Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods' daughter, Sam Woods, introduced him at his World Golf Hall of Fame induction on Wednesday in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

“I mean, how can a guy who still FaceTimes his friends to discuss Marvel and DC timelines and who goes to Comic-Con dressed as Batman be one of the greatest golfers that ever lived?” “He then had to rush to the airport, fly from Pittsburgh to Orlando, and drive to the Winnie Palmer Hospital,” she said. “This is an old special forces saying that he ingrained into my dad, who now says it to Charlie and I,” Sam said. Sam, who was born in 2007, mentioned that she never met her grandfather, but “I feel like I can hear his voice every day reminding me to ‘train hard, fight easy.'” Charlie and Tiger have teamed up twice in the PNC, but on Wednesday night it was Woods’ oldest child, Sam, who took center stage to introduce her dad at his World Golf Hall of Fame induction. This is where it makes sense to mention that his yacht is called “Privacy,” but you probably already knew that.

Tiger's daughter, Sam, shared it while introducing her father at Wednesday's World Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Those words shaped Tiger's approach to ...

“All of you allowed me to get here.” He talked about playing in the dark with his dad until they lost a golf ball. Paying off that debt was one of the first things he did after he turned pro. But now that Tiger is a parent, a survivor and a man who’s experienced the full spectrum of life’s experiences, it made his induction more meaningful. She asked Tiger if he’d like to trade just one paycheck. This is why you deserve this, because you’re a fighter.” This opportunity to reflect on his career was filled with stories from his earliest days, showing that his fondest memories are from the days before he was famous. “I hit thousands of balls, hands bleeding, aching, just so that I could play in a tournament.” The message is simple: the more intense the preparation, the easier the task becomes. Tiger’s daughter, Sam, shared it while introducing her father at Wednesday’s World Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremony. By signing up you agree to the PGA TOUR Terms of Service and Privacy Policy By signing up you agree to the PGA TOUR Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

An emotional Tiger Woods reflected on his career and thanked his family and friends as he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame on Wednesday, ...

"About a year ago you were stuck in a hospital bed at one of your ultimate lows and one of the scariest moments of your life and ours. "I think the fact that he is a person of color and what that brings to the table in terms of golf being a more acceptable sport to play if you're from a certain ethnic background, I think that's left a huge mark on the game," Rory McIlroy said this week. The winner of this week's tournament at TPC Sawgrass will receive $3.6 million of a $20 million purse. He was ranked No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking for a record 683 weeks, tied a PGA Tour record with 82 victories and made a record 142 consecutive cuts. "I certainly think the game is more diverse because of him. He suffered serious injuries to his right leg and right foot in a car wreck near Los Angeles on Feb. 23, 2021. He won the 2000 U. S. Open by 15 strokes and the 2000 Open Championship by eight. No one had a more profound impact on the game of golf than Woods, whose daring play and dominance attracted minorities to the sport and made it cool for younger generations to play. He underwent multiple surgeries and said last month that he plans to return to competitive play, but just doesn't know when. "I know that golf is an individual sport," Woods said. He hasn't played in an official PGA Tour event since the Masters in November 2020. "You need to earn it."

Tiger Woods was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame at the PGA Tour headquarters in Florida on Wednesday.

Woods captained the US team to a Presidents Cup win in December 2019.Woods putts during the second round of the Masters in November 2020.Woods and his son, Charlie, warm up before the final round of the PNC Championship in December 2020. Tiger Woods was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame at the PGA Tour headquarters in Florida on Wednesday.After being introduced and presented with the award by his daughter, Woods kicked off his speech emotionally: "Thank you. Tiger Woods reacts as he wins the Masters on April 14, 2019, in Augusta.While he is yet to set a date for his return to the Tour, he played with his son Charlie at the PNC Championship in December, finishing second.The importance of his family featured throughout Woods' acceptance speech. Woods spent the week training with Army troops before hosting a junior golf clinic for his Tiger Woods Foundation. Woods' father, Earl, was stationed at the base in the 1960s.Woods and Phil Mickelson line up their putts during the final round of the Ford Championship in March 2005. For much of Woods' career, Mickelson was considered his biggest rival.Woods celebrates with his caddie, Steve Williams, after his famous chip-in at the 2005 Masters. Woods went on to win his fourth green jacket.Woods hugs Williams after winning the British Open in Hoylake, England in 2006. He pleaded guilty to reckless driving and went on probation.his first PGA Tour victory since 2013.Woods is trailed by jubilant fans during the final round of the Tour Championship in Atlanta in 2018. It was Woods' first major win since the death of his father just a couple of months earlier.Woods stands with his mother, Kultida, and his daughter, Sam, as a statue of him and his father is unveiled at the Tiger Woods Learning Center in Anaheim, California, in January 2008.Woods had a fractured tibia and a torn ligament in his knee, but he gutted out a playoff win over Rocco Mediate at the 2008 US Open. It was his third US Open win and his 14th major title.President Barack Obama hosted Woods in the White House Oval Office in April 2009.Woods holds his daughter, Sam, as he and his wife, Elin, attend a Stanford football game in November 2009. Throughout his life, Woods has worn red on the final day of a big tournament.Woods played two years of college golf at Stanford University. He won the NCAA individual golf title in 1996.Woods turned professional in August 1996, and it didn't take long for him to win his first tournament. At the time, it was also a record-low Masters score of 18 under par.Woods hugs his father, Earl, after winning the 1997 Masters. Earl, a former Green Beret, was widely credited with developing his son's prodigious talent and pushing him to be the ultimate competitor.Woods arrives at an airport in Hamburg, Germany, in May 2000.Woods plays a shot from the ninth fairway during the 2000 US Open in Pebble Beach, California. Woods won the tournament by 15 shots, a record for any major. It was Woods' third major title by this point; he had also won the 1999 PGA Championship.A month after the US Open, Woods won the 2000 British Open at the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland. That gave him the career Grand Slam — a win in each of the four different majors — at the age of 24.Woods chips out of the rough at the 2000 PGA Championship in Louisville, Kentucky. Throughout his career, Woods has always had the largest galleries, with thousands of people flocking from hole to hole to watch him play. He's also been credited with bringing in millions of new fans to the sport.Woods reacts as he sinks a putt during a playoff at the 2000 PGA Championship. Woods defeated Bob May in the playoff to win his third straight major.Fans watch Woods tee off on the 18th hole at the 2001 Masters. Woods went on to win the event and complete what's now called the Tiger Slam — four consecutive major titles.Woods chats with golf legend Jack Nicklaus at the Memorial tournament in June 2001. Six weeks after he announced he was going pro — with a famous "Hello, world" ad campaign for Nike — Woods won the Las Vegas Invitational. That earned him this big check, a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour and a spot in the following year's Masters tournament.Woods made history at the 1997 Masters, blowing away the field by 12 strokes to win his first major.

Tiger Woods was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame on Wednesday night. He was introduced by his 14-year-old daughter, Sam.

"Without the sacrifices of Mom who took me to all those junior golf tournaments, and Dad, who's not here, but who instilled in me this work ethic to fight for what I believe in, chase after my dreams, nothing's ever going to be given to you, everything's going to be earned," he said. It not only teaches us that we have to put in the hard work to get what he wanted, but it's that hard work that will pay off in the end." And he won on a broken leg at the 2008 U.S. Open and captured his fifth Masters in 2019 following spinal fusion surgery (his fifth back surgery, to go along with five surgeries on his left knee). "I had this burning desire to be able to express myself in this game of golf," Woods said. I hit thousands of balls, hands bleeding, aching, just so that I could play in a tournament. A proud father hugged his daughter on the stage before beginning his 17-minute speech. His peers followed him into the gym and the game became one featuring more power. He promptly won three times on the PGA Tour in his first 10 starts. "And by the way, Tiger, of my three U. S. Opens, the total winnings (were) $16,000. "About a year ago you were stuck in a hospital bed at one of your ultimate lows and one of the scariest moments of your life and ours," the 14-year-old Sam said, referring to her father's single-car accident last February that nearly took his life. Woods became the needle that moved the sport. "Tiger, I know it's hard for you to believe, but as young as I am, I won all my tournaments before you were born," she said to laughter.

The 46-year-old Tiger Woods, joining his Sam daughter on stage, melted into her arms and lost it after her speech inducting him into the World Golf Hall of ...

“You kind of were a dork if you played golf. “I just lost a bet to [Steve] Stricker that I wouldn’t cry. I just wanted to meet him.” I wanted to compete against him. “When I was in high school, golf was still kind of not really considered a cool sport to play,” Dustin Johnson said. “In 2007, my dad got himself in position to make an 18-foot putt to force a U. S. Open playoff, which he missed by a foot,” she recalled. “Crap,’’ a watery-eyed Woods said, trying to lighten the moment. This is why you deserve this, because you’re a fighter.” Everybody wanted to be like Tiger.” You wanted to be No. 1 in the world. “We didn’t know if you’d come home with two legs or not,” she said. “I grew up watching him.

The World Golf Hall of Fame inducted four new members Wednesday, highlighted by 82-time TOUR winner Tiger Woods. Former PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem, ...

I want to thank Deane Beman. Deane Beman, I think a lot of you might not recognize the fact that when Deane came down here and took over the PGA TOUR and started to build it, the net worth of the PGA TOUR was $150,000. So one of the neatest things in the world for me was to play on a golf course as I read the name of the golf course and it had the two letters afterward, CC. Holly I think of as the MVP of our family day in and day out. And I got up there, and TOUR players usually, when they get done with their rounds, they head for the hills, get ready to get down the road, and get ready for the next tournament. So without the sacrifices of Mom who took me to all those junior golf tournaments, and Dad, who's not here, but who instilled in me this work ethic to fight for what I believe in, chase after my dreams, nothing's ever going to be given to you, everything's going to be earned. 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. So my dad would be in the cart, and we'd go out there, and at the age of 8, I would play underage the golf course. But that -- one of the things that drove me was his passion to play the game of golf. So part of understanding how to shape shots and knowing where I hit it on the face, where I would hit it all started then. So they could only see on the Norse side of The Ditch. So I would sneak down the first hole to the second hole. Well, that's kind of how I learned to play the game of golf. My dad was playing, and he was a member and was able to play at what was called the Navy Golf Course in Long Beach, California. In order to play as a dependent, you had to be 10 years old or older.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The greatest of his generation, Tiger Woods took his place among the best of all time Wednesday night when he was inducted ...

Woods, the first player of Black and Asian heritage to win a major at the 1997 Masters when he was 21, also spoke of the discrimination he felt as a youth. And he kept the PGA TOUR strong with sponsors during the recession of 2008. It was on the famous par-3 17th hole at the TPC Sawgrass in the 1994 U.S. Amateur when Woods first delivered the uppercut that would define his celebration. She noted she earned a total of $16,000 from her three Women's Open titles. Where was the first tee, and what was the course record? His record is so strong that Woods had three World Golf Hall of Fame careers in one. Woods never wanted to be looked upon as a golfer but rather an athlete. She won the U.S. Women’s Open three times — only five others have won at least three — in a six-year span. “So I was denied access into the clubhouses. THE PLAYERS Championship prize fund this week is $20 million, and that’s not lost on the players in the field. The winner this week gets $3.6 million. That defined my career.”

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The World Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremony is a TV show. There is a dedicated stage, with staffers zipping around the ...

He received the loudest ovation. His speech totaled 2,235 words on Wednesday night, and what stood out as he went off the cuff – clearly prepared, but unrehearsed – was that he was most comfortable talking about his life at a foundational level. Perhaps it’s because, at this point in life, at 46 years old and rehabbing a serious injury, his focus is almost entirely on his family. His foundation, then and now. As scripted as the show looked on paper, this wasn't a delay that anyone seemed to mind. That was clearly a conscious choice, to focus on his outsized life at an elemental level, and we can try to guess the reasons why. His memories, some 40 years later, were as vivid as ever, and he spoke not about the famous moments we’ve seen on the “Mike Douglas Show,” but rather the ones we hadn’t heard, at least not publicly, not like this. The inspiring comebacks. The crushing injuries. The scandals. And there is a color-coded rundown of how the evening is supposed to unfold – set times for the introductions and the highlight videos and the Class of 2022 induction speeches. PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The World Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremony is a TV show.

Tiger Woods will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Wednesday evening — but his caddie Joe LaCava is looking ahead, too.

“I realize that I’m a tail-end guy, but I also feel like I’m a part of his career, so I’m psyched that he asked me and my wife to come down and be a part of it. So, I mean, if he can get around a golf course, he could still be dangerous, if that happens.” LaCava saw firsthand the effort it took for Woods to stage his previous comeback from back fusion surgery, which culminated in his victory at the 2019 Masters. He knows that this time around will be even more demanding. So I think he’s willing to give it one more hard go on, you know, the work that he’s gotta put into it.” He loves to do this more than anything, like all the guys,” LaCava said. “He takes it one day at a time, but he’s certainly hoping to get back.

Tiger Woods arrived at PGA Tour headquarters on Wednesday afternoon ahead of his World Golf Hall of Fame induction.

Tiger Woods arrived at PGA Tour headquarters on Wednesday afternoon in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, ahead of his World Golf Hall of Fame induction. And he did so in typical Tiger fashion.

Tiger Woods was set to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame on Wednesday night as much for what he's done for the game as for what he's done on the ...

His statistics and the way he plays and swings, it’s so radically different from the rest of us how we play golf and approach the game. “He’s an inspiration for all of us just the way he plays golf,” Scheffler said. “He’s been an inspiration for so many of us that are out here playing this golf tournament this week. “He’s been a massive impact and influence on me.’’ “He’s to thank for even this [Players Championship] purse being $20 million. “You kind of were a dork if you played golf. “He’s created what golf is today and we’re all products of it,” Schauffele said. But Tiger made it actually a cool sport to play. “There is this sort of saying that you shouldn’t meet your heroes, and Tiger was my hero when I met him, and he lived up to expectations,’’ McIlroy said. For all that I have done, I am so sorry.” I wanted to compete against him. I just wanted to meet him.’’

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The greatest of his generation, Tiger Woods took his...

Sure, there was the appearance on the Mike Douglas Show when he was a 2-year-old prodigy, and the three straight U.S. Junior Amateur titles. And he kept the PGA Tour strong with sponsors during the recession of 2008. Woods, the first player of Black and Asian heritage to win a major at the 1997 Masters when he was 21, also spoke of the discrimination he felt as a youth. She noted she earned a total of $16,000 from her three Women's Open titles. Where was the first tee, and what was the course record? His record is so strong that Woods had three Hall of Fame careers in one. Woods never wanted to be looked upon as a golfer but rather an athlete. She won the U.S. Women’s Open three times — only five others have won at least three — in a six-year span. “So I was denied access into the clubhouses. The Players Championship prize fund this week is $20 million, and that’s not lost on the players in the field. “I asked two questions only, that was it. The winner this week gets $3.6 million.

In Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Tiger Woods recalls the "team" that pulled him through his triumphs and darkest times.

About a year ago you were stuck in a hospital bed at one of your ultimate lows and one of the scariest moments of your life and ours. I just want to say thank you very much from the bottom of my heart.” Well, playing at some of these golf courses, I was not allowed in the clubhouses where all the other juniors were. In a reflective and nostalgic mood, Woods’ comments, which he made without notes or a teleprompter, focused largely on his modest upbringing in Southern California. He recalled learning the game at the Heartwell par-3 course in Long Beach and smiled at the memory of coming home with a pocket full of dollars, much to his mother Kultida’s chagrin. “So I just want to say thank you to my mom, Sam, [girlfriend] Erica [Herman], Charlie, everyone here, all my friends that have come to be here. “I've been able to play around the world, see cultures, play different places. Finchem changed the tour; Tiger changed the world. Woods’ Hall of Fame induction, the most inevitable of inevitabilities, was an exercise in pure gratitude. “This is an old special forces saying that he ingrained into my dad, who now says it to Charlie and I. Golf’s power brokers congregated inside the PGA Tour’s glassy new headquarters to thank Woods—for the unforgettable moments he conjured, the barriers he broke and the generation he inspired. David Feherty opened proceedings with some good-natured (we think?) quips: “This building is big enough for both Bryson and Brooks’ ego!” Judy Rankin introduced her dear friend, the first of four inductees on the night, three-time U. S. Women’s Open champion Susie Maxwell Berning, who wondered if Woods might trade his three U.S. Open winners’ checks for hers, which totaled $16,000. There was no tournament humming in the background, no fundraising, no sponsor quid pro quo.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The greatest of his generation, Tiger Woods took his place among the best of all time Wednesday night when he was inducted ...