Hard to keep up with the Tiger story but as of Friday from his web site Tiger posted a statement saying he will be taking an indefinite break from golf……
Tiger Woods taking hiatus from golf
Posted Friday December 11,2009
I am deeply aware of the disappointment and hurt that my infidelity has caused to so many people, most of all my wife and children. I want to say again to everyone that I am profoundly sorry and that I ask forgiveness. It may not be possible to repair the damage I’ve done, but I want to do my best to try.
I would like to ask everyone, including my fans, the good people at my foundation, business partners, the PGA Tour, and my fellow competitors, for their understanding. What’s most important now is that my family has the time, privacy, and safe haven we will need for personal healing.
After much soul searching, I have decided to take an indefinite break from professional golf. I need to focus my attention on being a better husband, father, and person.
Again, I ask for privacy for my family and I am especially grateful for all those who have offered compassion and concern during this difficult period.
************************************
Name: Eldrick "Tiger" Woods
Born: December 30, 1975, Long Beach California
Statistics: Height: 6’2′, Weight: 170 lb., Waist 28
Nickname: "Tiger" — given him by his dad, in honor of his dad’s South Vietnamese combat buddy, Nguyen Phong, who saved Tiger’s father’s life in the Vietnam War.
Home: Orlando, Florida. Tiger lives in Isleworth, a development on the west side of Orlando.
As a Role Model: Tiger thinks that being a good role model to others is even more important than his golf. He thinks his golf is just a vehicle for him to influence people. He wants to influence kids in a positive way. Tiger feels that’s what it’s all about.
Tiger and his parents put together The Tiger Woods Foundation in order to promote both golf and non-sports activities for disadvantaged children. In 1997 Tiger ran six different golf clinics for youths in Orlando, Chicago, New York,Dallas, Miami and Memphis. Tiger’s foundation isn’t just interested in helping kids with their golf. It’s to help youngsters become better people.
People say Tiger has a real presence and that his ability to help others extends beyond the U.S. He is truly a multi-racial person, not just a black athlete. People feel that he will be a big influence on people across the world – and not just in a golf sense. He can hold everything together. He is a universal child – truly multi-cultural.
Parents: Earl & Kultida Woods
Father: Earl Woods was a lieutenant colonel in the Army and a former Green Beret. He served two tours of duty in Vietnam. Earl Woods passed away May 3, 2006.
Mother: Kultida (Tida) Woods. Her maiden name is Kultida Punsawad.
Parents met: in Bangkok,Thailand , and were married in 1969.
Ethnic background: African, Thai, Chinese, American Indian, and European.
Religion: Buddhism, his mother’s religion. Tiger says that his religion has given him self awareness. He says his religion has taught him that he is here to work on flaws in his personality. The two things he has worked on most has been stubbornness and impatience – he used to want things to be perfect right away. Now he understands that he has to work on things in his life and that this takes time and discipline.
Biggest Influences: Tiger’s dad, who saw him through almost every phase of his golf development. His dad used to sit by Tiger’s bed at night and give him confidence, telling him how good he was going to be at life and at golf. But his dad never pushed him. Tiger did what he did because he wanted to. The other big influence in his life was his mother. For years she used to get up early in the morning and drive him to tournament sites all around the state of California. She used to keep score and never complain about how much time it all took. He says they were both very important in the development of his golf.
Early beginnings: Tiger started swinging a sawed off golf club in his garage at 11 months.
College Education: Stanford University, Palo Alto, California where he majored in economics, and played collegiate golf.
Siblings: Tiger has 2 half brothers and 1 half sister from his father’s first marriage.
Tiger’s Caddie: Steve Williams
Tiger’s Golf Coach: Butch Harmon
Tiger’s Sports Psychologist: Jay Brunza
Early Golf History: Tiger was undefeated in 30 Southern California junior golf events. He won the U.S. Amateur at the age of 18 in 1994. He was the youngest to ever win this event. He is the only golfer to ever win three U.S. Amateurs in succession.
Professional Status: Tiger became a pro golfer in August, 1996. In that year he played in eight official PGA Tour events, and won two of them. Tiger won $790,594. and finished 24th on the final 1996 money list for pro golfers.
Biggest Contracts: Tiger signed a 40 million dollar contract with Nike, and a 30 million dollar contract with American Express.
Tiger’s Agent: Hughes Norton of International Management Group
First professional win: The 1996 Las Vegas Invitational. He won $297,000.
Quote about Tiger: Michael Jordan says: Tiger… will succeed and expand across all racial barriers…. I admire him… for establishing a new plateau, a higher ground, if you will…. I really do believe he was put here for a bigger reason than just to play golf. I don’t think that he is a god, but I do believe that he was sent by One"
Personal life
Marriage
In November 2003, Woods became engaged to Elin Nordegren, a Swedish model and daughter of former minister of migration Barbro Holmberg and radio journalist Thomas Nordegren. They were introduced during The Open Championship in 2001 by Swedish golfer Jesper Parnevik, who had employed her as an au pair. They married on October 5, 2004 at the Sandy Lane resort on the Caribbean island of Barbados and live at Isleworth, a community in Windermere, a suburb of Orlando, Florida. They also have homes in Jackson, Wyoming, California, and Sweden. In January 2006, they purchased a $39 million residential property in Jupiter Island, Florida, which they intend to make their primary residence. Their Jupiter Island neighbors will include fellow golfers Gary Player, Greg Norman, and Nick Price, as well as singers Celine Dion and Alan Jackson. In 2007, a guest house owned by Woods on the Jupiter Island estate was destroyed in a fire caused by lightning.
Early in the morning of June 18, 2007, Elin gave birth to the couple’s first child, a daughter, Sam Alexis Woods, in Orlando. The birth occurred just one day after Woods finished tied for second in the 2007 U.S. Open.[Tiger chose to name his daughter Sam because his father said that Tiger looked more like a Sam. On September 2, 2008, Woods announced on his website that he and his wife were expecting their second child. Five months later, it was announced that Elin had given birth to a boy named Charlie Axel on February 8, 2009. Wikipedia
**************************************************************
The story continues with each passing day and more information surfaces not favorable to Tiger. It is a bad place he has put himself in and you must feel a little sorry for the family.
Not one to cast stones so I look at his life and keep reminding myself that hs is human and the good he has done in his life to date can’t be forgotten…
OLD HEAD
Sportscapper Island .com
Leave Your Comments