Tiger Woods is heralded as the greatest golfer of all time. The credit for that goes to his exceptional performances in his years of dominance.

He was a golf prodigy who showcased an innate talent for the sport since his beginner days. He bagged titles in three US junior championships. Besides, at the young age of 15, he came out victorious at the US Junior Amateur Championship.

Moving on to his professional career. He turned professional in 1996 and since then, he has marked his glory in several PGA Tour events. He won 82 events on the PGA Tour. Right after turning professional, he won the 1997 Masters Championship. Then, in the alternative year, he won the PGA Championship. In total, he has 15 major titles to his name. There was a strict mother who guided her son on this journey. Let’s take a look at Tiger Woods’ mother and her role in shaping his legacy.

Tiger Woods’ mother was his best support system

Tiger Woods’s father, Earl Woods, is well-known in the golfing world. The retired veteran passed away due to cancer and several other health issues. While Woods held his father as his role model, there has been the contribution of another person in his early-age training in golf.

Tiger Woods’s career comebacks and recoveries from injuries were thanks to the support from his mother, Kultida Woods. His mother is a Thailand native but she has spent most of the years in the United States. In an interview with ESPN, she revealed that she spent most of her years in America and not in Thailand. “I live in U.S. 40 years now, in Thailand for only 25. In that way, I’m more American than Thai.” 

Although Woods’s mother has been beside him in all sorts of situations, it is his mother whom he fears the most. In an interview, Woods described how he was scared of his mother more than his father. “He was very worldly and deep in his thinking. My mom was the enforcer. My dad may have been in the Special Forces, but I was never afraid of him. My mom’s still here and I’m still deathly afraid of her. She’s a very tough, tough old lady, very demanding. She was the hand, she was the one, I love her so much”


Even after his scandals became a subject of public knowledge, his mother was brutal with him. He even delineated in a press conference how he let down two of the most important people in his life- his mother and his wife, after the infidelity news went viral. We also often saw Woods wearing red on Sundays. His mother is the reason behind it.

Tiger Woods follows his mother’s instructions to dress in red on Sundays

We have seen Woods wearing red on Sunday tournaments. As to why he selects the color for finale days, he revealed that it has to do with his mother.

“My mom says that my power color is red. And so, in junior golf I won a golf tournament wearing red. She said, ‘See I told you. Red.’ So, the very next tournament what do I do? I wear blue. Okay. So, I win. Again, I told her, and I just kind of made fun of it. Poked at her a little bit. I think I lost the next two out of three tournaments wearing blue. Switched to red and I went on a hot streak. And, well, I kept it”

Apart from this, she inspired him to follow Buddhism as well. Despite being strict outside, she whispered words of affirmation in his ears and grounded him with Buddhist lessons. In a press conference, Kultida explained how Woods took up Buddhism. She said, ” When he realized, he said okay, and went back to practice Buddhism and that will make him a much better person.” Hence, it is safe to assert that, as a mother, she has had a huge impact on Tiger Woods’ life.

What do you think of Tiger Woods’s mother, Kultida Woods? Let us know in the comments below.