MAIN Sports Sports Stars Tiger Woods

Born Eldrick Woods on December 30, 1975, in Cypress, California, the golf pro was nicknamed Tiger after a Vietnamese soldier who was a friend to his beloved father, Earl Woods.

Tiger soon lived up to his nickname when Woods' father introduced him to the game at age three, later boasting, "Tiger knew how to swing a club before he could walk".

The gifted young golfer went on to win his first Optimist International Junior World Title at the ripe old age of eight.

He later took the U.S. Junior Amateur Championships by storm, winning three consecutive titles beginning in 1991, together with the U.S. Amateur title in 1994, 1995, and 1996.

The following year, he was ready for the pro tour - for at age 21 Tiger Woods became the youngest player ever to win the Masters, followed by the youngest to rank No. 1 in professional golf, and the first golfer of African or Asian descent to win a major professional championship - all in his debut year.

Success followed success when in 1999 Woods scored 8 victories on the PGA Tour, along with the PGA Championship, and the following year won the British Open becoming at age 24 the youngest player ever to win the Masters, the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open, and the British Open.

Woods was named the No. 1 player in the world in 2005, following his win at the Ford Championship at Doral, and in April took the 2005 Masters Tournament in a spectacular playoff against Chris DiMarco for his fourth career Masters win.

Woods dominated the British Open in July 2005 for his second win of the year at a major tournament.

Concerns over the seriously ill Earl Woods some say was the reason the golfing superstar has been off his game during the 2006 season. Now dead of cancer at age 74, Earl Woods was forever sited by his son as the bedrock of his success.

The 2006 U.S. Open in June marked the first time that Woods would have competed in a major tournament without the coaching and guidance of his equally famous mentor. However, he failed to make the cut in a major for the first time in his professional career.

His comeback was heralded by an emotional & triumphant win at this at the 2006 British Open, and by his 50th PGA victory at the Buick Open in August, followed closely by a five-shot victory in the PGA Championship, a triumph he repeated again in 2007.

So far in 2008, Woods is playing better than ever with 62 career wins, tying Arnold Palmer for fourth on the all-time list.

Away from the golf course, Woods heads up the Tiger Woods Foundation which provides youth scholarships & career guidance through such programs as Start Something, and the recently opened Tiger Wood Learning Center offering free courses in math, science, technology and language arts to area children.

Woods married long-time girlfriend, Swedish model, Elin Nordegren in a lavish wedding ceremony in Barbados on October 5, 2004. Woods is now the proud father of a baby girl named Sam Alexis, born on June 18, 2007.

Official Website for Tiger Woods - With all the latest news and updates, tour schedule, biography and fun facts, video and audio clips, picture galleries, golf tips from the pro himself, online games and trivia questions, discussion board, chat.

Tiger Woods - Extensive bio from Wikipedia with an overview of his life and career, legendary golf shots, style of playing, championships won & records acheived along with media controversies, press coverage, related links.

Tiger Woods Up Close and Personal - Archive from a 2006 "60 Minutes" interview with the golf superstar discussing marriage and plans for a family, quotes, photo gallery, video clips.

Tiger Woods - pictures and more by: The Golf Expert - Pages of hi-res photos in clickable thumbnails plus a career timeline, related links.

Tiger Woods - Role Models on the Web - A quick profile and photo including interesting factoids, quotes and career highlights.

Welcome to the First Church of Tiger Woods - Major spoof site with 'evidence' of Wood's divinity pointing to miracle shots only possible by someone superhuman, and including a very funny photo gallery, screensaver... and an online prayer service.

Tiger Woods Biography - Kid-friendly profile, picture and career highlights from KidzWorld.com.

also see feature story -> A Watch for Golfers, Designed by Tiger Woods

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