Tiger+Woods



Tiger Woods, originally named Eldrick "Tiger" Woods, was born on December 30, 1975. He was born in Cypress, [|California]. He was born to the parents Earl, an African-American army officer, and Kultida Woods,a Thai mother, and was the only child. Eldrick Woods is half black, one-quarter American-Indian, and one-quarter Chinese. His father started teaching his son how to golf when Eldrick was just a year old. His parents noticed his talent in golf at a young age. He started to show off his talent on shows such as Good Morning America. He won six junior championships between the ages eight and fifteen. It was his father who helped start his career as a golfer, by being his mentor. Eldrick learned techniques such as concentration and patience from his father, who helped train him with distractions on the side. It was Eldrick's mother who made sure his golf career wouldn't interfere with his childhood.

Eldrick graduated from Western High School, and later attended Stanford University. In Eldrick's first year of college Eldrick won the U.S Amateur Title, and was able to play in the Masters Tournament in Augusta, [|Georgia], in 1995. In total he won three U.S Amateurs. It was the 1997 U.S Amateur that gave him noteworthy recognition for being the first African-American, and the youngest, to win a score of 270. When he was twenty one years old he quit college in order to play professional golf. This also marked the time when Eldrick Woods officially changed his name to "Tiger" Woods.

Tiger Woods won the 1999, 2000, 2006, and 2007 US [|PGA] title. He also won numerous titles such as the U.S Open in 2000, 2002, and 2008. His wins didn't stop here though. They continued, as he won the Open Championship in 2000, 2005, and 2006, as well as the U.S Masters in 2001, 2002, and 2005. It might be said that Tiger faced some obstacles on the golf course in 2004. That year he only won one PGA Tour Championship. Although he might have faced a downturn on the golf course, he faced greater heights in his personal life, when he married Elin Nordegren, a Swedish model, in October 2004. The downturn didn't last long, as Tiger won six championships in 2005, and was voted the PGA Tour player of the year. Tiger Woods didn't let the competition with the other golfers affect him mentally. Tiger focused on himself, and when he faced a downturn, he didn't give up. He used those losses as examples, and learned from them.

In 2006 Tiger faced a great loss when his father died of Prostate [|Cancer]. Woods lost a best friend, mentor, and a part of himself, because it was his father who greatly impacted his golf career. In a sense, it seemed as though Tiger turned his father's death into someting that could be seen as positive. He used this as a stepping stone to achieve greater heights in his golf career. Tiger used this to win the PGA Championship, as well as the British Open. The next year, Tiger and his wife Elin, were blessed with their first child, Sam Woods, on June 18, 2007. He even continued to greater heights in his golf career by winning the BMW Championship, as well as the Tour championship later that year.

Being a very successful African-American golfer, it was prone for Tiger Woods to face racism. The most noteworthy mention was in early 2008, when golf channel anchor Kelly Tilghman mentioned that any young player who wanted to challenge Tiger Woods should "Lynch him in a back alley." Tiger didn't take this offensively, but intstead continued to move on in his career, by winning the U.S Open on June 16, 2008, despite knee surgery.

Tiger Woods is such a noteworthy athlete, especially due to his contributions to professional golf, not just as an African-American, but as a player in general. Tiger Woods has left a legacy to people all over, teaching people to strive for what they believe in, even at a young age. Tiger started his golf career as a child, with his dad right by his side. He left a message that anything is possible if you put your mind to it, no matter how old you may be. Tiger Woods also left a legacy to the African-American community, by being the first African-American male to achieve as many awards and achievements as a professional golf player. His achievements will provide stepping stones for many other African-Americans to follow in his footsteps.

__Citations__ "Tiger Woods Biography." __Tiger Woods Biography__. Ads by google. 20 Feb 2009 http://www.notablebiographies.com/We-Z/Woods-Tiger.html "Tiger Woods." __Tiger Woods Pictures, Biography, Filmography, News, Videos__. 2009. starpulse.com. 20 Feb 2009 . "Tiger Woods Biography." __Tiger Woods Biography - Biography.com__. 2009. A&E Television Network. 20 Feb 2009 <[|http://www.biography.com]>. "Tiger Woods." __About tiger woods, golf stats, tiger woods biography, pictures!__. Hollywood Auditions.com. 20 Feb 2009 .