Few golfers have achieved the level of respect that Tiger Woods, 48, has. The leader in PGA Tour wins has been in the spotlight since he was just a little kid, and he went pro when he was just 20 years old. Tiger got married in 2004 to model Elin Nordegren, 44, and the pair had two beautiful children together. Unfortunately, the marriage wasn’t meant to be, as the pair split up in 2010, following a highly publicized cheating scandal, where it was revealed that the golfer had had an affair with New York club hostess Rachel Uchitel, 48. Despite the very public separation from Elin, Tiger seems like he has a great relationship with both of his kids.
In addition to his golf career, Tiger is also known for his association with Nike. After nearly 30 years, Tiger announced that his partnership with the brand was coming to an end on January 8, 2024. “Over 27 years ago, I was fortunate to start a partnership with one of the most iconic brands in the world. The days since have been filled with so many amazing moments and memories, if I started naming them, I could go on forever,” he said in a statement. “Phil Knight’s passion and vision brought this Nike and Nike Golf partnership together and I want to personally thank him, along with the Nike employees and incredible athletes I have had the pleasure of working with along the way.”
Find out more about Tiger’s son and daughter here!
Sam Alexis
Elin gave birth to the couple’s first child Sam Alexis, 14, in 2007. Shortly after she was born, Tiger explained that her name was important to both him and Elin. “We wanted to have a name that would be meaningful to either side of the family, my side or Elin‘s side, because she was born (the day after) Father’s Day. It just happened to fit. My father had always called me Sam since the day I was born. He rarely ever called me Tiger. I would ask him, ‘Why don’t you ever call me Tiger?’ He says, ’Well, you look more like a Sam,’ ” he said at the time, via USA Today. Both of Tiger’s kids have been mostly kept out of the public eye, but when the golfer was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom by former President Donald Trump in 2019, the whole family attended the ceremony.
After Tiger had his terrifying car crash in February 2002 in Los Angeles, both Sam and Charlie stayed with their mom while the golfer recovered. Despite Tiger and Elin’s high-profile divorce, the mom wanted to make sure that both kids spent time with their dad, while he got better.
In December 2023, Sam had a very special moment when she served as her dad’s caddie for the first time during the PNC Championship in Orlando, Florida. He looked so proud to have her, and he raved about having both of his kids at the event. “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,” he told the PGA.
Charlie Axel
Elin and Tiger welcomed their son Charlie Axel, 14, to the world in 2009. Charlie has definitely taken after his dad a bit, and the little one has started to golf also. The pro’s son made his debut in the PNC Tournament alongside his dad in the father-son competition, in December 2020. Just like Tiger’s late-father Earl Woods, it seems like the golfer has bonded with his boy over the game, and he’s encouraged him to do his best. Tiger’s spoken about how important it is to not discourage his son from the game that he’s made a career out of. I just don’t want him to hate the game,” he said in a July episode of the Golf Digest series A Round With Tiger. “I don’t want him to fall into that trap. I get emotional about it. Some of my best memories are being out there with my dad.
It seems like Tiger bonds with both his son and daughter regularly. Back in April 2020, he shared a photo with the children and his then-girlfriend Erica Herman, when the Masters Tournament had been scheduled. While the tournament had been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Tiger still dined like he’d won the green jacket. “Masters Champions Dinner quarantine style. Nothing better than being with family,” he wrote in the photo’s caption.
In December 2021, Tiger and Charlie made headlines when they matched in red shirts at the PNC Championship. It was the first competitive round of golf for Tiger since his car accident almost a year before and it was the second straight year that he played with his son. The younger Woods hit a number of good tee shots during the first round as his dad proudly looked on and focused on walking at some points due to his post-accident injuries that he’s still recovering from.
Charlie has been golfing with his dad for quite some time, and he also participated in the PNC Championship in December 2023. While speaking about having his kids in the competition, Tiger mentioned that he was happy to get to spend quality time with them on the course. “I know that we do this a lot at home, needle each other and have a great time. But it was more special to do it in a tournament like this,” he told the PGA.