Tragic Details About Tiger Woods' Children, Sam And Charlie

Tiger Woods' kids have been front and center throughout his celebrated career — for better and for worse. But in the beginning, it was all for the better, with Sam Woods and her younger brother Charlie Woods often photographed smiling proudly on the green next to their superstar golfer father. In 2011, Tiger gushed about the joys of parenting, saying, "I just love being with them and seeing what they're doing, what they're capable of doing — the joys, just the shifts of interest. It's just fun. We have a great time together," (via People). And given the iconic golfer's sky-high net worth, it's not hard to imagine that his two kids have enjoyed quite the childhood.

But in a telling moment on the "Another Golf Podcast," in 2022, Tiger detailed his parenting philosophy in a hypothetical discussion with Charlie, saying, "Son, you will never be my friend. Okay? I will always be friendly, but I will always be your dad." He then elaborated, "I think that's the responsibility as a parent. You could always be friendly. My dad was always friendly to me, but he was my dad first." It's a stern tone that illuminates the long shadow that Sam and Charlie have had to live beneath, and which conflicts with the smiling family that we often see in photographs.

But whether they were dealing with assumptions about following in Tiger's professional footsteps or sadly becoming collateral damage due to some of the poor decisions he's made along the way Sam and Charlie have not always had an easy time of it.

There are few things harder than following in a celebrity athlete's footsteps and it has to be significantly more difficult when the star in question is legendary golfer Tiger Woods. But that is the path that his son Charlie Woods has chosen, and the weight of living up to his father's laundry list of accomplishments and numerous awards is as tough as it is heartbreaking. In a mixture of bad-behaving fans and what could have been some performance anxiety, according to the Palm Beach Post, Charlie's poor play in a pre-qualifying round for the 2024 Cognizant Classic was compounded by fans disrespecting the boundaries of the course and encroaching on Charlie's personal space. 

It all culminated in Tiger's son enduring a wild interaction with an overzealous fan who asked him to sign one of his dad's books. All of this unwanted attention added a tense layer to what was already a nerve-wracking public examination of his abilities. And, to make the comparisons to his famous father even more overwhelming, that very same year Charlie had a shot at competing to win a U.S. Junior Amateur championship at the tender age of 15, which would have given him the chance to tie the record previously set by his father. 

But as reported by ESPN at the time, amid a crowd of hundreds of people, Charlie failed to qualify, dashing one of the largest and earliest examples he could have used to signal that maybe the teen could be just as good as Dad. And while it was Charlie's choice to follow in Tiger's footsteps, the endless comparisons by fans and the media alike must make the odds of ever measuring up feel almost impossible.

In the Woods household, it may be a case of "like father, like son" but eldest daughter Sam Woods sadly isn't too fond of golf. During a 2024 appearance on "Today," Tiger remarked of Sam, "You know, when she was growing up, golf took daddy away from her," (via X, formerly known as Twitter), solemnly adding, "I had to pack and I had to leave and I would be gone for weeks, and there was a negative connotation to it." And while many kids can relate to feeling abandoned by their fathers when sports come calling, Sam is likely traumatized on a whole other level.

Still, Golfweek reported in 2024 that Sam was spotted all grown up, gorgeous, and happily caddying for her father and brother during the PNC Championship, which the talented duo has made a habit of playing together. But aside from showing up for her family, Sam makes sure to find time for her dad off the course too. As Tiger explained on "Today," "We've developed our own relationship, our own rapport, that's outside of golf. We do things that [don't] involve golf." And while Sam looks like an undeniable natural next to Charlie and Tiger, we can't help but wonder if a firm break from the all-encompassing family pastime might help erase some of those bad memories.

In February 2021, Sam and Charlie Woods had to wait for news about their father's life-threatening injuries after Tiger Woods was involved in a car accident during which he crashed into a sign and smashed into a tree. The graphic damage left the two children wondering if their father would even return to them as Sam bravely recalled the terrifying time during her speech at Tiger's' induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame. She admitted, "We didn't know if you'd come home with two legs or not. Now, you're not only about to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, but you're standing here on your own two feet. This is why you deserve this," per People.

The golfer underwent several surgeries that left Tiger and his family, as well as his fans, wondering when or if he would ever return to the links. But while Sam and Charlie worried about their father, People also noted that the two gave Tiger the inspiration to fight to get better, with a source telling the outlet that he lived for his kids and former wife, Elin Nordegren. The source also shared that "being a dad has helped him stay focused on his recovery." And while Tiger healed and returned to golf again, we can't help but feel that dealing with the traumatic incident is just another weight Sam and Charlie had to carry as the children of a living legend.

In 2009, Charlie Woods was just born and Sam Woods was only two years old when the world learned that their megastar father, Tiger Woods, had had an affair with Rachel Uchital. After initially covering it up, the legendary athlete finally acknowledged stepping out on his marriage to Elin Nordegren and underwent professional treatment for his sex addiction. The following year, Tiger and Nordegren got divorced. According to Us Weekly, Tiger said in a statement at the time, "While we are no longer married, we are the parents of two wonderful children and their happiness has been, and will always be, of paramount importance to both of us." The sad truth is that the pro-golfer's transgressions loom almost as large as his impressive career to both Sam and Charlie. 

In fact, for most of their childhood, their father was in and out of the news more for his troubles than his accomplishments. Especially when the list of women Tiger allegedly had affairs with kept growing. Add to that his infamous 2017 DUI arrest, after which the celebrated athlete was found to have a cocktail of drugs in his system, and Sam and Charlie had to grow up in a world where everybody talked about their father not just as a great golfer, but as a deeply flawed man. Thankfully, as a source informed Us Weekly in 2023, "Tiger and Elin are truly in a great place. He's been so great with the kids, and that really brought her around to having a friendship with Tiger." Still, imagine what it's like to have a father just as famous for his mugshot as he is for his Masters wins.

Grandparents can often be a bridge between parents and their children, and it sounds like siblings Sam and Charlie Woods held their beloved grandmother in very high esteem. Kultida Woods, Tiger Woods' mother, sadly passed away on February 4, 2025, and in a statement posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, the iconic golfer gushed, "She was my biggest fan, greatest supporter, without her none of my personal achievements would have been possible." He then went on to acknowledge the role that Kultida had in his kids' lives: "She was loved by so many, but especially by her two grandchildren, Sam and Charlie."

Her passing left Sam and Charlie without either grandparent on Tiger's side, since their grandfather, Earl Woods, died from cancer in 2006. Earl has long been associated with pushing Tiger into golf, but following his 2019 Masters win, Tiger clarified, "Everyone thought it was my dad when I went on the road, which it was, but Mom was at home. If you don't know, Mom has been there my entire life," per ESPN. Given that golf has been passed down two generations, from Earl to Tiger and now to Charlie and Sam (whether she likes it or not), losing their grandmother must also feel like they're losing a part of their legacy.