Being Tiger Woods‘s daughter is no easy task. Everyone expected you to take up golf, but you chose to follow your dreams. Then, there is the constant weight of expectations. You see, you are expected to replicate or at least showcase a part of the greatness that defined your father. To her credit, Sam Woods has done an excellent job in soccer so far, and she is continuing to do so. In a different sport!

As a defender, Sam Woods helped her school clinch the Class 2A State Championship in her final year at the school, watched by her proud father from the sidelines. “To go all the way, to end on a win, to end having a ring and having a gold medal is absolutely the best way to go out. We’ve had such amazing chemistry with this team. I can’t ask for a better team to have played my final games with,” she explained after the much sought-after victory. To bow out in such fashion is amazing, but Woods’s sports career at Benjamin High School did not end there. She played yet another integral part in yet another state championship. This time it was in track and field.

Competing at the University of North Florida’s reputed Hodges Stadium, Sam Woods took part in four events for the Benjamin School on May 10. She placed second and fourth in two of the relay competitions, as her school claimed the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 1A girls’ track and field team championship. The school earned 61 points, outdistancing Tallahassee Maclay by 16 points. While Sam saw success in the relay events, she struggled in individual competition, finishing 18th overall in the 100-meter hurdles and 17th in the 400 hurdles. In the 4X800 relay, she ran the third leg; in the 4X400, she ran the same leg en route to a fourth-place finish.

This is another huge milestone for the young Woods, with graduation just mere days away for the young sports star. It will be an emotional day for Sam Woods, who has given it all for her school on the soccer field as well as the racetrack. The schedule for her upcoming week is a bit packed. The Benjamin School’s “senior awards” take place on Wednesday, May 14, followed by the class of 2025 high school graduation on Friday, May 16.

Sam Woods is moving on to Stanford University, where Tiger Woods made his mark as one of the most prolific young golfers in the world. However, Sam, unlike her dad, would be pursuing sciences, especially biology and psychology, in which she has professed interest. Though the university boasts one of the best golf programs in the country, Sam will not take part in it.

Why did Sam Woods not take up golf?

With her athletic proficiency, a golfing career would have made sense for the Florida resident. However, Sam Woods chose to stay away from the sport, despite possibly having the chance to have one of the greatest players in the sport as a mentor. Why was that? She made that decision because having a golfing career would mean spending a long time away from her father due to tournaments happening all around the country.

This is something her younger brother Charlie is going through right now. Despite making that decision at a very early age, Sam had not shirked away from the course. She caddied for both her brother and father during the 2023 PNC Championship. It was a huge moment for Tiger Woods, who explained, “Sam was fantastic. This is the first time she’s ever done this, so it couldn’t have been any more special for all of us.”

Do you think Sam Woods could have made a big splash in the golfing world if she had taken up the sport?