Tiger Woods gives an emotional acceptance speech Wednesday night as he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
World Golf Hall of Fame
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla.— Breaking with tradition, Sam Woods wore red to honor her father on a day other than Sunday, then gave a winning introductory speech as Tiger Woods was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame on Wednesday night.
Woods, 46, celebrated the occasion with his family, Sam, 14, son Charlie, 13, his mother, Tida, and girlfriend, Erica Herman, at PGA Tour headquarters, where former commissioner Tim Finchem, three-time U.S. Women’s Open Susie Maxwell Berning and women’s golf pioneer Marion Hollins were also inducted.
The best was saved for last as Woods’ monumental career was highlighted in a long video that had no chance of capturing his 82 PGA Tour wins, his 15 major championships, the impact he made on the game and admirers around the world, and the comebacks his made from injury and personal duress.
But Sam picked a different competitive moment to highlight, one in which Woods did not prevail. It was the 2007 U.S. Open at Oakmont, where he was unable to catch eventual winner Angel Cabrera, failing to birdie the final hole.
“In 2007, my dad found himself in a position to make an 18-foot putt to force a U.S. Open playoff, which he missed by a foot,’’ she said. “He then had to rush to the airport, fly from Pittsburgh to Orlando, and drive to the Winnie Palmer Hospital.
“Within five minutes of walking into the hospital room, still wearing his red golf shirt, on June 18, I was born. He may have lost that day, but he won the greatest gift of all.’’
Sam made reference to the grandfather she never met, Earl Woods, calling him “my dad’s most influential role model’’ and a point made clear later when Woods himself became emotional talking about the role his parents played in his upbringing and career.
“Train hard, fight easy,’’ were the words they both used to describe the simple mantra that Earl, who passed away in 2006, impressed upon his son.
“One of the things that dad instilled in me is that he grew up in an era, same era as Charlie Sifford, and why my son is named after Charlie, is that you had to be twice as good to be given half a chance,’’ Woods said, describing the racial difficulties of those times.
“So, that understanding and that drive, as Sam said, train hard, fight easy. I made practicing so difficult, hurt so much, because I wanted to make sure that I was ready come game time. I hit thousands of balls, hands bleeding, aching, just so that I could play in a tournament.’’
Woods is still recovering from injuries he suffered in a Feb. 23, 2021, car crash that put him in a hospital for weeks and unable to walk for months.
“Recently, dad had to train harder than ever,’’ Sam said. “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. We didn’t know if you’d come home with two legs or not. Now not only are you about to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, but you’re standing here on your own two feet.
“This is why you deserve this, because you’re a fighter. You’ve defied the odds every time, being the first Black and Asian golfer to win a major, being able to win your fifth Masters after multiple back surgeries, and being able to walk just a few months after your crash.’’
There were numerous lighter moments such as when Berning, 80, acknowledged Woods during her induction speech, grinning: “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.
“And by the way, Tiger, of my three U.S. Opens, the total winnings was $16,000. I was wondering if you’d like to swap checks. Perhaps, if not all, we could do one, right?’’
Woods, who has earned more than $110 million in his PGA Tour career in on-course prize money, has often been credited with generating enormous growth in the game. Helping oversee it was Finchem, who became PGA Tour commissioner in 1994, two years prior to Woods turning pro, and retired in 2016.
In attendance were 27 members of the World Golf Hall of Fame, including Ben Crenshaw, Nancy Lopez, Retief Goosen, Tom Kite, Juli Inkster, Mark O’Meara, Davis Love III, Karrie Webb and Sandy Lyle.
PGA Tour players in attendance were Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Tony Finau, Zach Johnson, Bubba Johnson and Billy Horschel. And so was Woods’ caddie, Joe LaCava, who has worked for him since 2011.
“I feel very fortunate because there is this sort of saying that you shouldn’t meet your heroes,’’ said Rory McIlroy, 32, who has 20 PGA Tour victories and four major championships. “And Tiger was my hero when I met him and lived up to expectations.
“He’s been nothing but unbelievable to me and my family and he’s been awesome. And he’s been an inspiration to so many of us that are out here playing this golf tournament (the Players Championship) this week, and to see him inducted into the Hall of Fame, which is obvious. . . like of course he was going to be a Hall of Famer when he was five years old.’’
Finchem told a story about leaving Tour headquarters – where the 1994 U.S. Amateur was being played at TPC Sawgrass – to attend the event at Firestone in Akron, Ohio, which was being played the same weekend. Woods that Sunday would capture the first of three straight U.S. Amateur titles, this one in dramatic fashion.
“We give out the trophy, and I go into the locker room and all the players are gathered around the television, and they’re watching Tiger Woods play in the Amateur,’’ Finchem said. “I’ve never seen Tour players interested in watching any golf on a day they were finishing a tournament in time to get out of town. It was amazing to me that this kid generated that level of focus.
“It was the beginning of understanding the Tiger Woods phenomenon – three years later he wins the Masters. And in those days, Augusta National had a dinner for members, and there were five or six of us who weren’t members who were invited to come to this dinner to celebrate the champion.
“So, we sit down for dinner and I look up and there’s like 90 green coats lined up all through the tables, lined up with their menu cards to get Tiger Woods to sign. It was a phenomenon. And ever since then it’s been the same thing.’’
Collin Morikawa, who has already won two major titles and a World Golf Championships event at age 25, was just a few months old at the time Woods won the 1997 Masters.
“He’s everything, right?’’ Morikawa said. “I grew up watching him. I wanted to compete against him. I just wanted to meet him.’’
Justin Thomas has been able to do far more than that. The 14-time PGA Tour winner who won the 2017 PGA Championship and partnered with Woods at the 2019 Presidents Cup for two victories, he become a close friend, forging a special bond despite an 18-year difference in age.
Much like O’Meara – also 18 years older – was once to Woods, now Woods is in many ways to Thomas. They are neighbors, and when that has been possible, frequent golf course buddies.
Thomas recalled watching Woods for the first time at the 2000 PGA Championship at Valhalla in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky as a young boy. It so happened that Woods captured his third straight major title that week on his way to four in a row, the so-called Tiger Slam.
“What he’s done for the game since then is just monumental,’’ Thomas said. “I don’t think I could even come close to putting it into words. He’s been a massive impact and influence on me, and I’m very happy that I got an afternoon tee time (at the Players Championship on Thursday) so I can watch him get inducted.
“It’s going to be a pretty cool, special night.’’ It turned out to be far more.
“I know that golf is an individual sport,’’ Woods said. “We do things on our own a lot for hours on end, but in my case, I didn’t get here alone. I had unbelievable parents, mentors, friends, who allowed me and supported me in the toughest times, the darkest of times, and celebrated the highest of times.
“So, I just want to say thank you to my mom, Sam, Erica, Charlie, everyone here, all my friends that have come to be here. This is an individual award, but it’s actually a team award. All of you allowed me to get here. I just want to say thank you very much from the bottom of my heart.’’