For Tiger Woods, success has been a by-product of preparation. His approach and forethought going into any tournament made him a tough nut to crack even as a young pro. For that, he has his parents to thank. Both Earl and Kultida Woods. While his father was more strict on the course and played “mind games” to prepare him, his mum was stricter at home. If Woods hadn’t completed his homework, he could not play golf. For everything Woods has today, he thanks his mother.

“Everyone thought it was my dad when I went on the road, which it was. But Mom was at home. If you don’t know, Mom has been there my entire life. She’s always been there through thick and thin. 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,” Woods said about Tida when he received the Bob Jones Award from the USGA.

His parents clearly helped him achieve 15 Major victories and a world record 82 PGA Tour victories. Despite his dad passing away in 2006, Woods marched ahead with the support of his mother. However, the golfing world was hit with shocking and saddening news on February 4, 2025. Tiger Woods’s mother, Kultida Woods, had passed away at the age of 80. She was not just a mother but a guide and pillar for who is one of the greatest golfers of this generation. With the latest revelations, if it wasn’t for his mother, we would have not witnessed him play with such fierceness. Truly.

Kultida was the unseen force behind Tiger Woods’s success

Speaking with Dan Rapaport on his podcast ‘Dan on Golf’, Alan Shipnuck revealed that Tida’s presence and guidance were one of the biggest reasons that Tiger Woods achieved huge success in his career “Tida was by far the fiercest personality in the family,” said Shipnuck. That is a huge statement, considering Earl Woods, Tiger Woods’s dad was part of the US Army. Woods’s parents first met in Bangkok. Tida spoke minimal English when she married Earl and left Thailand for the first time in 1968, first going to Brooklyn, and then to Cypress, California where Woods was born in 1975.

The golfer’s mother understood the assignment. If Tiger Woods had to be successful, he should not bow down or cower before anyone. A thought she drilled in his head at a very young age. “She is the one who made it personal. If there was an older person who was more accomplished than Tiger, she got into his head about how he had to dominate that person. Even as Tiger made it to the Tour that still existed. Tida loved to talk smack about Phil Mickelson David Love and Greg Norman. And all these people who Tiger quickly usurped.” Clearly, Kultida Woods did not care how accomplished the player was. Woods turned pro in 1996, and Woods had to take them all down, and he did.

In 1997, Norman had won Norman won his largest winner’s check, $1M, when he won the Andersen Consulting World Championship of Golf. Then he won two tournaments in 1997 which marked his final victories on the PGA Tour. Phil Mickelson who had turned pro in 1992, 4 years before Woods, had amassed 5 PGA Tour titles when the latter turned pro. Clearly, Woods had some catching up to do.

He started clinching victory after victory before finally surpassing him with his 14th PGA Tour title, winning the 1999 Tour Championship. The hunger continued to stay. He went after the record of 82 Titles, finally achieving it with the 2019 Zozo Championship. Tiger Woods is still on the lookout for one more title that will separate him from Sam Snead (shared record-holder with Woods) and put him alone on top of the mountain that is the PGA Tour.

Her actions are easily justified. She wanted Tiger Woods to be the best in the world. And she was willing to go to war for that belief. “She was fiercely competitive and protective of her son.”  Her influence and support for Woods extended beyond his career. In 2009, Tiger Woods found himself embroiled in a highly publicized divorce. While everyone around him was confused and unsure, Kultida Woods stood by him. After the apology on live television, his mother was the first person Tiger Woods hugged. “She was there for Tiger during the scandal and everything that followed.”

Poetically, Shipnuck believes that Tida has been one of the most important and influential parents in the sporting community, even more than her late husband. “On the Mount Rushmore of Sports Parents, I would put Tida there, not Earl,” he said.

This competitiveness and strength had rubbed off on her son, as indicated in her son’s illustrious career, with him still having the zeal to capture the 16th major and just keep going. But such heartwrenching loss hits hard, and one needs time to recover.

Tiger Woods withdraws from the Genesis Invitational

Tiger Woods announced in a statement that he is withdrawing from the 2025 Genesis Invitational. “I planned to tee it up this week, but I’m just not ready,” read Woods’s statement on social media. “I did my best to prepare, knowing it’s what my Mom would have wanted, but I’m still processing her loss.”

The signature event, hosted by Woods himself, had initially released a post stating that Woods would participate in what would be his debut on the 2025 PGA Tour. The Genesis Invitational had been scheduled to take place at the Rivera Country Club but changed venues to the Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, due to the wildfires in California.

Despite, not teeing up for the Torrey Pines event, Woods had said that he would be present to witness other top golfers battle it out. “Thanks to everyone who has reached out. I hope to be at Torrey later in the week and appreciate the continued kindness since my Mom’s passing,” Woods’s statement continued.

The golfing world will severely miss the presence of Kultida Woods. Helping shape one of the most influential golfers in the world, her impact is evident. Thoughts and prayers go to the Woods family.