Change-maker in black history: Tiger Woods

Golf superstar Tiger Woods, or Eldrick Woods as he was named when he was born in 1975, grew up in Cypress, California and started playing golf as a kid. He was given the nickname Tiger by a family friend. A unique face on the pro golf circuit, Tiger has always been proud of his diverse heritage – he is African-American, Thai, Chinese, Native American, and Caucasian.

The son of an African American army officer and a Thai mother, he was showing off his golf skills on national TV by the age of 2, appearing on shows like The Mike Douglas Show and Good Morning America.

Tiger went on to Stanford University and turned pro in 1996 after winning several amateur U.S. golf titles. In 1997 he shot to international fame after winning the U.S. Masters tournament at the age of 21 – he was the youngest and the first black man to do so.

In less than a year after going pro, Tiger had banked over $1,000,000 in prize money alone. He also has multi-million dollar sponsorship deals with Nike, Rolex, Gillette and American Express. Now on the road to recovery after a serious knee injury, Tiger is poised continue putting hit way into history for years to come!