PINEHURST, North Carolina — Tiger Woods’ agent, Mark Steinberg, asked one of Woods’ loved ones if they would be willing to introduce their client at the award ceremony, which took place here in Pinehurst on Tuesday night, after learning that Woods would receive the 2024 Bob Jones Award, the highest honor bestowed by the United States Golf Association.
Sadly, nobody applied for the position.
Broadcaster Mike Tirico, who went on to win the presenting role, told the Carolina Hotel crowd, “Everyone on the Tiger team took a pass.” “Because no one wished to be outdone.”
That is, until Woods’ daughter Sam gave an incredible and heartfelt speech in 2022 to commemorate her father’s induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Take that as a lead? Woods’s trusted aides answered, “No thanks.” So, Steinberg called on Tirico, who has contributed to documenting a large portion of Woods’ illustrious career from his vantage point atop 18th-hole towers from California to Carnoustie.
Following Tirico’s introductory remarks, which focused on both Woods’s philanthropic endeavors through his TGR Foundation and his domination as a player, USGA CEO Mike Whan entered the podium to give Woods the prize itself: a bronze statue of Bob Jones.
Woods seems comfortable being in front of large groups of people, not just those who congregate on golf grounds. While reporters may be annoyed by Woods’ reluctance to provide personal information during press conferences, when he addresses crowded rooms full of admiring spectators, he speaks amiably, colorfully, and without the aid of notes or prompters. That’s what he did during his induction into the Hall of Fame, and he did it once more on Tuesday night when he made the audience laugh, including Sam, his son Charlie, and his mother Kultida, with the first line of his six-minute acceptance speech:
“Charlie told me not to let my head grow too big.”
In addition to discussing how young Tiger used to plan his calendar around the U.S. Junior Amateur and, a few years later, the U.S. Amateur, Woods also talked about the influence Bob Jones—dubbed “the greatest amateur that ever lived”—had on the game. Woods stated, “Winning that one big event was all I wanted to do.”
Nevertheless, Woods reserved his most moving and emotional remarks for last, when he discussed the crucial part his mother Tida had played in his ascent.
Woods replied to his mother, who was seated at a table with Sam and Charlie, “My mom doesn’t get enough credit.” “When I went on the road, everyone assumed it was my dad, and it was, but Mom was at home. In case you’re unaware, my mother has always been there for me.
Yes, Tida drove Woods to all those junior events throughout Southern California in her Plymouth Duster. Tida was the one who gave her kid his tenacity and motivation. Though in a less noticeable capacity than Earl, Tida was present for her son’s major victories, peeking out from under one of her recognizable wide-brimmed hats. A few years after Woods’ dramatic victory at the 2019 Masters, my colleague Michael Bamberger reported, “Tiger’s mom was watching in the clubhouse with her two grandchildren and others.” All of them were abruptly led outside and to the home green. Tida Woods, who was slightly over five feet tall and in her mid-seventies, had to cross a black braided chain that was a yard high in order to get there. She cleared it as if it were a big hurdle.
For Woods, all of that advice and assistance has been invaluable.
“I consider the stopwatch that began in 1990, particularly in ’96,” Woods remarked on Tuesday night. “Because my mother never attended any of my junior tournaments, I never felt more pressure to win a single event than I did during the final U.S. Amateur that I would ever play in. Mom didn’t attend any of my amateur events. It was her first trip to Pumpkin Ridge, and she was wearing her Stanford shirt. What if, you know, I had misplaced the damn thing? But who was the first person I hugged after making the winning putt? Yes, mother? You were the one.
“I accept this honor for my mother as well as the previous awardees, with great humility and admiration. I’m here because of her. I didn’t achieve this alone; she gave me the freedom to pursue my goals and the love and support I needed. My mother was my greatest rock, the greatest thing a youngster could have. I’m grateful, Mommy.
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