Tiger Woods announces tragic family news in heartfelt social media post

Tiger Woods announced the passing of his mother, Kultida, on Tuesday.

The 49-year-old golfer announced the news in social media posts with the following message:

It is with heartfelt sadness that I want to share that my dear mother, Kultida Woods, passed away early this morning. My Mom was a force of nature all her own, her spirit was simply undeniable. She was quick with the needle and a laugh. She was my biggest fan, greatest supporter,… pic.twitter.com/RoKd0fsM9J
— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) February 4, 2025

"It is with heartfelt sadness that I want to share that my dear mother, Kultida Woods, passed away early this morning. My Mom was a force of nature all her own, her spirit was simply undeniable. 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. Thank you all for your support, prayers and privacy at this difficult time for me and my family. Love you Mom."

Kultida Woods was 81.

Kultida Punsawad was born in Thailand, where Earl Woods met her when he was on a tour of duty with the U.S. Army in 1968. Tiger, their only child, was born in 1975 in Southern California.

"My dad may have been in the Special Forces, but I was never afraid of him," he told USA Today in 2017. "My mom's still here and I'm still deathly afraid of her. She's a very tough, tough old lady, very demanding. … I love her so much, but she was tough."

Kultida Woods was responsible for her son's given name, Eldrick. Tom Callahan, writing on ESPN, explains she "selected (actually invented) the name Eldrick, because it began with an E for Earl and ended with a K for Kultida. But, from the second day on, Earl called the baby "Tiger" after a lost comrade in Vietnam, Col. Vuong Dang Phong — Tiger Phong."

Speaking to ESPN's Marty Smith, Woods credited his mother for inspiring his famous red shirt.

"It goes back to my mom," he told Smith, per his book Never Settle: Sports, Family, and the American Soul. "My mom says that my power color is red. And so, in junior golf I won a golf tournament wearing red. She said, 'See I told you, red.' "

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