Tiger Woods's Parents Came From African-American, Chinese, and Thai Backgrounds
"They all thought that it was me and dad on the road, which it was, but mom was at home."
Updated Feb. 5 2025, 9:44 p.m. ET
When most people think of golf, Tiger Woods is the first player that immediately comes to mind. Over a 20-year-plus career, Tiger has won 15 major tournaments and a whopping 82 PGA Tour events. In other words, Tiger is considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time.
Since Tiger has continued to showcase strong determination and focus, many have wondered where he learned it from. It comes as no surprise that Tiger’s support system helped shape his success.
And that honor goes to his parents, who are no longer with us. Here’s everything we know about the people who made Tiger who he is.
Tiger Woods' parents, Earl and Kultida Woods, came from African-American and Thai backgrounds, respectively.
In 1997, Tiger and his father were guests on Oprah where the gregarious host asked the golfer to describe himself in terms of his background. "To be honest with you, if I would have to label myself as anything ethnic-wise ... I usually pick African-American/Asian." He goes on to say this is because those were the "two households I was raised under."
Tiger’s father Earl Woods was African-American, Chinese, and American-Indian, and his mother Kultida Woods was from Thailand with Caucasian and Chinese ancestry.
Like Tiger, Earl was an accomplished athlete who made strides as the first Black baseball player for Kansas City University. Later on, Earl decided to enlist in the U.S. Army.
He served two tours during the Vietnam War as a member of the Special Forces, as shared in HBO’s Tiger documentary.
Aside from Earl’s war hero status, he was also a big advocate for education. Not to mention, Earl went on to publish three books, including Start Something: You Can Make a Difference, which introduced Tiger’s self-titled foundation.
Earl died in May 2006 at 74 after battling prostate cancer.
As for Kultida, the matriarch took on a more background approach, per Tiger and Kultida’s 60 Minutes interview in 2012. Kultida was mostly concerned with Tiger completing his studies, so golf came second. In fact, she used to take away his golf clubs until after Tiger finished his homework.
Unfortunately, she also had to teach her son how to deal with bigotry, something they both dealt with. Kultida told him it was "their problem" and said he couldn't control other people's actions.
In June 2024, Tiger accepted the USGA's Bob Jones Award, while Kultida and his children were in the audience supporting him. He dedicated the end of his speech to his mother who he said doesn't get enough credit.
"They all thought that it was me and dad on the road, which it was, but mom was at home," he said while tearing up. "If you don’t know, mom has been there my entire life, she's always been there through thick and thin."
Unfortunately, Kultida passed away on Feb. 4, 2025, at the age of 80. In a statement posted to X, Tiger wrote, "My Mom was a force of nature all her own, her spirit was simply undeniable. She was my biggest fan, greatest supporter, without her none of my personal achievements would have been possible."