recently appointed Jonathan Siegel as chief financial officer and Marty Pereira as chief operating officer.

Local attractions

When the Cubs play host to the Milwaukee Brewers on April 28, 100 random winners will receive a Mitchell & Ness Cooperstown Authentic Collection 1932 Babe Ruth (No. 3) New York Yankees road jersey. Julia Ruth Stevens, Ruth's daughter, and Tom Stevens, Ruth's grandson, will throw out a ceremonial pitch and join in honoring Ruth in a pregame ceremony.

The promotion was designed to coincide with the approximate date that Barry Bonds could pass Ruth's career home run total of 714.

The last word

"We lost to Washington and my house got egged. My daughters got bad messages on their phones. We won 26 games, 89 in three years ... that is pretty good. I don't know; I hope it was a prank. You come home, feel bad and then you have to clean up eggs all over the place."

--Illinois basketball coach Bruce Weber talking to Marc Silverman and Carmen DeFalco last week on WMVP-AM 1000.

fmitchell@tribune.com

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