President
Trump presented Tiger Woods with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in
the White House Rose Garden Monday, calling the champion golfer "a global
symbol of American excellence, devotion and drive."
"Tiger, we are inspired by everything you've become
and attained. The job you've done is incredible," Trump said to Woods.
"Your spectacular achievements on the golf course, your triumph over
physical adversity and your relentless will to win, win, win; these
qualities embody the American spirit of pushing boundaries, defying limits and
always striving for greatness."
Trump, an avid golfer who played with Woods at the
president's golf club in Florida this past February, also referred to Woods as
"a true legend, an extraordinary athlete who has transformed golf and
achieved new levels of dominance."
"He's also a great person. He's a great guy,"
Trump added.
During the ceremony, the president
recounted highlights of Woods' career in detail... Both men
were clad in blue suits and red ties, matching Woods' traditional
Sunday apparel on the golf course.
At one point, Trump recognized Woods' mother, girlfriend,
children and caddie, all of whom were in attendance, and paid tribute to Woods'
late father, Earl, calling him "a very special guy also."
"He was tough, Tiger, wasn't he?" Trump asked
Tiger about Earl Woods.
"Not as tough as her," Woods cracked in
response, pointing out his mother, Kultida.
Woods is the fourth golfer to receive the Medal of
Freedom. Then-President George W. Bush presented the honor to Arnold Palmer and
Jack Nicklaus in 2004 and 2005, respectively. Then-President Barack Obama gave
the Medal of Freedom to Charlie Sifford, the first African-American to join the
PGA Tour, in 2014. In his remarks Monday, Woods mentioned that he had named his
10-year-old son Charlie after Sifford, whom he referred to as "like the
grandpa I never had."
"This has been an unbelievable experience and ...
everyone here has seen and been with me for them, some of you for my entire
life, and some of you for more than half my life," Woods said.
"You've seen the good and the bad, the highs and the lows and I would not
be in this position without your help."
Trump announced that Woods would receive the Presidential
Medal of Freedom last month after Woods won the Masters Tournament. It was the 43-year-old
Woods' first victory at Augusta National since 2005 and his first major title
since 2008.
"I tried to hang in there and I tried to come back
and play the great game of golf again," Woods said. "I've been lucky
enough to have the opportunity to do it again, and ... the amazing Masters
experience that I just had a few weeks ago is probably the highlight of what
I've accomplished so far in my life on the golf course."
Woods and Trump are longstanding business associates.
Golfers at Trump's club in Doral, Fla., can stay at the Tiger Woods Villa. At a
ribbon cutting ceremony in 2014, Woods lavished praise on the future
presidential candidate, calling changes he made to the club
"phenomenal."
In Dubai, Woods designed an 18-hole course to be managed
by The Trump Organization.
The Trump Organization has "repeatedly demonstrated
their ability to successfully manage unique, high-end courses and golf clubs,
and this is no exception," Woods said in a 2018 interview in the company's
in-house magazine.
Trump has used Woods' cachet to attract fans to his
properties for decades.
Trump got Woods to show up at his Taj Mahal casino in
Atlantic City, N.J., a day after the golfer's first Masters victory in
1997. Two thousand fans showed up as Woods walked down a 320-foot red
carpet, some of them storming steel barricades to get a closer look.
....
The Medal of Freedom ceremony was the second
sports-related event to be held at the White House Monday. Earlier in the day,
Trump presented the Commander in Chief's Trophy to the Army football team to
mark its wins over Air Force and Navy this past season.
Fox News' Ryan Gaydos and The Associated
Press contributed to this report.
