Tiger Woods

Born

1975 · Cypress, California, US

Roots

Black, Thai, Chinese, Native American, and Dutch descent — his own coinage: "Cablinasian"

Family

Middle class

His father was a Green Beret Vietnam veteran, his mother a Thai immigrant; a disciplined single-child household built around his golf.

Education

Stanford University (left after two years to turn professional)

Started with

A garage high chair

Watched his father hit balls into a net before he could walk; he putted against Bob Hope on TV at two.

Affiliations & societies

None documented.

Information only — claims like these are often unverifiable and may be wrong.

The pathway

1. 1996 · age 20
   "Hello, world"$40M

   Turns professional; Nike signs him before his first pro round.

2. 1997 · age 21
   The Masters by 12 strokes

   The youngest champion, and the first of Black or Asian descent, at a club that admitted its first Black member in 1990.

3. 2001 · age 25
   The Tiger Slam

   Holds all four major titles at once — the only player to do so in the modern era.

4. 2008 · age 32
   A US Open on a broken leg

   Wins a 91-hole playoff on a double stress fracture and a torn ACL.

5. 2009 · age 33
   The scandal

   A Thanksgiving-night crash unravels into infidelity revelations, sponsor exits, and divorce; his ranking collapses in the injury years that follow.

6. 2019 · age 43
   The comeback Masters

   A fifth green jacket, eleven years after his previous major and two years after spinal-fusion surgery.

7. 2021 · age 45
   Nearly loses a leg

   A single-car rollover; he returns only for limited appearances.