PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The greatest of his generation, Tiger Woods took his place among the best of all time Wednesday night when he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame and shared a life story of a passion to play and a work ethic that made him feel like he earned it.
Woods didn’t touch on any of his 82 victories on the PGA Tour or his 15 majors, or the eight surgeries he endured along the way.
He spoke of his parents taking out a second mortgage that allowed him to play the junior circuit in California, choking up when he mentioned his late father who told him he would have to earn everything he wanted.
“If you don’t go out there and put in the work, you don’t go out and put in the effort, one, you’re not going to get the results,” Woods said. “But two, and more importantly, you don’t deserve it. You need to earn it. So that defined my upbringing. That defined my career.”
He was visibly emotional as he was introduced by Sam, his 14-year-old daughter, and joked he made a bet he wouldn’t cry when he got to the podium.
