Why Tiger Woods’s Daughter Sam Woods Never Played at the PNC Championship?

2023 marks Tiger Woods’s fourth appearance at the PNC Championship. Since 2020, the golf pro has competed alongside his son, Charlie Woods. However, not once has the 15-time major winner taken to the greens with his other child, his daughter, Sam Alexis Woods.

The absence of the father-daughter duo at the parent-child level has undoubtedly sparked curiosity in the golf world. The answer to the flaming question of ‘why not Sam Woods’ however lies in the teenager’s love for another sport.

If not golf, which sport does Tiger Woods’s daughter like to play?

Unsurprisingly, considering how big her father is in golf, Sam Alexis Woods was introduced to the sport at a very young age. In 2007, at the AT&T National Press Conference, Woods was head over heels for his 2-week-old daughter, who then made her first appearance on the sidelines of the greens. He spoke very fondly of her and smilingly shared that he had already made her hold a golf club. He said,

“[I put a golf club in her hand.] She couldn’t quite hold it. But it was there.” Despite being introduced to the sport at such an early age, Sam still could not find herself playing it after growing up. The reason: soccer.

Sam Alexis lived supporting her father from both outside and inside the ropes on the golf course. However, her heart lies on the pitch of a soccer field rather than the greens. The teenager is arguably as invested in the team sport as the men of her family are in golf, and of course, Woods is nothing but supportive! The 15-time major winner often attends his daughter’s soccer matches and even her practice sessions, lending her the support she receives on the course.

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Charlie too indulges in the game, and it is possibly a sport that strengthens their sibling bond. Attesting to that in 2018, in a sit-down with Golf.com, Woods declared, “They’re [Sam and Charlie] keen on soccer.” The pair’s love for the sport is so vast, in fact, that once they pulled a joke on Tiger Woods and announced the Argentinian soccer legend Lionel Messi as their idol.

Even though Sam has not followed in his footsteps like his other child, she recently still made their appearance at the PNC even more memorable when she was seen on the bags of her father and brother while they headed to the greens to try and get a win at the parent-child event!

Sam Woods finally makes it onto the greens of the PNC Championship

Earlier this week, at the PNC Championship, Woods made a last-minute caddie change. Swapping his long-time friend and business partner Rob McNamara, who has carried his bag in the past, the 15-time major winner turned to Sam and surprised everyone. With Sam Woods on the bag, the 82-time PGA Tour winner and his son tied for 11th on the leaderboard, scoring 8, under 64 on Saturday.

In the post-round interview, Woods excitedly even opened up about the experience of having his daughter on the course just feet away from him. The proud father dubbed Sam’s caddying “fantastic” and claimed that it made the event even more special since it was her first time. “For me to have both my kids inside the ropes like this and participating and playing and being part of the game of golf like this, it couldn’t have been more special for me,” said Woods with a full heart.

While that may be the case in 2007, now that Tiger Woods has his son and daughter right next to him on the course, could he pull off a win at the PNC Championship? With just one round left and the duo only 5 strokes from the first spot, it may not be too far-fetched an idea either!

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