Tiger Woods announced Feb. 4 that his mother has died.
“It is with heartfelt sadness that I want to share that my dear mother, Kultida Woods, passed away early this morning,” he wrote on social media, alongside a photo of her. “My Mom was a force of nature all her own, her spirit was simply undeniable.”
She was 78, according to reports.
Woods also pointed out how much of a rock his mother was for him throughout her life.
“She was quick with the needle and a laugh,” he wrote. “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. Thank you all for your support, prayers and privacy at this difficult time for me and my family. Love you Mom.”
Woods did not reveal a cause of death.
The 15-time major champion, who shares daughter Sam and son Charlie with ex-wife Elin Nordegren, has said his mother is the reason he wears red when playing on Sundays, a tradition that dates back to his days as a youth golfer.
“My mom thought that being born a Capricorn, that red was my power color, and so in some of the junior golf events in SoCal, I would wear red and I won,” he told Carson Daly on the "TODAY" show in 2024.
“In spite, I wore blue at other tournaments — just to spite, in spite. I didn’t win, and so I then switched to red, and I had a lot more success wearing red.”
He then said that led to an agreement between the two of them.
“I then saved it for, ‘OK, Mom, I’ll make a deal with you that I’ll wear red on big events, on the last round of big events, because I can’t wear (it) every single day,’” he recalled.
“‘I’ll wear it on the last day of big events,’” he remembered telling her. “She said, ‘Fine, just wear it the last day.’”
Woods lost his father, Earl Woods, in 2006 when he died of cancer.
“My dad was my best friend and greatest role model. ... He was an amazing dad, coach, mentor, soldier, husband and friend,” The Associated Press reported he wrote when announcing the news on his website at the time.
