What is Tiger Woods’ real name and how did the legendary golfer get his nickname?
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Tiger Woods
Arguably the greatest golfer of all time Tiger Woods has been a global sensation since he started making his mark in the professional gold in the mid-90s.
When you name it, ‘Tiger’ won it all. From his all-time PGA Tour win to his second-highest men’s major tournament, the golfer has achieved everything anyone could imagine.
However, only a few of you will be aware that “Tiger Woods” is not his real name. Wood’s real name is Eldrik Tonto Woods. It’s on his birth certificate as he is the only child of Kultida, a Thai woman, and Earl Woods, an Army officer.
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How did Tiger Woods get his nickname?
So why the legendary golfer is called “Tiger”? His father gave him the nickname “Tiger” in honour of his close friend in the military, Colonel Vong Dan Phong.
“I knew, instinctively knew, that my son was going to have fame,” his father said, according to ESPN. “Someday my old friend would see him on television, read about him in a newspaper or magazine, and say, ‘That must be Woody’s kid’, and we’d find each other again.”
Unfortunately, his plan never came to fruition. Little did Phong know that after his grave was discovered outside a North Vietnamese re-education camp, his name became synonymous with him one of the world’s greatest athletes.
“Phong would be totally flabbergasted by Tiger, completely blown away,” Earl Woods told Golf Digest in 1997. “He would view him as his own son. He wouldn’t know a damned thing about golf, but it wouldn’t be necessary. He would be so proud and so happy.”
However, it appears the golfer has not changed his legal name to Tiger. In all official records, he continues to use his given name. Interestingly, Tiger wasn’t the only nickname he was called by. His dad also called him “Sam” because he thought Tiger looked like Sam.
“My father had always called me Sam since the day I was born. He rarely ever called me Tiger. I would ask him, ‘Why don’t you ever call me Tiger?’ He says, ‘Well, you look more like a Sam,'” the American golfer told The Augusta Chronicle.
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Abhishek Nandwani
(98 Articles Published)