Tiger Woods War veteran who was mostly African American with traces of European descent. Earl's mother Maude Carter was light skinned. Some people suggested that she had Native American and Chinese ancestry. Tiger refers to his ethnic make-up as ""Cablinasian"" (a syllabic abbreviation he coined from Caucasian, Black, American Indian, and Asian). Woods' first name—Eldrick—was coined by his mother because it began with "E" (for Earl) and ended with "K" (for Kultida). His middle name Tont is a traditional Thai name. He was nicknamed Tiger in honor of his father's friend Col. Vuong Dang Phong, who had also been known as Tiger.
The Tiger Rising when Rob discovers a tiger in the forest (locked up in a cage) while wandering the woods. He then meets a girl named Sistine Bailey who has recently moved nearby. Rob shows Sistine the tiger. Rob, who usually keeps his feelings locked away begins to involuntarily open up emotionally to Sistine. Though Sistine insists on letting the tiger go, Rob is wary of what will happen to it if he does. Rob finally relents and releases the tiger, letting it run into the woods. However, just moments later, Rob's father shoots the tiger dead. At the tiger's funeral, Sistine recites