Tiger Woods beams as he watches daughter Sam, 17, play in semi-final of high school football tournament
TIGER WOODS beamed with delight as he cheered on his daughter in her semi-final football match.
Woods has two children – daughter Sam Alexis and son Charlie Axel.
Charlie, 16, seems set to follow in his father’s famous footsteps by pursuing a career as a pro golf star.
But despite caddying for her dad and brother, Sam has decided against getting into golf.
Instead, she plays football and competes in athletics.
And this week, defender Sam, 17, helped her team win their state championship semi-final.
Benjamin High School needed extra-time to beat four-time reigning champions Lakeland Christian 2-1 in the Florida Class 2A tournament.
And Woods, 49, was in the stands to watch Sam in action.
Pictures from the stadium in DeLand showed Sam – wearing the No28 – kicking the ball while her legendary parent went through the emotions on the sidelines.
Decked out in a navy t-shirt, jeans and a white cap, Woods watched on nervously before jumping up in celebration, smiling and hugging someone – possibly another parent.
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Thursday’s victory booked Benjamin High School’s place in the final against Episcopal School on Saturday at the Spec Martin Stadium.
Woods Jr and best-mate Emily Simon helped secure a clean sheet as Emma Bartoli scored the only goal of the final to secure victory for Benjamin.
Head coach Hillary Carney said: “The defence really led the team all year.
“It was a matter of keeping the door shut and not letting them score and knowing we would get one, maybe two.
“So it was really the stalwart defense leading the way with Emily being in goal and Sam being that senior in the back just settling everything.”
With the football season coming to an end in successful fashion, Sam looks set to swap her studs for spikes as she competes in hurdles and middle-distance events.
Her dad has openly admitted golf was off the cards for his daughter as he actively encouraged her into football.
Woods told Golf.com in 2018: “Sam and Charlie are keen into soccer.
“If they want to play golf, that’s great. If they don’t, that’s fine, too. As long as they have a good time playing sports.
“I find that a lot of fun now, to be able to physically get out and pass the ball around with them.
“I get such a big kick out of watching them compete and play. It’s so much fun to see how happy and passionate they are about soccer.”
And he added last year: “Sam has, I think, a negative connotation to golf because at that time, when she was growing up, golf took daddy away from her.
“I had to pack, and I had to leave and I was gone for weeks and there was a negative connotation to it.
“So we developed our own relationship, our own rapport that’s outside of golf that we do things that don’t involve golf.
“Meanwhile, my son and I, we do everything golf-related. It’s very different.”
Tiger and Charlie have teamed up at the last five parent-and-child PNC Championships, finishing as runners-up twice.
Woods has not played on the PGA Tour so far this season but has been competing in his new indoor The Golf League.
However, he skipped one match and the Genesis Invitational following the death of his mother.
Woods will be desperate to tee it up and make another record-extending cut at the Masters next month, where he is a five-time winner.