Tiger Woods, golf phenomenon Eldrick Woods (1975–), was born on this day in Cypress, California. His nickname “Tiger” came from a South Vietnamese soldier who saved his father’s life in Vietnam, a name that stayed with him as his talent and drive changed the modern game.

Tiger started swinging a club while still in diapers, putted with Bob Hope by age two, and turned professional in 1996. The sport has not been the same since.

“I get to play golf for a living,” Tiger said. “What more can you ask for, getting paid for doing what you love?”

With an innate ability to make crucial putts, Tiger has dominated golf with his multi-million dollar swing. “If you can’t laugh at yourself, then who can you laugh at,” he once said.

Notoriously competitive, he also admitted that he liked to listen to R&B and hip-hop music when he practices. “I need music to keep the adrenaline pumping. I have my golf cart all maxed out, with the radio console and six speakers. I crank the music up pretty loud,” he said.

Through his learning center and youth outreach, he gives back by providing hands-on lessons to inner-city youth, encouraging others “to dream big dreams... to empower young people to reach their highest potential.”

Tiger once explained his philosophy for success: “One of the things that my parents have taught me is never listen to other people’s expectations. You should live your own life and live up to your own expectations, and those are the only things I really care about.”

He said he would like to be remembered more for his work with children, and that golf was “merely a vehicle.”

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