When your last name is Woods, people just assume you’ll end up on the golf course. After all, Tiger Woods is one of the greatest to ever play the game, and his son, Charlie, is already making waves as his protégé. But Sam Woods? She’s made it crystal clear—golf was never her thing. It’s not that Sam didn’t love sports—she absolutely did. But golf was not her thing, mostly because of what it represented for her growing up.

“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,” Woods shared last year. “I had to pack, and I had to leave, and I was gone for weeks, and there was a negative connotation to it.” And now, as she closes one chapter of her life with a historic soccer championship and heads off to college, she’s proving once again that she’s determined to build a life that looks nothing like her father’s.

After years of dedication to the sport she did love, Sam just wrapped up her high school soccer career in the best way possible—by winning a state championship. On March 1, she led The Benjamin School’s girls’ soccer team to a historic victory, clinching their first-ever Florida state title with a 1-0 win over the Episcopal School of Jacksonville. As team captain and a defensive powerhouse, Sam played a key role in shutting down the opposition and making history with her team.

It was the perfect ending to her soccer journey, and she couldn’t have asked for more. “We’ve been friends since forever, and I can’t imagine a better end for not only our season but our soccer career. To go all the way, to end on a win, to end having a ring and having a gold medal is absolutely the best way to go out. We’ve had such amazing chemistry with this team. I can’t ask for a better team to have played my final games with,” she reflected on her journey with longtime teammate and best friend, goalkeeper Emily Simon. And guess who was right there in the stands, proudly cheering her on? Her father, Tiger Woods. He was right there, watching his daughter succeed in her sport, wearing a baseball cap and an FHSAA Soccer State Championships T-shirt like any proud dad. And when it was all over, he shared a warm hug with her, celebrating her moment.

So what’s next for her? Well, if there was any doubt about Sam’s decision to separate herself from her father’s career, her next move confirms it. While her dad once walked the halls of Stanford University as a rising golf star, Sam is heading there for academics. She has chosen to focus on her studies and is currently leaning toward a degree in either psychology or biology. “She’s going to Stanford in the fall, so everything is really trending,” the golfer confirmed after his daughter’s championship win. Sam’s best friend, or more like a family at this point, Simon, is still undecided and considering her options.

Woods also noted that Sam “did like the campus,” suggesting that her choice wasn’t just about the prestige of the university but also about finding a place where she truly belongs. Now, just because Sam doesn’t play golf doesn’t mean she and her dad aren’t close, like Charlie and him are.

Sam Woods and Tiger Woods share a strong bond despite their different sporting paths

Sam and Tiger’s bond is probably stronger because of it. They’ve built a relationship that exists beyond golf—something that wasn’t always easy when she was younger.  Over the years, she’s supported him in her way—caddying for him during tournaments such as the 2023 PNC Championship, standing by him at major events, and even delivering a heartfelt speech when he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2022. But her support has never meant she wanted to follow in his footsteps.

And just like any supportive father, Tiger Woods is okay with that. He’s not pushing her to pick up a club or trying to convince her to love golf. He understands that she’s on her own journey, and now, as she heads to Stanford, he’s just watching with pride.