Tiger Woods took to social media to announce the passing of his mother Kultida Woods at the age of 78.
“It is with heartfelt sadness that I want to share that my dear mother, Kultida Woods, passed away early this morning,” he wrote. “My Mom was a force of nature all her own, her spirit was simply undeniable.”
Tiger also mentioned how close she was to her two grand𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren, his daughter Sam, 17, and his son Charlie, 15. “She was loved by so many, but especially by her two grand𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren, Sam and Charlie. Thank you all for your support, prayers and privacy at this difficult time for me and my family.”
Tiger Woods – five surprising facts
- Tiger isn’t his real name – he was 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 Eldrick Tont Woods. He was named after the first letter of his dad’s name, Earl, and his mother’s first initial, Kultida, at the end. Tont is also a traditional Thai name, where his mom is from.
- He became known as Tiger after his dad started to use the moniker as his friend, Colonel Vuong Dang Phong – who served in the US Army alongside Earl – also went by ‘Tiger’.
- Tiger is an avid gamer and is particularly fond of Call of Duty. He also plays basketball and soccer.
- He attended Stanford University but left before he graduated to turn pro before the end of his degree.
- Tiger was the first athlete to become a billionaire and now has an estimated net worth of $1.3 billion.