Tiger Woods shattered by death of mother, Kultida

Tiger Woods, one of the greatest to ever chase the little white ball around the course, shared some heartbreaking news this week.

His beloved mother, Kultida Woods, has passed away at the age of 80.

She’s Gone

Tiger’s mother has always been a rock for him, but she was mostly behind the scenes prior to the death of his father.

Tiger made it quite clear what she meant to him in announcing her death on social media, stating, "It is with heartfelt sadness that I want to share that my dear mother, Kultida Woods, passed away early this morning."

"My Mom was a force of nature all her own, her spirit was simply undeniable. She was quick with the needle and a laugh. She was my biggest fan, greatest supporter, without her none of my personal achievements would have been possible. She was loved by so many, but especially by her two grandchildren, Sam and Charlie," he continued.

"Thank you all for your support, prayers and privacy at this difficult time for me and my family. Love you Mom."

Bursting on the Scene

Woods, originally coached by his father, Earl Woods, an Army veteran who served in the Special Forces during the Vietnam War (where he met Kultida in Bangkok), ripped through the amateur and collegiate ranks.

He turned professional at the age of 20, and by the end of his first year in the PGA, he had already won three tournaments and secured his first major tournament win.

This was unprecedented in this game, and he was already being compared to the all-time GOAT, Jack Nicklaus.

Tiger set the tone that year, winning the Masters by 12 strokes in a performance that remains one of the most impressive displays we have ever seen in golf by a young player.

GOAT Status

Tiger was ranked the number one golfer in the world less than two years into his career, and he was just getting started. Over the first 15 years of his career, he owned the PGA, and it was not for lack of competition, an argument I often hear when talking about his career.

If you look at the scores of his competitors, they were breaking course records, and Tiger was still beating them all by double digits. He has more than 80 Tour wins, 41 European Tour wins, three wins on the Japanese Tour, two on the Asian Tour, and 20 other tournament wins. The cherry on top is the 15 major wins, second only to Jack Nicklaus.

If you want to argue about GOATs in golf, there are only two names in that conversation… Woods and Nicklaus. Had Woods not suffered so many injuries, I think he would have surpassed Nicklaus for major wins, but golf is not a “what if” game. But if you talk to Nicklaus, I think he would echo my sentiment on Woods.

Tiger still has a lot of golf left in him, but he will have to do it without his mother and father now, so we will have to wait to see how that impacts him. You have my condolences Tiger, as I have gone through what you are going through now. Rest in peace, Mrs. Woods.