Tiger Woods credits his mother for encouraging his signature look of wearing red shirts on Sundays during competition.
“Mom thought being a Capricorn that my power color was red, so I wore red as a junior golfer and I won some tournaments,” Woods said last year.
Woods gave Kultida Woods credit for much more than that Tuesday when he announced that she had died early that morning. She was 80.
“My Mom was a force of nature all her own, her spirit was simply undeniable,” Woods wrote on X. “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.”
No cause of death or any other details were given.
“Those of us who have been lucky enough to have a firsthand view of Tiger Woods’ career know how much both his greatness and his humanity have stemmed from the love and support of his mother,” PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said in a statement. “We will cherish our memories of her and our thoughts are with Tiger, his children Sam and Charlie, and their entire family as they mourn her loss.”
Kultida Woods was born in Kanchanaburi, Thailand. She met Earl Woods while working as a civilian secretary in the U.S. Army office in Bangkok. The two married in 1968 and eventually moved to Cypress in Southern California, where Tiger Woods was born in 1975.
After Earl Woods died in 2006, his wife moved from Orange County to South Florida to be closer to their son. Although she kept much of her life private, Kultida Woods could often be seen supporting Tiger through the ups and downs of his career and life.
She was on the 18th green to greet him when he won the 2019 Masters, his 15th major championship. She was sitting in the front row for the 2010 news conference in which he admitted to multiple extramarital affairs. She was on hand when he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2019 and when he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2022.
She was last seen publicly at his TMRW Golf League match last week in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
“Mom has been there my entire life. She’s always been there through thick and thin,” Woods said last year in accepting the USGA’s Bob Jones Award. “She has allowed me to get here. She allowed me to do these things, chase my dreams, and the support and love — I didn’t do this alone. I had the greatest rock that any child could possibly have: my mom.”
President Trump also paid tribute to Kultida Woods Tuesday on Truth Social.
“I was just informed that Tiger Woods’ wonderful Mother, Kultida, passed away — She has gone onto greener fairways!” Trump wrote. “Kultida Woods was an amazing influence on Tiger, and gave him much of his strength and brilliance.”
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