Earl D. Woods, who was role model, career architect, cheerleader and first golf coach for his youngest son, Tiger Woods, died early Wednesday at his home in Cypress after a long battle with cancer, his son said. He was 74.
"My dad was my best friend and greatest role model," Tiger Woods said in a statement on his website. "He was an amazing dad, coach, mentor, soldier, husband and friend. I wouldn't be where I am today without him."
Earl Woods was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1998 and underwent radiation treatment. He told reporters in September 2004 that the cancer had returned and spread throughout his body.
He later revealed to close friends that the cancer had affected his brain and spine.
Woods had suffered a heart attack 10 years ago and had undergone quadruple bypass surgery but recovered despite complications.
Tiger Woods skipped this week's PGA Tour event in Charlotte, N.C., to spend time with his father.
Earl Woods was president of ETW Corp., which handles his son's business dealings, and chairman of the Tiger Woods Foundation, which in February opened the Tiger Woods Learning Center, a $25-million project in Anaheim for underprivileged youth. But Earl Woods earned his reputation for his overriding influence on the development of his golfer son.
Greg McLaughlin, executive director of the Tiger Woods Foundation and president of the Tiger Woods Learning Center, said he met Earl Woods in 1991 and realized quickly that the father had high goals for his son.
"Earl was the driving force in the development of the foundation and certainly has to be credited with that," McLaughlin said. "But Earl was always such a visionary. I knew that as soon as I met him.
"He would say things about his son and his accomplishments ... that I thought were very aggressive. I thought he was just being a proud father. But, ironically, most of what he said came true, like Tiger being a dominant talent and threatening [Jack] Nicklaus' records. But at first, I thought, 'This guy is really out there.' It amazes me now how much has come true."
Tiger Woods, the top-ranked player in the world, has won 48 PGA Tour events since turning pro in 1996 at 20. He has won 10 major championships and, at Earl Woods' urging, hopes to challenge Nicklaus' record of 18.
Nicklaus told the Associated Press on Wednesday that he had "admired and related to the close bond" between Tiger and Earl.
