Far Hills, New Jersey Tiger Woods has been chosen to receive the USGA’s highest accolade, the Bob Jones Award, which honors his dedication to sportsmanship and reverence for the game’s traditions.
With 82 career wins on the PGA Tour, including 15 majors, Woods is mostly recognized for his accomplishments on the golf field.
“This award goes beyond playing performance, recognizing the lasting impact of one person’s journey that has forever changed the image and growth of golf,” said Mike Whan, the chief executive officer of the USGA. In terms of on-course achievements, very few can match Tiger Woods, and when it comes to the influence he has had on the game and its future, he is unmatched.
Donald Trump awarded Woods the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2019, and he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2022.
Woods expressed his gratitude on social media on Saturday and stated that he feels privileged to have been selected.
Woods has won nine USGA championships, including the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach (2000), Bethpage Black (2002), and Torrey Pines (2008). He has won three consecutive U.S. Junior Amateurs and three consecutive U.S. Amateurs.
“Bob Jones was a pillar of our game because of the integrity with which he played it, and I’m truly humbled to receive the award that bears his name and join the many who have received it before me who continue his legacy,” Woods said in a statement.
When the Grand Slam was made up of the British Open, British Amateur, U.S. Open, and U.S. Amateur, Jones won it in 1930. Afterwards, he invented the Masters and co-founded Augusta National Golf Club.
Away from the golf game, Woods founded the TGR Foundation, which prioritizes STEM-based learning at the TGR Learning Lab in California and educational opportunities. In addition, he founded a company to develop golf courses. A PGA Tour event was held at one of his courses in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, last fall.
On June 12, Woods will get recognition at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina during the U.S. Open.
Former President George H.W. Bush, Mickey Wright and Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, and others have all won before.