“Hockey is a sport for white men. Basketball is a sport for black men. Golf is a sport for white men dressed like black pimps.”
“Green and black go well together, don’t they?”
“Every sport evolves. Every sport gets bigger and more athletic, and you have to keep up.”
“There’s no sense in going to a tournament if you don’t believe that you can win it. And that is the belief I have always had. And that is not going to change.”
“People don’t understand that when I grew up, I was never the most talented. I was never the biggest. I was never the fastest. I certainly was never the strongest. The only thing I had was my work ethic, and that’s been what has gotten me this far.”
“I thoroughly enjoy getting away from the game and going out fishing because it’s so relaxing, so quiet and peaceful. I mean, there’s no noise other than nature – and it’s so different from what I do in a tournament situation that it just eases my mind.”
“Don’t force your kids into sports. I never was. To this day, my dad has never asked me to go play golf. I ask him. It’s the child’s desire to play that matters, not the parent’s desire to have the child play. Fun. Keep it fun.”
“I mean, as an athlete, as a competitor, you have to have that belief in yourself.”
“You can always become better.”
“Winning is not always the barometer of getting better.”
“I love to play golf, and that’s my arena. And you can characterize it and describe it however you want, but I have a love and a passion for getting that ball in the hole and beating those guys.”
“As a child, the family that I had and the love I had from my two parents allowed me to go ahead and be more aggressive, to search and to take risks knowing that, if I failed, I could always come home to a family of love and support.”
“A lot of times I blend in a little bit easier because I’m not like a basketball player who’s going to stand out because of his height.”
“The joy I get from winning a major championship doesn’t even compare to the feeling I get when a kid writes a letter saying: ‘Thank you so much. You have changed my life.’”
“I wake up every day and I can’t wait to go to work, and that’s a gift. Not too many people have the opportunity to feel that way.”
“I look at a streak as I don’t lose – literally.”
“I’ve had the luxury of playing golf around the world, and I’ve spent a lot of time evaluating how to play all kinds of courses.”
“My dad was my best friend and greatest role model. He was an amazing dad, coach, mentor, soldier, husband and friend.”
“I love to compete. That’s the essence of who I am.”
“Achievements on the golf course are not what matters, decency and honesty are what matter.”
“If you are given a chance to be a role model, I think you should always take it because you can influence a person’s life in a positive light, and that’s what I want to do. That’s what it’s all about.”
“I’ve been a gamer all my life.”
“My dad used to say, ‘Just because you dress up in a coat and tie, it doesn’t influence your intelligence.’”
“I’m going to try to keep getting better.”
“Golf is evolving, every day, every shot.”
“I’m aware if I’m playing at my best I’m tough to beat. And I enjoy that.”
“For many my behavior has been a major disappointment, my behavior has caused considerable worry to my business partners, and everyone involved in my business, but most importantly to the young people we influence, I apologize.”
“I remember there was a time when people were saying I could never win again.”
“In therapy I have learned the importance of keeping spiritual life and professional life balanced. I need to regain my balance.”
“I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart.”
“I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves.”
“I have been fortunate to have my game peak at the right times.”
“I’m addicted. I’m addicted to golf.”
“My failures have made me look at myself in a way I’ve never wanted to before.”
“If money titles meant anything, I’d play more tournaments. The only thing that means a lot to me is winning. If I have more wins than anybody else and win more majors than anybody else in the same year, then it’s been a good year.”
“Well, you know, a lot of people look at the negative things, the things that they did wrong and – which I do. But I like to stress on the things I did right, because there are certain things that I like to look at from a positive standpoint that are just positive reinforcement.”
“My mother was right when she said that turning pro would take away my youth.”
“The major championships have always been a special focus in my career, and as a professional, I think Augusta is where I need to be.”
“The thing you don’t dream about as a kid is all the peripheral stuff that comes with success.”
“I did envisage being this successful as a player, but not all the hysteria around it off the golf course.”
“I get to play golf for a living. What more can you ask for – getting paid for doing what you love.”
“As a kid, I might have been psycho, I guess, but I used to throw golf balls in the trees and try and somehow make par from them. I thought that was fun.”
“The Masters is where I won my first major, and I view this tournament with great respect. After a long and necessary time away from the game, I feel like I’m ready to start my season at Augusta.”
“I lost my ability to will things to happen.”
“Sensationalism sells: Don’t let the facts get in the way of a good story.”
“Golf is me.”
“I started changing my swing in late 1999.”
“All that really matters is I have two beautiful kids, and I’m trying to be the best dad I can possibly be, and that’s the most important thing of all.”
“I’ve done some pretty bad things in my life.”
“Businesswise, everything’s been good.”
“I miss hanging out with my friends, getting in a little trouble. I have to be so guarded now.”
“America’s a melting pot, all races, cultures, religious choices.”
“I do plan to return to golf one day, I just don’t know when that day will be.”
“Younger guys now are all working out, and you find that if everyone’s doing it and you’re not doing it, you’re going to be left behind.”
“I felt that I had worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me. I felt I was entitled, and thanks to money and fame, I didn’t have to go far to find them.”
“I’ve always had that knack for staying pretty even keel and the more the situation gets tense the more I see things clearly and I think that’s just a knack that I’ve always had.”
“I’m not as far along as Jack Nicklaus was at this age, but I’m trying.”
“I want to be what I’ve always wanted to be: dominant.”
“It will always be the ball and me.”
“Michael left because of the Bulls’ management, not because he’d lost his love of playing the game.”
“And I don’t cook, either. Not as long as they still deliver pizza.”
“My main focus is on my game.”
“I stopped living according to my core values. I knew what I was doing was wrong but thought only about myself and thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to.”
“Money and fame made me believe I was entitled. I was wrong and foolish.”
“I don’t get to live by different rules. The same boundaries that apply to everyone apply to me.”
“The virtue of privacy is one that must be protected in matters that are intimate and within one’s own family.”
“Personal sins should not require press releases and problems within a family shouldn’t have to mean public confessions.”
“I am deeply aware of the disappointment and hurt that my infidelity has caused to so many people, most of all my wife and children.”
“Everyone wants to get a piece of me.”
“I always come from truth.”
“Golf has made me and shaped me into the person I am here today.”
“I really don’t feel like playing anymore.”
“I’ve gotten more buff.”
“To have the opportunity to complete the slam at the Open at St Andrews, the home of golf, is something I will never ever forget.”
“I’ve exceeded a few of my goals, but I’m behind on a couple of others.”
“Hopefully I’ll continue to have the success I’ve had.”
“Golf is something I do selfishly for myself.”
“I’d like to share my experiences and the lessons I’ve learned and hopefully create some amazing, fun courses.”
“There are golfers everywhere who may never get a chance to play a links course in Scotland, a tree-lined course in America or the sand belts of Australia. Hopefully I can bring some of those elements into their backyards.”
“The amount of meetings I’ve been in – people would be shocked. But that’s how you gain experience, how you can gain knowledge, being in meetings and participating. You learn and grow.”
“As you all know, I’m kind of a perfectionist.”
“All I can say is that I’m getting married in the future. I’ve narrowed it down to that.”
“My father had always called me Sam since the day I was born. He rarely ever called me Tiger. I would ask him, ‘Why don’t you ever call me Tiger?’ He says, ‘Well, you look more like a Sam.”
“I am not without faults and I am far short of perfect.”
“I hurt my wife, my kids, my mother, my wife’s family, my friends, my foundation and kids all around the world who admired me.”
“I ran straight through the boundaries a married couple should live by.”
“I believe in Buddhism. Not every aspect, but most of it. So I take bits and pieces.”
“I don’t believe that human beings can achieve ultimate enlightenment, because humans have flaws.”
“I was living a life of a lie, I really was.”
“I really miss a lot of my friends out there.”
“Life has been good.”
“My kids are doing just great.”
“I’m lucky to have been able to represent different companies over my career.”
“Everyone knows what the Masters is, even if you’re a non-golfer. People know what Wimbledon is. They know what the Super Bowl is. There are certain events that people just know about.”
“A lot has transpired in my life.”
“I’m getting back to my old roots.”
“I saw a person that I never thought I would ever become.”
“I’d gotten away from my Buddhism. And I quit meditating.”
“I’ve always known where I wanted to go in life.”
“I miss college.”
“I feel like my life is pretty special.”
“I enjoy what I do.”
“The majority of my blood is Asian.”
“As a kid when I was growing up, as any kid, you think you know every thing and I was no different to that.”
“I know that balance that I need to have in my life.”
“I think that in itself, if you’re a true golfer, you’ll see specific things you need to work on. Much cheaper than private lessons.”
“I’ll tell you what, I’ve been in some seriously bad places playing golf and it’s just part of the game.”
“Most players I play with, I don’t look at their swing when they’re over the ball or anything like that.”
“People don’t really bother me as much as you might think.”
“To be able to hold all four majors – the Masters, U.S. Open, British Open, PGA – all concurrently I think is the Grand Slam. But a lot of people have a different opinions on that. People think you have to win it in the same calendar year.”
“I don’t think golf has ever been any pressure as far as having to succeed.”
“I will have to earn trust and respect from my kids.”
“If you’re lucky to have three close people in your life, you’re blessed.”
“My mom was tough.”
“There are still courses in the United States that I am not allowed to play because of the color of my skin.”
“I am definitely not a politician.”
“I don’t make any rules.”
“I like to pick my causes and not be forced into doing something.”
“I probably will have to become more political down the road when my playing days are done, because I’m going to have to have the support of others to grow my foundation.”
“You can win all the tournaments you want, but the majors are what you’re remembered for. It’s how you’re measured as a champion in our sport. The majors are where it’s at.”
“It’s cool now to play golf.”
“I’m all or nothing.”
“I’m committed to try to make the product the best I possibly can.”
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