‘Makes Me Smile’: Tiger Woods Once Publicly Took Down Critics Who Had a Major Misconception About His Fathers Teachings

No great athlete was ever forced into their sport. Forcing someone to do something usually pushes them away from it. So the numerous claims that Earl Woods pushed his son, Tiger Woods, to play the sport, seem ridiculous. But Tiger once forced those accusers to eat their own words by boldly shutting down their claims. What was it that the 15-time major championship winner said that silenced the critics who believed that he was forced into it? Let’s find out.

Woods undoubtedly shared an incredibly close bond with his father, who passed away in 2006. Earl was, after all, his inspiration for playing golf, as well as his mentor. They shared a lot of great memories on the golf course, too.

Tiger Woods dismissed the absurd claims

The GOAT has undoubtedly had a fantastic career so far. With a long list of accomplishments, it’s evident that his talent and love for the spirit are endless. Yet some have been claiming for decades that he didn’t willingly take up the sport. But Woods shut them down with his words in ‘My Game’ with Golf Digest in 2022.

“When I look back on golf, it always makes me smile,” he said. “I’ve always enjoyed the game of golf.” The 82-time PGA Tour winner added that had he ever been “forced into it” or “pushed into it,” then he probably would have never played again. But fortunately for the golf world, that was never the case.

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The golf legend claimed that ever since he began playing the game, he loved it. “I’ve always enjoyed it,” he said with a smile. “It was fun.” It is certain that had Woods been forced to play, he never would have given it his all and never would have scaled the heights he did.

Earl Woods shut down the same claim two decades ago

In 2002, Earl sat down with Lawrence Donegan from The Guardian for a feature in the Observer Sport Monthly. There too, he was questioned about pressuring  to whether he ever put pressure on Woods to play golf. The golf pro’s father was irked by the claim. “It was never a question of me forcing Tiger to play golf,” he explained. “Everything came from him.”

The military man explained that Tiger was all in from the start. Ever since he was a child, he has loved playing the sport and being on the course. He was holding a club since he could barely walk, and that showed how much he loved the sport.

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Do you believe Woods would be the same person today if his father had forced the game on him back then? Let us know in the comments below.