Woods was born in Cypress, California. His parents Kultida (Tida) (born 1944) and Earl Woods (1932–2006). He is the only child of their marriage. He does have two half-brothers, Earl Jr. (born 1955) and Kevin (born 1957) and a half-sister, Royce (born 1958) from the 18-year marriage of Earl Woods and his first wife, Barbara Woods Gray. Earl, a retired lieutenant colonel and Vietnam War veteran, was of mostly African-American, as well as Caucasian and possible Native American and Chinese ancestry. Kultida (née Punsawad), originally from Thailand (where Earl had met her on a tour of duty in 1968), is of mixed Dutch, Chinese and Thai ancestry.