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Tiger Woods’s Net Worth 2024

Tiger Woods has a net worth of $1.1 billion, as per Forbes. Not only does this make him the first billionaire golfer in history, but it also makes him one of the very few billionaire athletes in the world. Woods undoubtedly owes his high value to his being a savvy businessman and his valuable endorsements.

Woods owes a lot of his wealth to his partnerships and sponsors. One of his most famous and valuable endorsement deals was with Nike, which came to an end after a 27-year partnership that began in 1996. Additionally, the golf pro is sponsored by big names like Bridgestone, Monster Energy, Rolex, and TaylorMade. The golf pro made $60 million in endorsements alone in 2023.

via Reuters

Woods has a sizable portion of his investments put into real estate. One of the most expensive of those investments is his house on Jupiter Island in Florida. In 2006, he spent a whopping $40 million on the property. But that wasn’t the end of it at all! He further went on to construct his $54 million mansion on the property.

Woods also bought both his parents’ houses. In 2007, he spent $2.4 million to buy two plots of land in Jupiter, Florida, for his mother. As per public records, in 2010, a $1.31 million home in Windermere, Florida, was listed under Tiger and Earl’s names.

Tiger Woods’s Early Life

Woods was born on December 30, 1975, in Cypress, California. Named Eldrick Tont Woods at birth, he now goes by his widely popular nickname, “Tiger,” which was given to him by his father, Earl Woods, in honor of one of his close army buddies.

From a very young age, Woods began taking a liking to the sport. He became interested in golf at the age of six months after watching his father hit golf balls into a net and imitate his swing. His skills with a club were amazing, and at a very young age, he began being called a golf prodigy.

By the time Woods had reached the age of 2, he had become quite fluid with the game and even showcased his talent by putting alongside the American comedian, Bob Hope, on the Mike Douglas Show. One year later, while regular kids were playing with blocks, Woods shot a low score of 48 across nine holes. At the age of four, Woods flaunted his skills out of a bunker in a short game against a 16-year-old and beat him by four strokes. He was featured in Golf Digest as a 5-year-old, where his abilities were lauded.

via Imago

Tiger’s father, Earl, was his inspiration to play the sport and was also the one who taught him how to play the game. His first official coach, on the other hand, was Rudy Duran, who began training him at the age of four and continued to do so for six years.

In 1994, Tiger Woods attended Stanford University for two years and pursued a degree in economics. He turned pro in 1996, taking his first steps toward becoming the golf legend that he’s now known as.

Tiger Woods’s Family and His Kids

Tiger is the son of Earl Woods and Kultida Woods. Although he was born an American citizen, Woods’s heritage is part African-American, owing to his father, and part Thai, owing to the fact that his mother is from Thailand. The couple were married for 37 years until Earl sadly passed away at the age of 74 in 2006.

via Imago

Woods is the only child of Earl and Kultida. But his father had three other children before he was born. Earl Jr. was Woods’ eldest half-sibling and was born in 1955. He is 20 years older than Tiger. Woods has another elder half-brother, Kevin Dale Woods, who is 18 years older than he is and was born in 1957. His third half-sibling is his half-sister, Royce Renee Woods, who was born in 1961.

Woods himself has two children, both with his now ex-wife, Elin Nordegren. His firstborn is their daughter, Sam Alexis Woods, who was born on June 18, 2007. Charlie Axel Woods, her brother and Woods and Elin’s second child, was born on February 8, 2009.

Tiger Woods’s Dating History

In 2001, Woods first met his then-wife-to-be, Elin Nordegren, a former model. The couple dated for a while before getting engaged in November 2003. Less than a year later, in October 2004, the couple tied the knot and were married in Barbados in an intricate ceremony. A little over five years later, they went through a very public and scandalous divorce.

via Getty

Woods met Rachael Uchitel in 2008. A year later, the two began seeing each other. Allegedly, Uchitel and Woods were seeing each other before his split with his wife, Elin.

Following his messy marriage, Woods started afresh with the American Alpine Olympic skier, Lindsey Vonn. The two made an attractive athlete-power couple. They met in 2012 and began dating soon after. In May 2015, the pair split up due to their hectic athletic lifestyles.

Woods also dated Erica Herman, the former general manager of his restaurant, the Woods Jupiter. The two first made their relationship public in 2017 when she wore a player’s spouse credential at the President’s Cup. The pair broke up in 2023. Following their breakup, Herman also filed a lawsuit against Woods to revoke the non-disclosure agreement she signed when the couple initially started dating. Herman cited the Speak Out Act in her lawsuit, which permits the nullification of NDAs in cases of sexual assault or harassment. However, she later dropped the lawsuit.

Tiger Woods’s Awards and Achievements

Woods has one of the most incredible careers in golf’s history. Having turned pro in August 1996, he straight away began playing on the PGA Tour. Two months into his professional debut, he won his first Tour event, the Las Vegas Invitational, in October. Since then, the golf pro has gone on to win 82 times, the most any player has ever won. He shares this record with Sam Snead.

Less than a year after turning pro, Tiger Woods won his first major championship at Augusta in April 1997 at the Masters. He has gone on to win a total of 15 major championships, second only to Jack Nicklaus, who has won 18 throughout his career, a record Woods is certainly gunning for. Woods won his 15th major at the Masters in 2019.

via Getty

Woods is quite certainly one of the most accomplished golfers of all time. In terms of numbers, the golf pro has to date gotten his hands on 5 Masters titles, 3 US Open titles, 4 PGA Championship titles, and 3 Open Championships.

The PGA Tour star also holds the record for the most amount of time spent as World No. 1 at 683 weeks (just over 13 years). Through strong resolve, tons of training, and rigorous hard work, the golf pro had earned the legend tag for himself.

Tiger Woods Documentary

All the avid Woods fans eager to find out more about the golfer will be pleased to know that the golf legend has a documentary. Tiger, an HBO sports-biography documentary, aired in 2021. It focuses on his steady rise and abrupt drop, and then his comeback to the sport.

The documentary also explores Woods’ relationship with his father and the effect his divorce had on his career. Fans can watch the biography, which is split into two episodes, on HBO Max.

Tiger Woods’s Car Accidents

Woods has suffered a dark fate when it comes to accidents. He has been involved in three separate car accidents, each life-threatening. The first came in 2009, when the golf pro lost control of his SUV and crashed it into a fire hydrant, soon after pulling out of the driveway of his Florida mansion. He was knocked out and lost consciousness for nearly 6 minutes. His injuries from the accident had been described as “serious.”

Eight years later, in 2017, the golf legend was arrested in Florida for DUI. The police had found him passed out behind the wheel of his Mercedes-Benz. There seemed to have been a minor accident before the cops found him.

In February 2021, Woods was yet again involved in a car accident. Due to a speed crash, his car had flown off the road. He was the only party involved in the accident. The golf pro suffered multiple injuries to his right leg and ankle and sustained injuries to his back. He went through multiple surgeries for his leg injuries and has not yet fully recovered from them. Yet the PGA Tour star found the resolve to compete in major championships in 2022.

Woods’s health struggles continued as he withdrew from the Masters in April 2023 due to a re-aggravation of his plantar fasciitis. After nearly an eight-month-long hiatus, the 82-time PGA Tour winner made a comeback at the Hero World Challenge in December 2023.

The Tiger Woods Foundation, Charity Work, and Philanthropy

Tiger and his father, Earl, started the TGR Foundation back in 1996. It was first set out with the goal of helping children play the sport. But 27 years later, the foundation now aims to educate children on all fronts. They offer college and career programs to students and have, to date, helped turn around more than 2 million students’ lives. They further have one of the highest graduation rates among scholarship programs in the country, at 98%.

The Woods Foundation additionally hosts charity events and sponsors golf events on the PGA Tour to raise money for various charitable ventures. The most popular tournaments among them are the Genesis Invitational and the Hero World Challenge.

Tiger Woods Social Media  InstagramTwitterFacebookWebsite

Name Eldrick Tont Woods, a.k.a., Tiger Woods
Born 12/30/1975
Place of Birth Cypress, California
Nationality American
Education Stanford University
Parents Earl WoodsKultida Woods
Kids Sam Alexis WoodsCharlie Axel Woods
Marital Status Divorced
Height 6’1
Weight 185 lbs
Caddy Rob McNamara
Achievements 15 Major Championship Wins82 PGA Tour Wins

683 weeks as World Rank 1

Golf is the winner when it comes to the top 10 highest paid athletes of all time as four golfers including Tiger Woods have made it onto Sportico’s latest list as of 2024. 
Three golfers in top five of highest paid athletes of all time

According to Sportico, their list is measured in inflation-adjusted earnings of sporting stars past and present based on their value.

Three golfers inc. Tiger Woods in top five of highest paid athletes of all time

NBA legend Michael Jordan is the runaway winner on $3.3 billion, with 15-time major champion Tiger Woods a clear second on $2.5 billion.

What is Tiger Woods’ net worth in 2024?

 

Three golfers in top five (inc Tiger Woods) of highest paid athletes of all time

 

After retiring from basketball in April 2003 aged 40, Jordan went on to make huge money as an entrepreneur. His Air Jordan brand, in collaboration with Nike, brings in around £1 billion a year in sales.

 

Jordan shoes are widely available in a range of different sports, including golf.

The latest shoe from the Jordan range caught our attention this week in the shape of the new Jordan 1 Golf Mule, which some golf fans have commented “look like slippers”.

Woods confirmed on 8 January 2024 that he had left Nike after 27 years together. The former World No.1 posted an emotional statement following his exit from Nike.

Tiger’s next apparel brand gets leaked

Woods’ actual net worthas of 2024 is estimated to be $1.1 billion.

Two more PGA Tour legends in Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus follow Woods in third and fourth spots on $1.7 billion and $1.63 billion respectively. Those numbers, as we say, are inflation-adjusted earnings.

Late great Palmer, who won seven major titles from 1958 to 1964, was seen as golf’s trailblazer as he became the first superstar of the sport’s television age in the 50s, while Nicklaus is a record 18-time major winner.

 

Three golfers in top five (inc Tiger Woods) of highest paid athletes of all time

 

 

Three golfers in top five (inc Tiger Woods) of highest paid athletes of all time

 

Former Manchester United and Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo is tucked in close behind on the latest list with $1.58 billion.

Ronaldo made the decision to move to Saudi Arabia and play for Al Nassr last season.

NBA hero LeBron James is hot on Ronaldo’s heels with $1.53 billion, while Ronaldo’s arch rival in the GOAT debate, Lionel Messi, is in seventh place on $1.48 billion.

 

Four golfers in top 10 of highest paid athletes of all time

Rounding out the top 10 are boxing star Floyd Mayweather ($1.41 billion), tennis ace Roger Federer ($1.38 billion) and six-time major champion Phil Mickelson ($1.36 billion).

 

Golf legend Mickelson has spent the majority of his career on the PGA Tour but he made the controversial switch to join the LIV Golf League in 2022.

 

Three golfers in top five (inc Tiger Woods) of highest paid athletes of all time

 

It is estimated Mickelson accepted a signing fee of $200m to join the Saudi-bankrolled golf league back then.

Jon Rahm became the highest paid LIV Golf player of all time when he accepted in the region of $600m to join the circuit ahead of the 2024 season, but the Spaniard is nowhere near the top 10 on the all-time list.

Top 10 highest paid athletes of all time

Results according to Sportico – learn more about the results here

 

TOP 10 HIGHEST PAID ATHLETES OF ALL TIME (2024)

RANK

NAME

SPORT

TOTAL MONEY

1

MICHAEL JORDAN

BASKETBALL

$3.3 BILLION

2

TIGER WOODS

GOLF

$2.5 BILLION

3

ARNOLD PALMER

GOLF

$1.7 BILLION

4

JACK NICKLAUS

GOLF

$1.63 BILLION

5

CRISTIANO RONALDO

FOOTBALL

$1.58 BILLION

6

LEBRON JAMES

BASKETBALL

$1.53 BILLION

7

LIONEL MESSI

FOOTBALL

$1.48 BILLION

8

FLOYD MAYWEATHER

BOXING

$1.41 BILLION

9

ROGER FEDERER

TENNIS

$1.38 BILLION

10

PHIL MICKELSON

GOLF

$1.36 BILLION

What do you make of these results? Are you shocked four golfers are in the top 10 of all time, according to Sportico? Share your thoughts and comments over on the GolfMagic social media channels.

Apart from his unparalleled hooping skills, Michael Jordan changed the game through personal branding and making key investments during and post his hooping career. Adjusting his career earnings through inflation, his $3.3 billion earnings eclipse any other sporting personality in history. In a post shared by Boardroom, Jordan stood at the top of the stack of top-five athletes in terms of their career earnings.

 

The post is captioned,

Since he was drafted in 1984, MJ has earned an estimated $3.3 billion when adjusted for inflation — more than any other athlete in history.⁠”

This list is based on an article by Sportico which puts Jordan’s $3.3 billion earnings at the top, around $800 million ahead of Tiger Woods, when adjusted for inflation. This is an important distinction considering a decent sum of MJ’s earnings came from mid 1980s to mid 2000s. If we take into account his non-inflation earnings, even then Jordan clears Woods by a significant margin.

He has accumulated $2.37 billion if we exclude inflation which is still around $600 million over Woods. While much of Jordan’s wealth has come after retirement, Woods is still active and stands at the top of active athletes with the most earnings. If we go back to the inflation-adjusted numbers, the prolific golfer has more than a billion dollars in earnings compared to generational soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

At any rate, Jordan’s incredible increase in net worth is also a result of his NBA ownership bid which multiplied his wealth significantly post-retirement. The NBA legend continues to make extraordinary business decisions.

Michael Jordan earned a lot through his Hornets’ ownership

In 2023, MJ stunned a lot of people when he decided to sell his majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets. After being a minority owner since 2006, MJ decided to buy majority stakes of Hornets (then Bobcats) in 2010 for $180 million. Last year, when he decided to sell these stakes, he had made approximately $2 billion in profits. This has given a significant boost to his net worth.

Although he has probably racked up more than $1 billion just through his long-term investments in Gatorade and Nike, it doesn’t compare to his Hornets’ majority sale alone. Now that his net worth has jumped over $3 billion, he has joined an exclusive club. He became the first athlete to join the Forbes 400 list. Now, he is among the 400 richest individuals in the US, ey another feat for the basketball legend.

Serena Williams has been known to be a super fan of the band Green Day, that too, for ages. And now, with the release hype of their new song album, ‘Saviors’, Williams made sure to post about them on her official social media account. Amidst the excitement that their new album has created, the band member Billie Joe Armstrong, in an interview, revealed how whenever Serena Williams would visit them to watch them perform live, she would always request her favorite song.

via Getty

She would always ask them to play her favorite throwback song. With extreme enthusiasm, sometimes Williams finished her matches early to witness the band perform.

Billie Joe Armstrong shares what Serena Williams’ favorite song from their band is

Serena Williams has always openly shown her love for this band and whenever she watched them live, she would put in a request to play a song that she loved to the core. Billie Joe Armstrong revealed in an interview how Williams was one of the ‘sweetest’ people who would always come to watch them with a request.

 

He said, “We would run into her in different countries in Europe because she was kicking everybody’s a** in that particular country! She would come to the show –she would literally try to see how fast she could beat her opponent so she could actually come to the gig!”

Talking about Serena Williams’ special request, Armstrong added, “She would end up showing up and always ask us to play the song, Disappearing Boy, which was a song that we wrote years ago. She’s great – one of the sweetest people.

As much as a legend she is herself, Williams believes in appreciating the legendary work of other people as well. In fact, she just announced that she would be attending the tour of the band and she also requested fans to do the same.

Serena Williams to attend the new tour of the Green Day band

In one of her stories on her official Instagram account, Serena Williams shared her excitement for the new album of the Green Day band. She also sent her best wishes to the whole group, especially Billie Joe Armstrong. Further, in her next story, she also shared the dates and cities where the band is going to be performing soon.

Williams also added what songs or albums the group will be playing. Along with that, she added, “Clearly, I’ll be on the entire tour. Don’t miss me or Greenday!”, implying that she wants the fans to attend the show as well as she would be there once again supporting her favorite band.

The end of a 27-year-long partnership! The golf world has been able to witness an iconic collaboration between the likes of Tiger Woods and Nike ever since they joined hands in 1996. But their split, a little while back, does throw a little bit of shade in what was otherwise a perfect alliance. Well, now it appears they have managed to suffer yet another insult to their legacy, courtesy of Nick Dunlap.

USA Today via Reuters

The golfer is currently setting himself up for a win at the 2024 American Express as an amateur. However, while doing so, reports have emerged about a deal that the athlete has with a certain brand, all the while speculating an even better relationship than the Woods-Swoosh tie-up!

A slap in the face for Tiger Woods and Nike?

A tweet was shared by Josh Carpenter on his X handle (formerly known as Twitter) mentioning how Dunlap had supposedly bagged “a NIL deal with Adidas.” The reported partnership is said to have started last year, before the athlete won his U.S. Amateur Championship title in August.

However, as per reports, following the victory at the Cherry Hills Country Club and Colorado Golf Club, the “brand restructured the deal to be head to toe” as opposed to using just his name, image, and likeness (NIL) through marketing. Well, these speculations come off as a subtle jab for the legend and his split partnership with the Swoosh since both of them entered into a deal during the 15-time major champ’s pro entry. Meanwhile, the deal Adidas is reported to have with the 20-year-old started when he was just an amateur (which he still is, by the way). Nothing shy of a poke at their legacy.

Nevertheless, if the golfer does emerge victorious at the 2024 American Express, it would prove to be history in the making. Moreover, he would become the first athlete after Phil Mickelson in 1991 to win an event on the PGA Tour as an amateur, a feat nobody has achieved in over 30 years. There seems to be more good news on the way for the Adidas-Dunlap alliance.

Well, it’s not the first time that the news of the exit was met with a snub of sorts. However, this one came from none other than the Swoosh themselves, as they went ahead to delete the 82-time PGA Tour champ from its Nike Tiger Woods page. A journalist, Robert Lusetich, revealed the same while hinting at the success of the longstanding partnership.

The headlines of the golf world sure were abuzz with the news of their exit, following the legend’s choice of using FootJoy at the greens last year and his post on social media indicating the split. Nevertheless, it truly was one of the most successful partnerships that the golf world, or even the sports realm, has ever seen. Although the amateur was reportedly able to one-up Mr.T, one can only wait and see whether the duo will be able to pull off a successful partnership like the pro had with Nike!

Cheyenne Woods may have taken time off from active golf owing to her two pregnancies, but her love for the game remains eternal. The half-niece of the legendary golfer Tiger Woods has gone through many personal changes in the last few years.

Married to Aaron Hicks, the golfer was already blessed with a son, Cameron, in 2022. Then last year, she welcomed her second child, a daughter, Maya Nicole Hicks, in October. Now, months after recovering from childbirth, the 33-year-old golfer spoke about it all: motherhood, her children, and her love for golf!

 

via Imago

Cheyenne Woods goes candid about motherhood and missing the LPGA Tour

Recently, Woods sat down for a candid interview with Golf Week USA, where she talked about her motherhood journey and how much she misses golf. She said, “I do miss Tour golf.” The golfer opened up about not missing the travel that she used to engage in while on the Tour; instead, she missed the competition. “I don’t necessarily miss the travel, but I do miss the competition,” said Cheyenne Woods. Talking about what she does while she misses the sport, she said, “I watch a lot of golf. I watch more now than I probably ever have.”

Talking about her son Cameron, who is a 20-month-old son now, she said that he loves to play both the sports of his parents. My son loves watching golf; it’s crazy. He’s really getting into playing baseball as well. I would love for my kids to eventually be able to see what mom can do and what mom used to do.” The last time Woods enjoyed playing golf was five days before she went into labor with Maya.

She also explained that while she loves golf, traveling for competitions made it difficult for her to spend time with her family. Now that she is not competing at the moment, she loves waking up next to her children and feeding them. She prioritizes family above everything else. “Our family is really what’s most important to me in terms of priority,” she added.

 

Apart from the happiness of having two children, the LPGA golfer also had the misfortune of losing her brother in 2022, a loss that continues to hurt her. All these have changed her perspective on life, and she wants more time with her family. And though she didn’t share any details about her comeback on the tour, someone from her family is playing in the field this week.

Woods’s husband, Aaron Hicks, is a part of the HGV Tournament of Champions

Her husband, Aaron Hicks, is part of the celebrity group at the HGV Tournament of Champions this week. About the game this week, Hicks said, “to feel that adrenaline that goes through you when you tee off on the first hole and finishing up on the last hole. It’s always fun to have that feeling.” Hicks himself used to play golf in the early days then he switched to baseball. But he praises his wife for helping with his golf form.

As for now, Woods did not seem to express any desire to make an official comeback. But she expressed that she would love to try to play in another U.S. Women’s Open in the future.

Former world’s number-one tennis stars, Venus and Serena Williams surprised her fans with an attempt to revitalize an old golf course in the neighborhood with Los Angeles Golf Club. Growing up both Serena and Venus had to struggle a lot for not having a proper tennis court at their place. Now these legendary tennis sisters are motivated to give her locality back with their success.

via Getty

Serena and Venus Williams’ indomitable spirit led them to achieve their dreams despite the improper infrastructure of tennis at Compton. These sisters are trying their best to develop the place. At least, Williams sister’s recent venture with Los Angeles Golf Club revealed something similar to the fans.

Venus and Serena Williams devoted to the progress of their locality Compton with a message that said- “Give the Game”

Recently Venus Williams shared an interesting thing on her official Instagram account. Here, she shared a set of pictures from Los Angeles Golf Club’s official page. This page marked a specific ground in Compton. She added a link that expressed that the club initiated a new policy. This policy is about a ten percent return back model to revive the Maggie Hathaway Golf Course of the locality.

They added Serena Williams’s statement, which read- “WITH OUR FAMILY’ S CONNECTION TO COMPTON AND THE LARGER LOS ANGELES COMMUNITY, IT IS INCREDIBLY MEANINGFUL TO BE A PART OF THE REVITALIZATION OF THE MAGGIE HATHAWAY GOLF COURSE. WE ARE EXCITED TO SEE THE LONG-TERM IMPACT THAT THIS PROGRAM WILL HAVE ON THE COMMUNITY AND FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.”

Venus Williams’s story image had an exclusive slogan, which read- “Give the Game. THIS IS MORE THAN GOLF. IT’S A COMMITMENT TO MAKING THE SPORT FOR EVERYONE. 10% OF OUR ANNUAL SPONSORSHIP WILL BE DEDICATED TO REVITALIZING THE MAGGIE HATHAWAY GOLF COURSE AND FACILITY.” Sharing the image Venus further added- “We can’t grow the game unless we give the game.”

Tagging Serena Williams’s husband Alexis Ohanian and the club, Venus Williams made it clear that she is devoted to helping her locality. She wishes to help the rising sports enthusiasts. Given that Serena Williams is also another co-owner of the club, it feels like the famous tennis sisters are dedicated to making Compton a better place.

Venus Williams worked equally hard to revive the tennis courts in her neighborhood

The former world’s number-one tennis star previously worked in collaboration with her old endorsement brand. She worked with Lacoste to revive two old tennis courts in Compton. Sharing the news of the brand’s 90th anniversary, Venus Williams impressed her fans. This is a great initiative for the home courts that brought her fame. She said- “It’s important for me to be close to the young generation. Sport has the power to change lives and I hope those 2 courts will make the kids want to practice more tennis.”

The famous Williams sisters’ recent initiative for their neighborhood Compton has melted their fans’ hearts. After such fame, they are amused and excited to see their favorite tennis stars giving back to their hometown. Following this, they are being a great example for others.

via Reuters

Tiger Woods has officially returned to his favorite sport. But for his next term, he will be moving ahead without his old caddie Joe LaCava. Last year when Woods took a break from golf, after an amicable understanding LaCava and Woods split ways and the caddie went on to work with Patrick Cantlay.

But for more than 12 years, LaCava stood by Woods as he collected many laurels. Together they scored 11 wins one of which was the 2019 Masters Tournament. Recently the caddie gave a candid interview where he explained what habit of Woods irked him.

Joe LaCava was humbled by Tiger Woods’ goodness

LaCava recently appeared on the Quiet Please podcast where he revealed many incidents from the nostalgia with Woods. Recalling some special memories from his earlier days the looper revealed that Woods had a golf coach, his agent, Mark Steinberg, who mostly stayed out for business so at the beginning of their term he used to be much nervous around him “because it’s Tiger Woods, right?” He always wanted to do a good job and make sure he was doing all the things correctly.

But he was also aware that he was going to make mistakes. The first couple of tournaments he was very nervous and anxious. And it was at that time that two things struck out to him. First Woods was low maintenance and second that the golfer never went to him to complain about any wrongdoing. He said, “The fact that he never ever came back to me once and I probably worked, I don’t know, 10 years, I probably worked 100, 110 tournaments for the guy.” The 15-time major winner was always so good to him that LaCava had to request him to stop being so nice.

During their tenure, the golfers never pointed out any wrong putts or wrong reading of the caddie. LaCava adds, “He very seldom pulls or pushes a putt. So almost like being too nice, like he wouldn’t tell me to read was wrong. And I said, stop being so nice.” LaCava wanted to learn where he was making mistakes so he could improve them. “I said, I kind of want to know, for next time more than anything, I don’t want to know if I was right or wrong necessarily. I want to know for next time.”

 

The duo had a smooth ride for a long time which stood the test of time when Woods went through his accidents in the past few years. The two got so close that the caddie also dropped a big piece of information about the golfer on the show.

Is Tiger Woods ready to embrace retirement?

In the same episode, LaCava also revealed that while they were together Woods felt unsure about how long he will be playing. He was also encouraged by the golfer to caddie for someone else if the opportunity came his way. Though at the time he declined as he was happy with how nicely Woods was treating him, but the allure called him back.

At last when Woods stepped back from the greens to recover he had to let go of his looper who luckily found a great opportunity with Patrick Cantlay whom LaCava called a “good young, healthy player.” Now he wishes for a successful tenure with Cantlay.

Tiger Woods thinks “there’s too much at stake to think about a Ryder Cup.”

The PGA Tour has reached a critical juncture and Woods, a new addition to the circuit’s Policy Board, has stressed that he is too focused on finalising a deal with LIV Golf’s Saudi backers to start plotting revenge on the Europeans at Bethpage in 2025.

But while the Team USA captaincy seat remains unfilled and Woods remains coy, speculation will only intensify over his potential involvement.

Phil Mickelson has ruled himself out of the captaincy running on the grounds he is a “very divisive character”, while former vice-captain Stewart Cink admits his fate rests in Woods’ hands.

“I do want to be the captain and think I can be,” Cink said recently. “But with all due respect to Tiger Woods, I think it’s up to him.”

Whilst mounting his own comeback, Woods is now set to decide whether he should lead the Stars and Stripes in New York next year, or take on the ultimate challenge of winning away at Adare Manor in 2027.

Hunter Mahan, meanwhile, is utterly convinced that the 15-time major winner is the man to rise to both occasions.

“They should roll with Tiger for the next two and let it be a four-year commitment,” Mahan told bunkered.co.uk.

“You’re not too worried about the next one, being at home. The home ones are kind of easy because of the emotion and the crowd is on your side. The one in Ireland is going to be brutal. It’s not going to be the next one you’re worried about.

“I know players love Stewart [Cink] and said he was incredible in the team room so I could see him getting it – but I would have to roll with Tiger.”

Woods, of course, has a famously poor record in the Ryder Cup. In eight matches as a player, he has finished on the winning side just once – at Brookline in 1999.

As a result, some have expressed concern that Woods wouldn’t be a shrewd choice by the PGA of America to take on Luke Donald’s revitalised Europe, especially with the 48-year-old attempting yet another revival on the fairways.

But Mahan believes Woods the captain has the ideal skillset to lead the US team to back-to-back Ryder Cup triumphs for what would be the first time in 34 years.

“Tiger’s a great leader in his own way,” Mahan explained. “You’ve seen it in the Presidents Cup. With Tiger being in the leadership role, he’s a completely different animal. He has this military background which is all about groups and subsets.

“He would plan this thing all out and his preparation for everything would be off the charts so that when guys get there and the tournament rolls around, they would have plan. He’s going to have everything situated in a way that nobody’s really seen before.

“He’s going to be beyond prepared and learn from the past mistakes. You have to treat it differently, it’s night and day being at home and being on the road.”

Losing captain Zach Johnson faced huge scrutiny after his side’s 16-12 defeat at Marco Simone, and Mahan hinted that the grave errors made under the two-time major champion’s leadership may not have happened under Woods’ watch.

“Zach is an A+ human being in every way and everyone on the team would say that. But it’s very clear that the job can overwhelm you and it can just get away from you really quickly,” he said.

“There were too many cooks in the kitchen. There were so many assistants scrambling to figure out what to do. There has to be an alpha, but it felt like there were six alphas.

“If you just think it’s about those three days and that ‘we just got outplayed and outputted’ – give me a break, you don’t understand what’s happening. You don’t understand what’s going on.

“Europe were so well prepared and everyone on that team played that golf course multiple times. No-one in the US did. No one did anything, their preparation was really bad. Everything felt like an afterthought.”

 

LOS ANGELES – Tournament host Tiger Woods has announced Chase Johnson as the recipient of the Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption into the 2024 Genesis Invitational. Johnson will join the field Feb. 15-18 at The Riviera Country Club. Awarded annually since 2009, the Sifford exemption represents the advancement of diversity in the game of golf.

Tiger Woods announces Chase Johnson as recipient of 2024 Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption

“Chase earned the 2024 Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption with his play over the past year,” Woods said. “He let his game speak for itself, and that is something I know Charlie would be proud of.”

Last year was a banner season for Johnson, with significant accomplishments on the PGA TOUR, Korn Ferry Tour and the Advocates Professional Golf Association (APGA) Tour. Johnson is looking to keep his momentum going this year.

“I am beyond excited to receive the Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption and to play in The Genesis Invitational,” Johnson said. “Tiger has been an inspiration to me, and I look forward to putting my game to the test at Riviera and playing in honor of Mr. Sifford.”

In June 2023, Johnson won The John Shippen Invitational earning a start the following week in the PGA TOUR’s Detroit stop, the Rocket Mortgage Classic. It was Johnson’s second career start on the PGA TOUR and his first made cut. In addition to his start in Detroit, Johnson played in the PGA TOUR’s World Wide Technology Championship and the Butterfield Bermuda Championship this past year. He made the cut at the World Wide Technology Championship held at El Cardonal at Diamante, the first course designed by Woods’ TGR Design to host a PGA TOUR event. Johnson made his PGA TOUR debut at the 2021 Memorial Tournament presented by Workday.

During the 2023 APGA Tour season, Johnson finished near the top of the leaderboard in all 11 of his starts. Johnson notched three wins (APGA Ascension Classic, APGA Farmers Insurance Cincinnati and APGA Farmers Insurance Austin), seven second-place finishes and a fifth-place finish on the APGA Tour in 2023. As a result of this fantastic season, Johnson finished atop the APGA Tour’s Player of the Year award standings, having the most combined points throughout the different APGA Tour events. Johnson also secured the APGA Tour’s fall series bonus as two of his victories in Cincinnati and Austin kicked off the three-event fall series.

“My game has been trending consistently for a while, and last year was a nice validation that my approach has been working,” Johnson said. “I have put in the work and know that my game is ready for Riviera.”

Born and raised in Northeast Ohio, Johnson was introduced to golf at a very young age. His father, Mel, put a club in his hand before he could walk, and the now 28-year-old’s first words as a child were ‘da ball’ pointing to a golf ball. But golf wasn’t Johnson’s only love growing up. An avid gamer – Johnson’s favorite game was Tiger Woods PGA TOUR – and fan of the Harry Potter series, Johnson still listens to the books while practicing.

On the golf course, Johnson excelled through the First Tee of Akron program and won multiple youth championships while earning a golf scholarship to play at Kent State University. While at Kent State, Johnson was the MAC Player of the Year in 2015-16 and a three-time all-conference selection. Following college, Johnson moved to Florida, where he worked as a caddie as he honed his game. He played in 11 PGA TOUR Latinoamérica events in 2019 and advanced to the Korn Ferry Tour in 2020, making 32 starts.

Since 2009, an exemption has been given to a golfer representing a minority background to play in the annual PGA TOUR event at Riviera. In 2017, the exemption was re-named to honor the memory of Charlie Sifford, the first African-American player to compete on the PGA TOUR and the winner of the 1969 Los Angeles Open at Rancho Park.

The full list of previous Charlie Sifford Memorial Exemption recipients includes Vincent Johnson (2009), Joshua Wooding (2010), Joseph Bramlett (2011, 2020), Andy Walker (2012), Jeremiah Wooding (2013), Harold Varner III (2014), Carlos Sainz Jr. (2015), J.J. Spaun (2016), Kevin M. Hall (2017), Cameron Champ (2018), Tim O’Neal (2019), Willie Mack III (2021), Aaron Beverly (2022) and Marcus Byrd (2023).