Golf legend Tiger Woods was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame on Wednesday night, marked by a ceremony largely geared around one of the greatest and most celebrated ever to hit the links.
On hand were Woods' 13-year-old son Charlie, and 14-year-old daughter Sam, with the latter stepping up to the podium to deliver a heartfelt speech that was well received by both the assembled audience and on social media.
Sam, clad in a red dress in apparent homage to the iconic red tops long donned by her father for final-round Sundays, said she has always known Tiger first as a great father, and as a great golfer second.
"His continued presence has been a significant pattern throughout our relationship," she said. "Whether it's on FaceTime, or school pickups, or violin concerts, or when we failed to teach our dogs tricks -- he's always there. And it's been at the soccer fields and golf tournaments over the years that Charlie and I have begun to realize how famous he actually is. I mean, how can a guy who still FaceTimes his friends to discuss Marvel and DC timelines, and who goes to Comic Con dressed as Bat-Man, be one of the greatest golfers who ever lived?"
She closed her sweet remarks by saying Tiger already has his place in the "Dad Hall of Fame."
"Dad, I inducted you into the Dad Hall of Fame a long time ago, but today I am so proud to present my dad, Tiger Woods, into the World Golf Hall of Fame."
Tiger, for his part, choked up during his emotional speech, pausing to fight back tears after citing his late father, Earl, as the most influential figure in his life, and the person whose valuable life lessons helped guide him to greatness.
Prior to the ceremony, Tiger said he was immensely proud of his daughter and was excited for her to have a moment in the spotlight after Charlie's public debut in father-son tournaments in each of the past two years.
"This is a step for her, to show her own identity," Tiger said. "Sam has been in the background, but this is a way for her to kind of step out and show the special person that I know and love, and I've seen grow. The rest of the world is going to see how special she is."
Meanwhile, some of Tiger's fellow professionals on the PGA Tour paused to reflect on the immense impact he had on raising the profile -- and the purses -- of the sport. Per the Associated Press:
The Players Championship prize fund this week is $20 million, and that’s not lost on the players in the field. The entire purse was $3.5 million in 1997 when Woods made his debut. The winner this week gets $3.6 million.
“I think every pro out here owes a debt of gratitude to Tiger because this sport wouldn’t be where it is today without his impact,” Patrick Cantlay, who won the $15 million prize last year as FedEx Cup champion, said earlier this week.
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