When Tiger Woods spoke about mother Tida safely escaping from terrorist bombings in London - “It very easily could have been pretty tragic for me”
Tiger Woods' mother, Kultida "Tida" Punsawad Woods, is one of the most influential people in the 15-time Major champion's life. Many see Tiger's competitiveness as a reflection of his mother's character, and he himself has described her as a very disciplined person.
Over the years, countless stories reflecting the special relationship between Tiger and his mother have been published. A very special one saw Tida come close to being the victim of a terrorist attack in London.
It was 2005 and the Woods were in the United Kingdom for The Open Championship at the Old Course at St. Andrews. On July 7, Tida was in London when the terrorist bomb attack took place, claiming the lives of more than 50 people.
"My mom was in the building right across the street from where one of the bombs blew up," Tiger Woods said at a press conference during The Open. "She was vacationing in London."
During the event, two minutes of silence were held to honor the victims of the terrorist attack. Tiger Woods said he was thankful that his mother was unharmed:
"I was very thankful that my mom is still here," Tiger Woods said. "It very easily could have been pretty tragic for me personally. I can only imagine what everyone else who was involved, where they lost a loved one or had loved ones hurt, what they might have been going through."
Reporters wanted to know what Tiger and his mother had talked about after this sad event.
"Typical Mom," Woods replied. "I asked, 'Are you OK?' 'Yeah, good. What are you going to do today on the course?' That kind of thing. She likes to change the subject real fast. That’s kind of how our family is. If you’re injured or you’re hurt or you’re sick or anything, you don’t tell anyone. You just deal with life and move on."
Woods dominated from start to finish at the 2005 Open Championship. He ended up winning the 10th Major of his career with a score of 14 under, five strokes ahead of Colin Montgomery.
A look at the life of Tiger Woods' mother Tida
Tida Woods is a native of Thailand. There she met Earl Woods while he was stationed in the country in the service of the United States Army. The couple married in 1966 and Tida followed Earl to America, settling first in New York and then in California.
Tida worked as a bank clerk in her youth and then concentrated on supporting young Tiger's career. As he established himself as a world golf star, his mother undertook various charitable endeavors while continuing to be involved in her son's career.
In 2005, Tida and Tiger lost Earl. Since then, Tida has continued her philanthropic work, and currently resides in Florida near Tiger.