“We have four of them a year” – Tiger Woods on playing golf at the Olympics
Tiger Woods has been playing golf since he was merely two years old. The child prodigy grew up winning numerous tournaments.
However, he has not competed in the Olympics, even though Tiger Woods always wanted to represent his country at the games. The 15-time major champion has talked about his dream to compete at the Olympics several times in his interviews.
In a podcast with @trottiegolf, uploaded by TaylorMade Golf on their YouTube channel on November 10, 2020, Tiger Woods said:
"I would love to represent my country and be part of the Olympic Games. It is something that I was not a part of in 16. I was just coming back, but you know, watching and listening to some of the guys like Justin and Ricky and Baba and those guys and how much they really enjoyed their experiences down there, and I've had a lot of friends who've competed in the Olympic games. "
He went on to say:
"I equate the Olympic games in our sport to tennis. You know, I think it was in 96 when tennis was put of the Olympics, and you know, they initially were skeptical about that experience because you have four majors a year or four slams."
Tiger Woods believed that competing in tournaments that took place years later would be a surreal experience. He said:
"In most sports, that's the biggest event that you're ever going to play, but we have four of them a year, so it's a different experience to be a part of that. "
It is important to know that in the 100 years of the history of the Olympic games, golf was only included four times—1900, 1904, 2016, and 2020.
"I was lucky enough to have gone to the Olympics games," Tiger Woods said on his experience
Tiger Woods began his professional career in 1996 and has won 82 PGA Tour titles, 41 European Tour titles, and three Japan Golf Tour titles since then. Although Woods never competed in the Olympics, he once went to watch the tournament with his father. Recalling the moment, Tiger said:
"I was lucky enough to have gone to the Olympic Games in 84 with my dad, and we watched archery. It was right down the long beach, and I didn't really understand it at the time, but now, looking back on it, it was pretty cool to have a chance to go to the Olympic games in my home city. "
Woods didn't understand the Olympic spirit at the time, but recalling the moment, he was happy to watch that with his dad.
Tiger said:
"A big thing to me at that time was track and field. I mean, it was like, you know, Carl Lewis and the hundred and the four by one. So that was a big deal, and also, I didn't understand the Olympic spirit at the time, but now, looking back, I was very lucky to have experienced that with my dad."
It is worth emphasizing that Tiger Woods' father, Earl Woods, introduced him to golf. Furthermore, Earl was Tiger's childhood coach and had accompanied him to tournaments.