Tiger Woods hasn’t played a single tournament this year, but he hasn’t missed a moment that mattered. From his son Charlie Woods’ junior golf tournaments to his daughter Sam’s finals and graduation, the 15-time major champion has been right there on the sidelines, in the crowd, or trailing a group quietly from a cart. Injuries may have pulled him off the leaderboard, but they haven’t pulled him away from being a father.

That’s why Charlie’s latest win carried more than just trophy weight. “Now I can say I have one, and Dad can’t say I don’t,” the 15-year-old said after clinching his first American Junior Golf Association title at the Team TaylorMade Invitational. It was a breakthrough for Charlie, who shot 15-under-par across three days– 70, 65, and 66, to win by three strokes at Streamsong Resort’s Blue Course. But more than a personal milestone, it ended a long-standing inside joke between father and son: that Tiger had a title, and Charlie didn’t.

Tiger wasn’t in attendance for that win, but he was there for what came next. When Charlie teed off at the Florida Amateur Championship this week, Tiger showed up at BallenIsles Country Club in Palm Beach Gardens, trailing his group in a cart. 

 This was the elder Woods’ first significant public sighting since rupturing his left Achilles tendon in March 2025. No boot, no limp, no entourage. Just a recovering dad, there to see his son begin Round 1 with a 2-over 74, tied for 39th heading into Friday’s round.

It’s part of a consistent pattern for Woods in recent years. He watched Charlie’s US Junior Amateur debut in Michigan last summer, even when he couldn’t caddie. He was at the Florida State High School Championship, cheering from the ropes. At the 2024 PNC Championship, Tiger and Charlie teamed up to finish runner-up, during which Charlie carded his first hole-in-one. 

And it’s not just Charlie who Tiger shows up for. He’s been present for his daughter, Sam, too, but not on a golf course. Their bond plays out away from fairways and driving ranges, shaped by an entirely different dynamic. Unlike her younger brother, Sam never gravitated toward golf. In fact, she’s kept a deliberate distance. The reason why, as Tiger once explained, goes far deeper than preference.

A Game That Gave—and Took Away

The sport that bonds him to Charlie is the same one that, for years, pulled him away from her. In a revealing interview, Woods once shared that Sam associates golf with absence. “When she was growing up, golf took daddy away from her,” he said. “So we developed our own relationship, our own rapport that’s outside of golf. Meanwhile, my son and I, we do everything golf-related. It’s very different.”

That distance wasn’t a result of neglect, but of the relentless travel and pressure that defined Tiger’s prime years. And it left its mark. Sam, now a high school graduate from The Benjamin School and headed to Stanford, has consciously chosen her own lane—soccer. It’s a sport she’s grown up loving, one where her father could show up not as Tiger Woods, the golfer, but simply as Dad. Back in March, Woods stood among fellow parents in DeLand, cheering as Sam helped her school win the Florida State Soccer Championship. Two months later, he was in the stands again for her graduation. 

Woods has long said he never pushed his children to follow in his footsteps. In a 2018 interview, he said, “If they want to play golf, that’s great. If they don’t, that’s fine too. As long as they’re outside and active, I’m happy.” Charlie gravitated toward the sport on his own, fueled by the same competitive streak that drove Tiger for decades. Sam didn’t, and that was okay. 

Now, even as Charlie’s name begins to rise in headlines, Woods’ measure of success is no longer limited to trophies or titles. Whether it’s walking nine holes behind Charlie or sitting on the bleachers for Sam, he’s there. Not just chasing legacy, but making one at home.