How old was Tiger Woods when he started playing golf?
Tiger Woods is unarguably the most successful golfer in the world. The legend developed an interest in golf after his father, Earl Woods, introduced him to the game. He started playing golf when he was just 2 years old.
Tiger Woods was a child prodigy interested in building a career in baseball but eventually stumbled upon golf after tearing his rotator cuff. At the age of three, Tiger Woods shot a 48 over nine holes, and by the time he was five, Woods appeared in Golf Digest and ABC's That's Incredible.
Growing up in the spotlight, Tiger Woods won the Under-10 section of the pitch, drive, and putt competition even before turning seven. Tiger Woods was on the front page of the newspaper while his friends were playing on the playgrounds.
At eight, he won the Junior World Golf Championship while competing in nine and 10-year-old boys' events. He defeated his father, Earl, in golf at 11.
Tiger learned golf from his father, who continued to coach him during his Junior championships.
Woods said:
"My dad was my best friend, role model, coach, and mentor."
Tiger Woods has had the most successful amateur career, clinching the Junior World Championship six times, including four consecutive victories.
The immensely talented golfer has worked hard to enhance his gameplay. In one of his interviews, Woods said:
"People don't understand that when I grew up, I was never the most talented. I was never the biggest. I was never the fastest. I certainly was never the strongest. The only thing I had was my work ethic, which has gotten me this far."
He mentioned he practiced for seven to eight hours during his teenage days as he said:
"As a kid, I might have been psycho, I guess, but I used to throw golf balls in the trees and try and somehow make par from them. I thought that was fun."
Tiger Woods started his professional career at the age of 20
Tiger Woods was born on December 30, 1975, in California to retired Army Officer Earl and Kultida "Tida" Woods.
Woods hails from an African-American family and is said to have Chinese ancestry. His mother was originally from Thailand and is of mixed Thai, Chinese, and Dutch ancestry. She met his father, Earl, when he was on a tour of duty in 1968.
Woods started his professional career at the age of 20 in 1996, and within a year, he won his first Masters in 1997. With the victory, Tiger set a record as the tournament's youngest winner.
The former World No. 1 golfer has won 82 PGA Tour events so far, including 15 major championships. Tiger Woods has won five Masters in his career, four PGA Tour Championships, three US Opens, and three Open Championships.
Tiger Woods is on a brief break due to a devastating car accident that took place in 2021. However, he will finally be back on the golf course for the upcoming "The Match" tournament, where he will team up with World No. 1 golfer Rory McIlroy to play against Jordan Spieth and Jordan Thomas. The tournament is scheduled for December 10 at the Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida.