Tiger Woods understands why golf isn’t his daughter Sam’s cup of tee.
“She has … a negative connotation to the game, because when she was growing up, golf took Daddy away from her,” Woods told TODAY’s Carson Daly on May 1. “I had to leave, and I’d be gone for weeks.”
“So we developed our own relationship, our own rapport, outside of golf,” he continued. “Meanwhile, my son (Charlie) and I do everything golf related.”
Charlie, 15, who is making a name for himself in the world of golf, did not advance in a U.S. Open qualifying event in April.
Woods said Charlie usually listens to his playing tips, but added that lately, there’s been “some pushback.”
“He’s 15 years old,” Woods said. “It’s what happens — it’s what teenagers go through. They’re trying to find their own place in the world.”
Woods shares Sam, 16, and Charlie with his ex-wife, Elin Nordegren. The former couple were married for nearly six years before splitting in 2010.
While chatting with Carson, Woods also opened up about why he wears red on Sundays and on the final day of tournaments. It’s a tradition that started when Woods was a teenager and it comes from his mother, Kultida Woods.
“My mom thought, being born a Capricorn, that red was my power color,” Woods explained.
As luck would have it, Woods ended up winning some junior golf tournaments in red. When he switched to a blue shirt, he lost — proving that mom is always right!
“It’s a nice little tie to mom,” Woods told Daly of his red ritual.
Woods’ father, Earl, died in 2006 at at the age of 74.
“I wish my dad could have met Charlie. I wish Charlie could have met my dad,” Woods said. “They would have loved each other.”
Woods noted that he feels Earl is always with him, especially when he’s being a dad to Charlie and Sam.
“It’s amazing how many things I say to my kids that came from him,” Woods said. “I’m so happy he was a part of my life and that I get to pass on some of stuff that is in me (because) of him.”