Reuters fileIn fact, in many ways he’s the model child, the one who is asked to do more than all the others. That’s certainly true with media requests, because while the usual PGA Tour protocal calls for only the leading scorers to stop and talk with the media, Woods is asked to meet with reporters after every single round he plays. He does so. As for pretournament press duties, he does those, too.
No, he doesn’t stop and sign every autograph stuffed into his face, but he signs far more than he is given credit for and besides, he’d need three lifetimes to fulfill the requests, most of which are made, if you want to know the truth, so that a financial gain can be made.
In an athletic world filled with athletes who jog to first base and give half-hearted efforts, Woods stands out for his consistent excellence each and every time he steps on the stage. The fact that he has carried himself with such impeccable manners and decorum off said stage is even more impressive, because we know in this regard, he’s the exception, not the rule.
Certainly, outrageous wealth and lasting notoriety has come his way, but while his piles are bigger than most, a good many athletes can also boast of fame and fortune. But how many of them have their own foundation to help children in need? How many of them can point to a learning center that is committed to improving the quality of life for inner-city kids? How many of them have poured their own money and time into social causes like he has?
Few, if any, I would suggest, and these are the aspects to Tiger Woods’s life — more than his major golf championships and records — that made Earl Woods most proud. The father had a vision of what his son someday could do and it is starting to take shape. The Tiger Woods Foundation has been up and running for a few years; the Tiger Woods Learning Center opened back in February.
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Cynics might scoff, but don’t they always look for reasons to offer ridicule? Of course they do. Woods knows that, which is why when criticism is sent his way, he more times than not has the fortitude to brush it off and maintain the great character that his father instilled in him. The ways in which Earl Woods taught life’s lessons to his son are legendary. For two shining examples, consider:
“I don’t have to be there for Tiger to know I’m with him,” said Earl Woods. “I taught him to play golf, with or without me. He knows I’m just a telephone call away.”
At 15, Tiger Woods won the first of his six straight U.S. Golf Association titles.
At 20, he won the last of his three straight U.S. Amateur crowns.
At 21, he won the Masters in record fashion, by a whopping 12 shots.
At 24, the onetime phenom completed the Grand Slam.
At 29, he earned his fourth Masters green jacket and his 10th major title.
All of those feats are owed to majestic talents with which he was born with.
The dignity and humility that have accompanied this incomparable success? That is owed to a legacy left by Earl Woods.
May he rest in peace.
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