Tiger country:
New documentary turns spotlight on Tiger Woods.
Tiger, a two-part HBO documentary screening on Prime, looks at the rise, fall, and comeback of golfer Tiger Woods. The series paints an intimate picture of the prodigy whose dedication to the game of golf took his fame and success to new heights before his personal life came crashing down after revelations of a string of affairs. TV Guide takes a look at a few things you might not know about the sports superstar.
Tiger’s real name is Eldrick Tont Woods. Tont is a traditional Thai name – his mother Kultida comes from Thailand.
Early news reports about him as a young amateur refer to Eldrick Woods. But the Tiger moniker given to him by his father stuck after he turned pro.
Why Tiger? His father Earl served in the US army in Vietnam where his best friend was a Vietnamese colonel called Vuong Dang Phong, who was nicknamed Tiger.
But his fellow teammates at Stanford University, which he attended for two years when he won a golf scholarship, called him Urkel, after the nerdy character in Family Matters. At that time, Tiger was tall, skinny and sometimes wore glasses.
Tiger’s first big win was in the Junior World Golf Championship Boys 10 And Under event in 1984 when he was nine. He won a major amateur title almost every year until he turned pro in 1996.
His pro debut, at the age of 20, was at the Greater Milwaukee Open, where he finished in a tie for 60th and won just US$2500, a blow softened somewhat by the multi-million deals he had already signed. But he did wow the crowds with a hole in one at the 16th.
A year later in 1997, he was the number-one-ranked player in the world, and had aced another par 3 in the Phoenix Open that year, sending a huge crowd wild.
He has won 15 Majors (the Masters, US Open, British Open, US PGA), with 14 of those coming
between 1997 and 2008. The outlier was his remarkable comeback Masters win in 2019. Only Jack Nicklaus with 18 has won more Majors. The 2008 US Open is known as the one-legged Major. Tiger won with two stress fractures in his left tibia and a torn ACL ligament in his left knee.
Kiwi Steve Williams was Tiger’s caddy from 1999 to 2011. In 2005, Tiger was best man at Williams’ wedding, staying with him in west Auckland’s Huapai. Locals were amazed to see one of the world’s most famous men cycling around the village. Tiger reportedly even caddied for Williams when he played a round of golf at Auckland’s Muriwai course.
Tiger’s world came crashing down in 2009 following a car crash and media reports of a string of affairs. His five-year marriage to Elin Nordegren, with whom he had two children, ended as a result. He later said, “My dishonesty and selfishness caused her intense pain. Elin and I tried to repair the damage I had done, but we couldn’t. My regret will last a lifetime.” Steve Williams always maintained he knew nothing about the affairs.
To date, Tiger has earned around US$120 million in prize money. But that figure is overshadowed by his US$1.5 billion earnings from things such as endorsements, celebrity appearances and course design. His net worth is estimated at between US$800 million to US$1 billion.
So it’s no wonder he can afford a US$20 million superyacht – named Privacy – which has five state rooms, an eight-person jacuzzi and a lift between decks. It can sometimes be seen waiting at anchor when Tiger plays coastal courses such as Pebble Beach. Sure beats a motel room.