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‘Lets See Results’: Labelling Tiger Woods as a Golfing Great, Father Earl Woods Laid Down a Blunt Condition for Other Pros to Match Up to His Son in 2002

Published 01/31/2023, 9:00 AM EST

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Tiger Woods was blessed to have his father by his side, guiding him throughout his golf career. The late Earl Woods’ confidence in his son was what gave us the greatest golfer of all time. According to the Observer Sports Monthly, Sr. Woods had faith in his son’s talent way back in 2002.

In 2021, the first part of HBO’s documentary about the five-time Masters winner, Tiger, revealed many facts. However, the truths occasionally came off as boasts, but Woods’ father was the only person who truly knew his son. He had been present from the very beginning. Earl said to his wife Kultida, “We have a genius on our hands,” after witnessing Tiger, under a year old, successfully hit his first golf shot. 

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His faith in his son was unbothered no matter how many great talents were put against him on the golf course. Therefore in April 2002, Earl cleared out his thoughts about his son’s challenges on the green.

Why did Earl Woods not find opponents challenging enough for Tiger Woods?

In the interview, Sr. Woods said, “I don’t see anything that great, not yet.” He further talked about the then-PGA pro, Sergio Garcia. He compared him to the 15 times major championship winner and said, “Garcia? How long has he been out – three years? And have you seen him beat Tiger consistently? Like I say, most of these guys have got talent, and they’ve got no fear.” However, Earl wanted the world to believe in what they saw. He said, “But let’s see results, and I don’t mean the money list. I mean, they have to beat Tiger on a consistent basis.”

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His words were enough proof of his trust in Woods’ capabilities. Earl Woods was never a father who forced his kids to pursue a particular career. Instead, he observed, let his son choose what he wanted, and supported him wholeheartedly. According to writer Peter de Jonge in 1995, Sr. Woods’ parenting style was “more Mr. Rogers than Great Santini … the two have the kind of unambivalent, unharried relationship more common between a grandfather and a grandson.

via Getty

However, now that Woods is a father of two, he can understand his father’s approach. But he doesn’t follow his father’s path when training his son. According to PEOPLE, Sr. Woods had a different vibe when he was teaching his son golf; he was strict. But in the case of the former number-one golfer, Woods chose to teach Charlie golf, just not the way he learned from his father.

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Watch This Story- Tiger Woods’ Father, Earl Woods Once Got Emotional While Expressing Pride for His Son’s Impact in the World

Fans have been waiting for Woods to return to the golf course this year and finally grab that 16th major victory. Will Woods actually be able to turn into a 16 times major winner? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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Written by:

Saumya Yashawant

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One take at a time

A Commerce graduate who turned her passion into her profession, Saumya is a Golf writer at Essentially Sports. Having developed the love for the sport at a very young age, she watched Tiger Woods and caught inspiration from his legacy early on. Apart from Woods, she shares great admiration for her country's players like Vishwanathan Anand and Neeraj Chopra.
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Edited by:

Manaal Siddiqui

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