By Rhonda
Tiger Woods, one of the world’s greatest athletes and the most impactful players golf has ever known, was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame this week. His daughter, Sam, sweetly introduced him and gave us a few snippets into their intensely private lives, “It’s been at the soccer fields and golf tournaments over the years that Charlie and I have begun to realize how famous he actually is.” Really – is there anyone who doesn’t know the name Tiger Woods?
Sam went on to give us a stunning revelation about her uber private father, “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?” Well, he is, and thanks for the 4-1-1 Sam. Who knew?
Tiger was slated to speak for seven minutes, but spoke for 17 minutes without notes or a teleprompter. One of the most private and guarded athletes ever spoke from the heart. He was raw and emotional. It was one one the few times Tiger let us in on his world, his memories.
Tiger spoke mostly of family stories and reminded us that our loved ones are paramount. As Woods spoke of the sacrifices his mother and father made when he was 14 so he could join the AJGA Tour, he got choked up. His feelings were visceral and we understood exactly what he was saying – his family made him who he is. His family has been with him through his most touching and fragile moments. No matter how big his name is.
“I know that golf is an individual sport,” said Woods. “We do things on our own a lot for hours on end, but in my case, I didn’t get here alone.”
We’ve all heard the tale. Tiger’s father and most influential role model, Earl, taught him to play golf in the dark when he was just a kid. Woods recalled when he would sneak onto the Navy Golf Course after his father got off of work. “I would sneak down the first hole to the second hole,” said Woods, “but dad taught me how to always grab a piece of foliage, cover yourself up, listen for noise. If you hear anybody coming, lay still (laughter). Part sniper.”
Tiger’s passion to play golf drove him. He told us how darkness came fast during winter and Earl had a rule that if someone lost a ball, it was time to drive in. “Part of understanding how to shape shots and knowing where I hit it on the face, where I would hit it all started then,” said Woods. “So if I hit it, I pulled it left, it’s up the left side, it’s going to be here. We’d drive there, it’s there, we can continue playing. The furthest I ever made was 17 holes in the dark. Never quite got to 18.”
The part of Tiger’s speech that really hit me hard was when he told us that, as a junior golfer, he was denied access to some of the clubhouses because of the color of his skin. His father instilled in him the need to be twice as good to be given half the chance. It’s the reason why Tiger made practice so difficult it hurt. It’s the reason Woods named his son after Charlie Sifford, the first Black member of the PGA Tour.
Being denied entrance into clubhouses didn’t stop young Tiger. It just made him want it even more. As he said, “I had this burning desire to be able to express myself in this game of golf.” It made him into a fighter. “So as I was denied access into the clubhouses, that’s fine,” said Woods. “Put my shoes on here in the parking lot. I asked two questions only, that was it. Where was the first tee, and what was the course record. Not complicated.” YES! I love this so much – it’s the essence of Tiger Woods.
Sam told us of his fighting spirit when she brought down the house with her speech. She looked back on Tiger’s scary car crash. “We didn’t know if you’d come home with two legs or not, ” Sam Woods said. “Now not only are you about to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, but you’re standing here on your own two feet. That is why you deserve this, because you’re a fighter.”
Sam Woods says she can still hear her grandfather’s voice,“Train hard, fight easy,’ an old special forces saying that he ingrained into Tiger who now says it to his children. A fighter raising two fighters. Watch out, world.
Picture Credit: Shutterstock, Wikimedia
