The following story comes from the Tiger Woods website - the photo below is from Getty Images, also on the official Tiger Woods website: STANFORD, Calif. -- Tiger Woods was officially inducted into the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday night during a small dinner on campus. Woods was a two-time first-team All-American and NCAA Individual Champion in 1996. Accompanied by his wife, Elin, children Sam and Charlie, and mother Kultida, he was serenaded by the Stanford Band beforehand, Woods conducting the final song "All Right Now" from the steps of the Cantor Arts Center.
Following a video tribute, his mother and former Cardinal teammates Jerry Chang and Notah Begay III gave heartfelt testimonials.
On Saturday, Woods served as honorary captain for Stanford's football game against archrival California. He gave a short but rousing pre-game speech in the locker room before the game and flipped the coin at midfield, Stanford winning the toss. But after jumping out to a 14-0 lead, the Cardinal lost, 34-28.
Woods was also recognized for his election into the Hall of Fame at halftime, where he was presented with a plaque by Stanford Athletic Director Bob Bowlsby.
STANFORD, Calif. - Tiger Woods, winner of 14 major golf championships and the top-ranked player in the world, will serve as Stanford's honorary captain for Saturday's Big Game against California, head coach Jim Harbaugh announced today.
"It will be an honor for Stanford football to share our sideline with the greatest competitor of our generation," said Harbaugh.
Woods, who attended Stanford from 1994-96, will meet with the team prior to the game and will also take part in the pregame coin toss. In addition, Woods will be honored on the field at halftime at which time he will be presented with a plaque signifying his induction into the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame.
"I'm really looking forward to being on the sideline Saturday to support coach Harbaugh and his players in one of college football's great rivalries," said Woods. "It's also a great honor to be included in the 2009 Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame class. I want to congratulate the other honorees. I had a wonderful time competing at Stanford, was challenged in and out of the classroom, and developed many life-long friendships. The university helped me grow as a person and an athlete, and I will always be grateful."
Woods, now 33 years of age, has had an unprecedented career since becoming a professional golfer in the late summer of 1996. He has won 94 tournaments, 71 of those on the PGA Tour, including the 1997, 2001, 2002 and 2005 Masters tournaments, 1999, 2000, 2006 and 2007 PGA Championships, 2000, 2002, and 2008 U.S. Open Championships, and 2000, 2005 and 2006 Open Championships. With his second Masters victory in 2001, Tiger became the first ever to hold all four professional major championships at the same time. He is the career victories leader among active players on the PGA Tour, and is the career money list leader.
While at Stanford, he won a total of 10 intercollegiate events including finishing first at the 1996 Pac-10 Conference and NCAA Championships. A two-time first team All-American in 1995 and '96, Tiger recorded the lowest round in Stanford history, carding a 61 at the 1996 Pac-10 Championships. He also holds Stanford's lowest career stroke average at 71.1.
The 112th Big Game will kickoff at 4:30 p.m. at Stanford Stadium and will be televised nationally on Versus.
SF Gate/SF Chronicle by Ron Kroichick, Chronicle Staff Writer 9/20/09
Tiger Woods' long trail of triumphant moments includes several in Northern California - stirring comeback in the 2000 AT&T at Pebble Beach, historic romp in the U.S. Open later that year, memorable playoff victory over John Daly at Harding Park in '05. Woods' appearance in next month's Presidents Cup offers another chance to burnish the NorCal chapter of his career.
But his history in our little corner of the world stretches deeper. Remember, he lived in the Bay Area for two years as a student at Stanford in the mid-1990s - two years that shaped Woods in ways beyond propelling him to fame and wealth as the world's best golfer.
He already was a much-hyped phenom, with three U.S. Junior Amateur wins and one U.S. Amateur title, when he arrived as an 18-year-old freshman in the fall of 1994. But to the seniors on Stanford's golf team - who had won the NCAA championship in the spring and were standout players in their own right - Woods was a scrawny target.
Notah Begay III considered it his duty to treat Woods like any other freshman. This meant he carried the bags on road trips (at least initially) and found himself in the worst seat on the van and airplane and worst room in the team hotel.
Begay chuckled as he reflected on those distant days, given Woods now travels in a private jet, owns a luxury yacht and could buy an entire hotel if he wanted.
"We felt like we were entitled to give Tiger a hard time," Begay recalled last week. "Now he's having the last laugh."
Woods lived in coed freshman dorms and realized he was in a different realm when one roommate took apart his computer and put it back together, just for kicks. Current Stanford coach Conrad Ray, a college teammate of Woods', said Woods enjoys telling that story, much as Ray likes telling the one about a Woods roommate who was hardly awed by Tiger's burgeoning stature in golf circles.
He took a call one day from a guy named Greg with an Australian accent, then forgot to pass along the message. As Woods was leaving for the Masters in April 1995, the roommate remembered - and Woods realized it was Greg Norman, one of the world's top players, calling to arrange a practice round at Augusta National.
Amusing memories aside, Woods offered an uncommonly animated answer when asked how his two years at Stanford shaped him.
"I look at those as two of the greatest years I've ever had - being away from home for the first time and learning how to cope with things, how to learn, how to grow," he said. "We were all in the same boat together trying to get through it together.
"I'll never forget the intelligence people had and their perspectives on so many different subjects, the things I was exposed to. It certainly did shape me, no doubt about it." 1995 Stanford golf team photo
Tiger Woods ('96) joined his friend and former Stanford roommate Notah Begay ('95) in Notah's Skins Game benefitting disadvantaged Native American youth held today at the Turning Stone Resort in central New York state. Also playing in the Skins Game with its $500,000 purse is former Masters champion Mike Weir and Camilo Villegas.
After the event the PRNewswire reports: Native American Youth True Winners VERONA, N.Y., Aug. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Tiger Woods, the world's No. 1 golfer, outshot an all-world foursome that included Camilo Villegas, Mike Weir and Notah Begay III to win the second annual Notah Begay III (NB3) Foundation Challenge. Taking nine skins and $230,000 during the 18 holes played on Monday, Woods successfully outplayed both the field and the challenging Atunyote Golf Club course at Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, N.Y. The tournament raised at least $750,000 for the Notah Begay III Foundation.
"Today the whole thing was about bringing awareness to what Notah is trying to do," said Woods shortly after the Challenge concluded. "It's great to see what he's doing. He's put his heart, soul and passion into it." Here's the complete story about the event.
The one-day event raised $750,000 dollars for Notah's foundation giving back to his Native American heritage as the PGA Tour's only full-blooded Navajo.
Here's an excellent interview with Jordan Cox after his experience of playing in the US Open at Torrey Pines. As Jordan says it was a "surreal" experience as he talks about the qualifying rounds, the highlight of playing practice rounds with Tiger Woods and what it was like playing in the tournament.
Part 3: Stanford Hall of Fame golf coach Wally Goodwin on his 1993-94 national championship team, the team chemistry and recruiting Tiger Woods and other players. Will Yanigasawa, Casey Martin and Notah Begay are highlighted.
Part 4: Stanford Hall of Fame golf coach Wally Goodwin talks about Tiger and his relationship with Earl Woods, his most improved player ever, current coach Conrad Ray and 4-time All-American Joel Kribel.
Part 2 of a video interview with 2-time national coach of the year Wally Goodwin. Wally talks about the keys to turning Stanford into a great program starting with bringing in players such as Christian Cevaer, Casey Martin, Notah Begay and then Tiger Woods among others.
This interview includes discussion of his national championship team in 1993-94. Wally was 80 in Nov 2007 when this interview was conducted by Dr. Lyman Van Slyke, Bob Stevens and Rich Peers.
Grant ("Biggie") Spaeth. Stanford men's golf team letter winner 1952, 1953, 1954. Member of the 1953 national championship team. USGA President 1990-92.
Intro: As part of an ongoing project to create a new website for the Stanford Men’s Golf Team, and to preserve the oral history of Stanford golf, interviews with notable Stanford golfers will be made. This is the part IV of IV of an interview with Grant Spaeth. On Monday, October 8, 2007, Grant Spaeth was interviewed overlooking the 18th green at Stanford University Golf Course. The interviewers were Lyman Van Slyke, Bob Stevens and Richard Peers.
INTERVIEWER: Can I take you back for a second to Stanford - your undergraduate days. You were here for four years I assume. GRANT: Right. INTERVIEWER: Can you think of one person who stands out as having had more influence over you, in your Stanford experience? Could have been relative to golf or a professor, or it could have been I suppose somebody outside of the University. GRANT: Oh, gosh. I’d have to think on that, but the fact of the matter is that I got very close to Sandy Tatum when he was around, and I got very close to the president of the University. His name was Wally Sterling. One of the great people of all time. And my dad! That was a pretty good three-some of friends to have. So somehow, as a kid, I can recall turning to them. INTERVIEWER: Since you mention Sandy Tatum, and he has played such an important part in the history of the program. GRANT: Sure. INTERVIEWER: Could you speak about him a little bit. GRANT: Sure, actually Lyman ought to do that because he interviewed him with great care a few years back. INTERVIEWER: Specifically with respect to his friendship with Alistair Cooke. GRANT: Sure. INTERVIEWER: Not in a more general, broader way. GRANT: Well, Stanford was very important to Sandy. His brother had gone, been a Rhodes Scholar. Sandy worked very, very hard and got very good grades. Pop identified that very quickly when he first came here and he hired two guys to run the law school for him: Sandy Tatum and Warren Christopher. They are both, obviously, hard working, brilliant people. What Sandy, in his career, which has been a very successful law practice, very important charitable contributions, including being a Trustee at the University, he’s very bright, very careful, very organized. He is a very compelling person. He can talk you into just about anything. But golf has been just an integral part of his life. But it hasn’t deflected him from what I consider important achievements. I’ve always thought he ought to go into politics. I think he could have been a winner in politics, but that wasn’t to be. And so, he’s an intense person and he cares a lot and he thinks a lot about things that matter to him. And he’s otherwise been a very loyal friend. I could go on at great length, but that’s my summary. INTERVIEWER: Is there a player since you left that you built a connection to and sustained that relationship over the years? GRANT: I can’t think of anyone other than Dick McElyea. I got to know Tiger very well, but it’s tough to sustain something in the last five years. INTERVIEWER: Absolutely. GRANT: I’d have to think on that one a bit. No one pops out, but I’ll keep thinking. INTERVIEWER: Certainly Watson and Woods stand out in the world of golf. GRANT: Sure. INTERVIEWER: Your interactions with Tom Watson? GRANT: Not very close. Sandy Tatum and he – Tom’s had a very complex life. From upbringing until today, and Tatum, I’ve always thought, though we don’t talk about it a lot, is almost a surrogate father for Tom. We played golf here not so long ago, and the relationship is one which I felt almost like I was intruding. There were three of us. INTERVIEWER: I understand, yes. GRANT: And because the unsaid things were obviously ones of intimacy between two men, father-son kind of things, but I get along with Tom fine. INTERVIEWER: Your experience with Tiger? You mention you did have some interaction with him when he was here. GRANT: Well, Earl. Tiger was appointment to the World Cup and one of the things the president is invited to do is be the captain, whether you’re a good golfer or not. I’d like to think I know something about the game. Anyway, I happened to be captain and Tiger, who was on the team, he was picked. He should have come with us, but I told him to stick around for the three days of introduction to freshman to Stanford. They have those various occasions, and I said, “Come late, I’ll meet you at the plane.” Which is what I did. So he stayed here and he arrived late. In the meantime his father had called me and said that Tiger had gone on a foreign trip and had been really mistreated, that the person who organized took care of himself rather than the kids, and he was worried. And I said, “Well ,don’t you worry, Earl.” I’d come to know him a bit. I said I’ll assign Laurie, my wife, to make sure that he’s okay. And so we did. And so when Tiger sees Laurie, he calls her “Momma”. Anyway, so we had a week, an intense week and we won of course, but he was very impressive. The press was bugging him so I said to the press, I said, “Look, let’s have one meeting and take an hour and half, answer your questions, and then I want you to lay off him. We’re here to play golf. Is that agreeable?” People from all over the world, big turn-out. 50 members of the press, and so we did. So I kind of MC’d it for a moment, and then somebody started asking a question which I felt was – “Have you contemplated the death of your father? Have you contemplated loosing and the psychological impact….” and I stepped forward and I said, “You know, it seems to me there’s a limit for a 17-year old man, what you can…” and Tiger interrupted me and said, “Never mind, Coach, I’ll take ’em.” So he answered this rather personal questions, and to this moment, I have been impressed with Tiger’s abilities. [laughter] INTERVIEWER: Quite remarkable.
GRANT: He’s a very attractive and very strong guy. INTERVIEWER: Did anything stand out about his golf during that Walker Cup? GRANT: That was a World Cup. INTERVIEWER: World Cup, sorry. GRANT: Well, no, he just played wonderfully. Allen Doyle…The British head was Michael Bonallack. He came up to me in the 10th green and said, “We’ve got you!” And at that point, 10th green, last day, four rounds, we were 10 strokes behind. Allen Doyle shoots 30, Tiger shoots 32 and Frank Harris shoots 33. We win by 12. [laughter] So, yes! INTERVIEWER: That’s good coaching! GRANT: Of course, [laughing] I took all the credit! But he was very, very well received and we had a meeting beforehand and I said, “You know, we’re gonna win!” But you never can tell. The one thing we are going to win, we are going to be the finest diplomats to ever play in this golf tournament. I want every single player to be able to go home and say, “I met Tigers Woods, I met Allen Doyle, and they were nice people.” And they won that one going away! So I feel good about that particularly. And I did tell Tiger once, “coaches can coach” and I went up to him on the 8th green at this course and said, “I just want you to know, Allen Doyle had the same putt. About a 25-footer uphill. And it didn’t look uphill. And I just want you to know that he came up 6 feet short. And I don’t know what you’re going to do with that information, you know, but it looked to me that Allen thought he had hit the putt right.” He didn’t do those motions that we do when we get it on the toe or do something. And he said, “Thanks!” and he knocked it in! [laughing] INTERVIEWER: Good coaching! I remember Wally Goodwin saying to me once that when Tiger came here that Earl called me and he had a conversation with Earl and Earl said to Wally, “Tiger’s here, you’re his coach. I’m not going to be interfering and always present.” And I think Wally… This wasn’t just as Tiger had arrived, he’d been here a year and was in his second year, and I had a feeling that Wally felt that that had been the case. Is that your impression as well? GRANT: I don’t know. I’ve gotten mixed reports about the relationship and I don’t know the specifics. I think it’s fine now, but … INTERVIEWER: Between Wally and Tiger? GRANT: Yes, you’d have to talk to Mark Soltau to find out really what was the dynamic, because I never thought of Wally as working on Tiger’s golf swing, and so that’s interesting that Wally reported that. My talks with Tiger were not about golf. I’d say, “Goddamn, Tiger, you know, you’re going to be mixing it up with Tiger Woods of drama, poetry and science and computers, and you don’t understand what extraordinarily powerful roommates and dorm mates.” I said, “Eat it up! You’ll never have another experience like it.” And he said, “You were right.” [laughing] But I don’t know about his golf swing. INTERVIEWER: I don’t have the feeling that they were talking specifically about Tiger’s golf swing, but he wasn’t going to be the hovering father who was always second guessing everything that Wally was doing. GRANT: An idea I think you ought to toss in is that, my impression is that Eddie Twiggs had an impact on the players in terms of their education. I think Wally did, and I think our current coach did. I think other coaches haven’t, and I had a suggestion to the University would be the next time around, I think you ought to have a golf coach which also has the capacities of an adviser, a student advisor, just like I’d have a Lyman Van Slyke if I’m a freshman, to whom I reported on occasion and talk through what should my major be, you know these issues that arise with kids. I personally feel that one of the strengths of Conrad and the strengths of Wally was a larger impact on the lives of the players. I think it helps. So that would be my suggestion to the Athletic Department. INTERVIEWER: Anything else Rich or Van or Grant that you would like to add? We’d certainly like to thank you. GRANT: No, I do hope that you concentrate on the ‘30’s and early ‘40’s and on the Rosburgs. That as I’ve been thinking about this, now it’s gone on for what, 75 years. It’s an extraordinary, wonderful story, the early part. It’s one that’s totally forgotten and you know, it’s just like the Korean War. They were writing things about the Korean War and I forget that half the country doesn’t know what the Korean War was. And similarly to restore those people. There is no man in America who’s more of a delight than Charlie Seaver. Just go down to LA Country Club, his picture is everywhere because he won everything in California. And Lawson Little was a complicated guy, you know, an alcoholic, and winner and was Stanford too much for him? I don’t know. You can get a lot of psychological analysis. But the point is, a real person that really mattered in American golf. And there were others and I hope you get to Tatum quickly. Not that his health is… but just to chat with him about some of these people. Even he said – how about Art Doering? Whatever happened to Art Doering? And Bud Brownell, he knew Bud Brownell. And, I don’t know.
1995 Stanford golf team photo
