Tiger Woods is not the only member of his family who has a talent for golf. His niece, Cheyenne, is a former winner on the LET, while his son Charlie’s profile is on the rise as each year passes, with a highly promising career of his own in the making.
The 14-year-old also has an older sister, Sam, who was born the day after her famous dad finished runner-up at the US Open. But is the 16-year-old likely to be the next in the family to make headlines for her feats in the game?
Sam could barely have had an earlier introduction to the game. She got her first experience holding a golf club when she was just days old. Woods explained before the AT&T National that July: “I put a golf club in her hand. She couldn’t quite hold it. But it was there.”
Not only that, but, as she grew older, Sam began attending some of her dad’s tournaments, including the family oriented Masters Par 3 Contest in 2015, alongside Charlie.
Whether she was developing an interest in the game beyond cheering her dad on at that point is unclear, but by 2018, according to Tiger, both Sam and Charlie were more interested in soccer.
In an interview with GOLF.com, Woods said: “They’re keen into soccer; if they want to play golf, that’s great. If they don’t, that’s fine, too. As long as they have a good time playing sports. I find that a lot of fun now, to be able to physically get out and pass the ball around with them. I get such a big kick out of watching them compete and play. It’s so much fun to see how happy and passionate they are about soccer.”
Of course, we now know that in the time since that interview, Charlie has embraced golf to such a degree that he is enjoying his fair share of success in it, including shooting 66 with Tiger on the bag in a victory in the 14-15 age division of the Last Chance Regional.
However, at this stage at least, it doesn’t appear as though Sam has a similar interest in playing the game. That’s not to say she’s not invested in the careers of her brother and father, though.
She took to the stage in 2022 to deliver an emotional speech as Tiger was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame and, later that year, attended the PNC Championship at Florida’s Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, as the father and son due teamed up for a T8.
For the time being at least, though, it appears Sam is content to remain a supporter of her younger brother and legendary dad, without embarking on a golf career of her own.
