By Fred Cromartie, Ed.D. |
Tiger Woods recorded his fifth Masters Golf Tournament title and 15th major championship on April 14 in Augusta, Ga. Winning his fifth Masters Green Jacket was remarkable and gobsmacked the golf and sports world as fans eagerly watched the golfer’s epic comeback.
The win was remarkable and marked a shocking and spectacular turnaround for Woods. It was his first major golf tournament win in more than a decade and came on the heels of suffering from major back injuries and self-inflected personal issues that involved highly published marital infidelity, all of which derailed his golfing pursuit of playing and seeking to win golf’s major championships.
Due to his victory it was announced on April 15 by President Donald Trump that Woods would be given the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.
The Medal of Freedom is awarded by the president to citizens who make or have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, or world peace, or cultural or other significant public or private endeavors. It has not been announced when The Medal of Freedom will be awarded to Woods.
Tiger Woods is not the first athlete nor golfer to be awarded The Medal of Freedom, he joins more than two dozen sports figure that have received the award, which includes golf legends Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Charlie Sifford, the first African-American to play on the PGA tour.
The following contributed to the writing of this piece. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/golf/2019/04/15/tiger-woods-donald-trump-presidential-medal-freedom/3475547002/
Dr. Fred Cromartie is the Director of Doctoral Studies at the United States Sports Academy.