Tiger Woods and his ex-wife Elin Nordegren share two children together; daughter, Sam, 10, and son, Charlie, 9. The kids live with their mom in Florida, not too far from their dad’s home in Jupiter.
As Sam and Charlie have gotten older, they seem to be gaining interest in their dad’s career. Both kids have attended various golf tournaments, cheering on their dad from the sidelines, and have even tried playing golf. Charlie appears to enjoy the sport more than his older sister, and he’s actually pretty good at it.
If Sam and Charlie Woods are in attendance at East Lake Golf Course for the fourth round of The Tour Championship today, Woods will undoubtedly be seen with them after he finishes hole 18.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Their Mom Is Woods’ Ex-Wife, Elin Nordegren
Woods and Nordegren tied the knot in 2004, at the Sandy Lane Resort in Barbados. They welcomed their first child, daughter Sam Alexis Woods, on June 18, 2007. Their son, Charlie Axel, was born two years later on February 8, 2009.
Nordegren and Woods separated after Nordegren found out that Woods had been unfaithful to her. Things came to a head on Thanksgiving in 2009, when Nordegren chased Woods out of their home with a golf club. The public fight ended up making the front page of just about every outlet in the country.
A short while later, Nordegren and Woods filed for divorce. Both have since moved on with life, but neither had more children. Both are dedicated to co-parenting Sam and Charlie.
“I have moved on and I am in a good place. My relationship with Tiger is centered around our children and we are doing really good – we really are – and I am so happy that is the case. He is a great father,” she told People Magazine in 2014.
2. They Attend Many of Their Dad’s Tournaments & Have Even Caddied for Him
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Woods’ kids are often on-hand to watch their dad compete in various tournaments. They can usually be seen on the sidelines, but have even been seen walking the course next to their dad.
Back in 2015, Sam and Charlie got promotion on Woods’ team, and both kids served as caddies for their dad at the Masters Par 3 Contest.
“As I said, this tournament means so much to me in so many different ways. We all know what happened in ’97 with my dad’s health, and he was pronounced, well, he was dead at one point earlier that year; came back, and then came here and I won the Masters. To now have come full circle and to have a chance to have my kids out there and be able to share that with them, it’s special,” Woods told reporters at the time.
“Charlie has seen me win a golf tournament before. Sam, actually she was there at the U.S. Open in 2008, but doesn’t remember it. It’s nice to be able to share these things with my family, and it just means the world to me. They are excited, I’m excited and can’t wait to go out there,” he added.
Woods really wants his kids to experience the game of golf, especially now that they are older. He has been looking forward to his kids being with him as he competes in various tournaments, as they can understand more and they both are curious about the game.
“When I started coming back for this event, Sam wanted to go out on the golf course with me. She just thought it was so cool I was hitting it where she couldn’t see it. She said, ‘How do you see that golf ball? I said, ‘It’s only going about 320,’ just being a complete smart ass about it. Charlie’s the same way; he wants to compete, he wants to play with me, those are things that are special. I want them to see what I’ve been able to do my entire career,” Woods told USA Today back in November.
Back in July, Sam and Charlie were in the gallery watching their dad compete in the British Open. After Woods finished up on the 18th hole, he met up with his family and shared a sweet embrace with his kids.
“I told them I tried and I said, ‘Hopefully you’re proud of your pops for trying as hard as I did.’ It’s pretty emotional because they gave me some pretty significant hugs there and squeezed. I know that they know how much this championship means to me and how much it feels good to be back playing again,” Woods told Golf after the event.
3. They Both Play Golf & Charlie Might Have a Future in the Sport
Both Sam and Charlie have played golf, but Charlie seems to have a bit more interest in the sport than his older sister.
In 2016, Charlie took part in the U.S. Kids Golf South Florida Tour at Mayacoo Lakes Country Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. He finished T2.
Charlie’s success wasn’t a complete surprise to Woods, who has previously admitted that his son has a great swing.
“He’s got some parts in his swing that I’m trying to do. It’s a little frustrating at times,” Woods told Golf Magazine in 2015. He went on to talk about teaching Charlie how to play golf and how Woods’ own father taught him how to play.
“When I played, I was so little. A par-4 is not a par-4. So my dad created my own par. So every time I would play the hole, whatever shots it took me to get to the green, reasonably, plus two. So sometimes it was a par- 12,” Woods explained. “And that’s what I did with Charlie…It’s about them enjoying the attention that it takes to try to get to par…What my dad did was genius because it kept me interested. It kept me focused on, my dad shot 2-over and I shot three, and I almost beat him. Even though I was making 11 and 12 on holes, but in relation that’s about right,” he added.
4. They Have Met Their Dad’s New Girlfriend, Erica Herman
Hugs for good luck.
Sam and Charlie have met Woods’ new girlfriend, Erica Herman. In fact, the kids were spotted hanging out with Herman at the Hero World Challenge last month. According to USA Today, Sam, Charlie, and Erica were wearing matching outfits — red collared shirts and black shorts — to match Woods’ outfit (a red collared shirt and black slacks).
It’s unknown how close Sam and Charlie are to Herman, but many expect to see the trio together at Augusta National this weekend.
This certainly isn’t the first time that Woods’ kids have been spotted with his significant other. When Woods was dating Olympic alpine skier Lindsey Vonn, his kids were with her on numerous occasions. Woods and Vonn dated for three years and she became very close to Sam and Charlie during that time.
Aside from attending golf tournaments together, Vonn stepped into the step-mother role with relative ease. The New York Daily News put together a slideshow of times that Vonn was with Woods’ children. Whether they went on vacation together as a family or Vonn helped get the little ones off to school, she became a very big part of their lives while she was dating their dad.
5. Sam Thinks Her Dad Is a ‘Living Legend’
Woods’ daughter Sam may only be 10 years old (she will be 11 in June), but that doesn’t mean that she’s unaware of her dad’s success. While just about every kid thinks their dad is a star, Sam seems to really understand that her dad is a legend. In fact, she actually called him one.
In November, Woods introduced his kids to world-renowned soccer star Lionel Messi when he was in Florida for a pre-season match. Before the game, Woods and his kids met up with Messi and took photos with him, according to USA Today.
“Isn’t it neat to meet a living legend?” Woods asked his kids. His daughter had a very quick, somewhat surprising reply.
“Yeah, we live with one,” Sam said.
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Tiger Woods’ Kids: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know