Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods (born December 30, 1975) is an American professional golfer. He was born to an African-American father and his mother is a native of Thailand. Woods' first name, Eldrick, was coined by his mother 'Kultida' because it began with "E" (for Earl) and ended with "K" (for Kultida). His middle name 'Tont' is a traditional Thai name. He was nicknamed 'Tiger' in honor of his father's friend Colonel Vuong Dang Phong, who had also been known as 'Tiger'.

Woods grew up in Orange County, California. He was a child prodigy who was introduced to golf before the age of two by his athletic father, Earl Woods. Earl was a single-digit handicap amateur golfer who also was one of the earliest African-American college baseball players at Kansas State University.

Tiger's father was a member of the military and had playing privileges at the Navy golf course beside the Joint Forces Training Base in 'Los Alamitos', which allowed Tiger to play there. Tiger also played at the par 3 Heartwell golf course in Long Beach, as well as some of the municipals in Long Beach.

He ranks second in both major championships and PGA Tour wins and also holds numerous records in golf. Woods is widely regarded as being one of the greatest golfers in the history of the sport, and one of the most famous athletes of all time.

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