TIGER WOODS-
GOLF CHAMP AND POSITIVE ROLE MODEL
You don’t have to be a golfer to know who Tiger Woods is. Arguably one of the best professional golfers of our time, he has broken barriers and inspired millions of people with his talent. His charm and obvious good character belie his close family and good upbringing. He is a fresh face and welcome public figure with no negative message or agenda. He is a gentleman who is a pleasure to watch, on and off the green.
Tiger was born December 30, 1975 in Long Beach, California. He is 6’2” and 170 lbs. His nickname “Tiger” was given to him by his father in honor of a South Vietnam combat buddy who saved his life in the Vietnam War.
His parents had met in Bangkok, Thailand and married in 1969. His ethnic background is African, Thai, Chinese, American Indian and European. Tiger says his biggest influence has been his parent’s constant encouragement, mentoring, support and love. His parents had a motto of caring and sharing. They sacrificed to allow Tiger to train and grow into the athlete he is today.
He went to college at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. He majored in Economics and played collegiate golf.
In the early days of his career he was undefeated in 30 Southern California Junior Golf events. He was the youngest to win the U.S. Amateur at 18.He was also the only golfer to ever win three amateurs in succession.
As a pro, in August of 1996, he was in 8 official PGA Tours and won two of them. His biggest contracts have been with NIKE for $40 million and American express for $30 million. According to Michael Jordan, “Tiger will succeed and expand across all racial barriers- I admire him…for establishing a new plateau, a higher ground, if you will. I believe he was put here for a higher reason than golf.
Indeed, Tiger thinks being a good role model to others is more important than his golf. He refers to Golf as his vehicle to influence people. He hopes to use Golf to inspire kids to reach for higher goals at every opportunity.
To that end, He and his father have created the “Tiger Woods Foundation”. Established in 1996, the mission is to inspire youth to dream big and set goals to make their dreams a reality. The foundation promotes Golf and non- sports activities for disadvantaged youth. They traveled the country, holding six different clinics for youths in Orlando, Chicago, New York, Dallas, Miami and Memphis.
They have touched over 10 million young people and raised and dispersed over $30 million to communities through Scholarships, Grants, Junior Golf Teams and Character Development Programs at the Tiger Woods Learning Center.
For more information, see www.tigerwoodsfoundation.org