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Tiger Woods of the United States and daughter, Sam Woods, look on from the 18th green during the final round of the PNC Championship at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club on December 17, 2023 in Orlando, Florida© Getty

Tiger Woods reveals 'negative' reason daughter Sam isn't interested in following in his footsteps on the golf course

The 15-time major golf champion shares two kids with ex-wife Elin Nordegren

Beatriz Colon
Beatriz Colon - New York
New York WriterNew York
May 1, 2024
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Tiger Woods may be one of the most famous golfers of our time, but don't expect his daughter to follow in his footsteps anytime soon.

Though the 15-time major champion has a golfing mini-me in his youngest son Charlie, 15, who has competed at a variety of tournaments – both with and without his dad – his daughter Sam, 16, is not as interested.

The athlete shares his two kids with ex-wife Elin Nordegren, who he married in 2004, though their marriage culminated with a highly-publicized divorce in 2010 after he made headlines over his multiple affairs.

During an appearance on the Today Show this week, Tiger shared the sad reason his daughter isn't interested in playing golf, revealing it stems from growing up with a busy dad.

Though Sam has been seen playing golf with her dad in the past, when asked by host Carson Daly if she's interested, Tiger maintained: "No, no, no," before explaining: "She has, I think, a kinda negative connotation to the game."

"Because at that time, when she was growing up, golf took daddy away from her," he went on, adding: "I had to pack, and I had to leave, and I had been gone for weeks, and there's a negative connotation to it."

sam woods and tiger woods pnc championship 2023© Getty
Tiger with his daughter in December of 2023

Still, he noted: "We developed our own relationship, our own rapport that is outside of golf. We do things that [don't] involve golf."

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As for his son, he shared: "My son and I, we do everything golf related. He listens to me about golf," though joked: "But he doesn't listen to anything else outside of that, because 'I don't know anything else.'"

tiger woods with children charlie and sam at pnc championship 2023© Getty
His kids are his mini-mes

He added: "Even then, there's a little bit of pushback in golf, which is totally cool, I mean, he's 15 years old. It's what happens, what teenagers go through, they're trying to find their own place in the world. I get it."

MORE: Tiger Woods' $54m oceanside mansion is the perfect playground for his two kids to golf

Charlie recently had both his mom and his dad by his side in late March, when he received his state championship ring after his school in Palm Beach, The Benjamin School, won the Class 1A golf title back in November, the fourth time they've done so.

Charlie Woods of The United States prepares to putt on the 18th hole shadowed by his father Tiger Woods during the final round of the PNC Championship at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club on December 17, 2023 in Orlando, Florida© Getty
Charlie is pursuing a career in golf

In photos shared by The Palm Beach Post of the event, both Tiger and Elin are seen looking proudly at their son and posing together as he showed off his new ring alongside his teammates.

The special day came shortly after Charlie failed to advance during a PGA Tour pre-qualifier for a chance to play in the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches in Florida, which took place from February 29 to March 3.

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