Tiger Woods said his teenage daughter wants nothing to do with golf after the game “took daddy away” when she was growing up.
When appearing on the “Today” show Wednesday, the 15-time major winner explained why daughter Sam, 16, has a “negative connotation” to the sport he forged his storied legacy.
“No, no, no,” Woods, 48, responded when asked by pal Carson Daly if Sam wants to play golf. “She has, I think, a negative connotation to the game because at that time… when she was growing up, golf took daddy away from her.
Tiger Woods explains why his daughter, Sam Alexis Woods, doesn’t want to play golf during an interview on the “TODAY” show in New York City on May 1, 2024.X/Today
“I had to pack, and I had to leave and I was gone for weeks and there was a negative connotation to it. So we developed our own relationship, our own rapport that’s outside of golf that we do things that don’t involve golf.
Tiger Woods, center, son Charlie, right, and daughter Sam, left, look on during the first round of the PNC Championship golf tournament Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023, in Orlando, Fla.AP
Tiger Woods, left; daughter Sam, center; and son Charlie, right; during the final round of the PNC Championship golf tournament, Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023, in Orlando, Fla.AP
It marked the fourth straight year that Woods and Charlie played in the tournament.
Sam gave an emotional speech at Woods’ 2021 World Golf Hall of Fame induction, when she referenced the golfer’s terrifying car crash that February, which nearly cost him his right leg.
Tiger Woods and daughter Sam Alexis Woods pose during the 2022 World Golf Hall of Fame Induction at the PGA TOUR Global Home on March 9, 2022 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.Getty Images
Meanwhile, Charlie is continuing to grow his golf game and is taking tips from his father.
Woods explained on “Today” that his son listens to him when it comes to golf, but admitted there has been “a little pushback” at times.
“He’s 15 years old. It’s what happens — it’s what teenagers go through,” Woods said. “They’re trying to find their own place in the world.”
Tiger Woods, left, watches his son Charlie, right, putt ball during the final round of the PNC Championship golf tournament Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023, in Orlando, Fla.AP
Charlie took part in a local qualifier for the U.S. Open last week but did not advance in his first attempt to make the major.
Woods had taken his kids to a number of golf tournaments and other sporting events over the years, with the trio sharing a sweet embrace at the 2015 Masters.
Tiger Woods hugs his children Charlie, left and Sam during a practice round for the Masters golf tournament Tuesday, April 7, 2015, in Augusta, Ga.AP