Some sports fans may well be shocked to learn Tiger Woods' real name is Eldrick Tont Woods.
Having won 15 major championships over the course of his legendary career, Woods is one of the most famous athletes on the planet. The California native's glory days are now behind him, but fans still flock to Royal Troon to watch the 48-year-old in action at The Open.
His name reverberates around sports history, so much so that he has been the poster boy for the likes of Nike and Monster Energy. His golfing excellence and marketable name saw him become a walking advertisement board for various brands.
Yet, his iconic name is actually just a nickname. In real life, his legal name is Eldrick.
When he was born in Cypress, California on December 30, 1975, his parents named him Eldrick Tont Woods. He was born to his mother Kultida, who is originally from Thailand, and his army officer father Earl Woods, who passed away in 2006 aged 74.
His mother is believed to have chosen the name Eldrick, as it began with the same letter as his father Earl, and Tont, as it is a traditional Thai name that translates as 'beginning' in English.
While he has always been known as 'Tiger' to sports fans, his nickname derives from his father's close friend Colonel Vuong Dang Phong, who was regularly called 'Tiger'. In tribute, he started calling his son the same name.
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In a previous interview with ESPN, Woods' father said: "I knew instinctively that my son was going to have fame. Some day 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.”
Sadly, Phong never realised Tiger Woods was connected with his father. The grave of his father's closest friend was found in North Vietnam, outside a re-education camp. In another interview with Golf Digest, Earl said Phong would have been thrilled, had he realised the iconic golfer was the son of his closest ally in the army.
"Phong would be totally flabbergasted by Tiger, completely blown away," Early laughed. "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.”
When he was competing on the amateur circuit, Woods was referred to as Eldrick Woods. He gravitated towards his now iconic nickname by the time he turned professional.
Woods is still known as Eldrick on his official and personal records. Interestingly, despite his nickname, Earl neither called him Eldrick or Tiger.
Woods told Augusta Chronicle: "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."