Tiger Woods’ daughter, Sam, is choosing not to follow her father’s golfing path.
During a rare live appearance on the “Today” show on May 1, the golf icon discussed how his frequent travels for tournaments created a “negative connotation” of the sport for his 16-year-old daughter, whom he shares with ex-wife Elin Nordegren.
“Golf took daddy away from her,” Woods, 48, explained. “I had to pack and leave, and I would be gone for weeks, which she didn’t like.”
Despite caddying for her father at the PNC Championship in Florida last December, Sam and Tiger have cultivated a relationship that largely exists outside of golf. “We’ve developed our own rapport that’s outside of golf, doing things that don’t involve the sport,” Woods shared on the show.
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This divergence from golf doesn’t mean Woods didn’t try to share his passion with Sam. Shortly after her birth in 2007, he even placed a golf club in her hands, although she was too small to hold it. Over the years, Sam has been a supportive presence at many of her father’s tournaments and played a significant role during his World Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Florida in March 2022.
At the ceremony, she touched on the uncertainty following her father’s 2021 car crash, saying, “We didn’t know if you’d come home with two legs or not.”
Meanwhile, Sam’s younger brother, Charlie, 15, is more directly following in his father’s footsteps. Although he recently missed the cut attempting to qualify for the U.S. Open with a 9-over-par 81 at the Legacy Golf & Tennis Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida, Charlie has enjoyed success in golf, competing alongside his father in the PNC Championship for the last four years.
In March, Charlie also celebrated a significant achievement when his school won the Class 1A golf state championship in North Palm Beach, Florida, an event for which he received a championship ring.
Reflecting on his relationships with his children, Tiger noted, “My son and I, we do everything golf-related. It’s very different.”
