Earl Woods, who was more determined to raise a good son than a great golfer, and became the architect and driving force behind Tiger Woods' phenomenal career, died Wednesday morning at his home in Cypress, Calif. He was 74.
"My dad was my best friend and greatest role model, and I will miss him deeply," Tiger Woods said on his Web site. "I'm overwhelmed when I think of all of the great things he accomplished in his life. He was an amazing dad, coach, mentor, soldier, husband and friend. I wouldn't be where I am today without him."
A smoker who had heart bypass surgery in 1986, Earl Woods was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1998 and was treated with radiation. But the cancer returned in 2004 and spread throughout his body.
Last month, he was too frail to travel to the Masters.
The last event Earl Woods attended was the Target World Challenge in December 2004, when his son rallied to win, and then donated $1.25 million to the Tiger Woods Foundation that his father helped him establish.
People are also reading…
The Tiger Woods Learning Center, another vision inspired by his father, opened in February.
Woods decided not to play in the Wachovia Championship this week in Charlotte, N.C. And two of his best friends on tour, Mark O'Meara and John Cook, withdrew from the tournament and flew to California to be with him.
Jack Nicklaus said he had long "admired and related to the close bond" shared by Tiger and Earl.
"My father was my best friend, my mentor and perhaps my greatest support system. Earl was all of that to Tiger," he said.
