Tiger Woods’ Mom Kultida Dies at Age 78: Golf Pro Mourns ‘Biggest Fan’ for Whom He Built Custom Home Near His Own Florida Mansion

Golf legend Tiger Woods has announced that his beloved mother, Kultida Woods, has passed away at the age of 78.

Tiger, 49, shared the news of his mother’s death in an emotional social media post in which he thanked Kultida for being his “biggest fan and greatest supporter” throughout his career.

“It is with heartfelt sadness that I want to share that my dear mother, Kultida Woods, passed away early this morning,” he wrote.

“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.”

Tiger and his mother were known to have an incredibly close relationship—and Kultida could often be found cheering on her son in his many golf tournaments, most recently attending his TGL match in Florida in January.

A sweet video shared on the official PGA Tour account on X showed Tiger yelling out to his mother in the crowd at the event on Jan. 27, waving happily and yelling: “Hi Mom! I’m not going to suck tonight, OK?”

Throughout his career, Tiger has routinely praised his mother for her unwavering support, voicing his unending gratitude for the sacrifices that she made to help him achieve his dreams.

In 2022, when he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, Tiger recalled how Kultida and his dad, Earl Woods, took out a second mortgage on the family home so that he would have enough money to continue playing on the professional circuit.

“We didn’t know that we were going to have enough money for me to go to college or a top college or be recruited,” he said, according to Yahoo Sports.

“So my family made a tough decision, and at the age of 14 1/2 we took out a second mortgage so I could go out and play the AJGA Tour. Mom stayed at home. Dad traveled. And I went out and played the AJGA Tour on our second mortgage.”

Indeed, their bond was so close that Tiger reportedly built his mother a sprawling custom home that spans two plots of land in Jupiter, FL, and is located just a few miles from the staggering $60 million home he built in the area.

According to records, the golf superstar purchased the adjacent plots in 2007, one year after his father died, paying $1.1 million and $1.3 million.

In 2010, images published by the Palm Beach Post revealed an enormous property was being constructed on the land, a Mediterranean-style megamansion that Kultida was understood to have been living in until her passing.

The property was located just 7 miles from the waterfront home that Tiger has lived in for close to two decades now, having purchased a plum 12-acre plot for $40 million in 2006. He razed the existing mansion to make way for a custom abode, which he initially shared with his then-wife, Elin Nordegren.

Tiger still uses that 9,700-square-foot property as his primary residence, having ensured that it was outfitted with everything he might need—including a golf studio and an expansive putting green at the back of the home.

Today, the abode is estimated to be worth upward of $60 million.

Construction on the property was completed in 2010—the same year that Kultida’s custom dwelling was nearing completion, and it’s understood that mother and son moved into their respective homes at around the same time, living just a 15-minute drive from each other for more than a decade.

Kultida, who was born in Thailand, was married to Tiger’s father, Earl, for 37 years until his passing in May 2006. The couple met when Earl was stationed in Bangkok while serving in the U.S. Army Special Forces.

Despite Earl’s military background, Tiger confessed to USA Today in a 2017 interview that his mother was always the “enforcer” in their home.

“My mom was the enforcer. My dad may have been in the Special Forces, but I was never afraid of him,” Tiger said at the time. “My mom’s still here, and I’m still deathly afraid of her. She’s a very tough, tough old lady, very demanding.

“She was the hand, she was the one, I love her so much, but she was tough. There was zero negotiation.”