Tiger woods in concert supporting his family

Tiger Woods’ 2 Kids: All About Sam and Charlie

Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren’s two kids have spent their childhood on the golf course

Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren have mastered the art of co-parenting.

The former couple first met in the early 2000s, and just a few years later, Woods and Nordegren tied the knot in a stunning ceremony. In 2007, the duo celebrated the arrival of their first child, daughter Sam Alexis. The family grew once again in 2009 with the addition of their son Charlie Axel.

By the time their children were toddlers, Woods had found himself embroiled in a scandal, after reports surfaced that the golfer had been having several affairs during his marriage. Wood and Nordegren finalized their divorce in 2010, but despite any drama between the parents, the pair worked to keep the best interests of Sam and Charlie in mind. While Woods admitted it was much harder to do things solo, he said that seeing his children grow is the greatest reward.

“I just love being with them and seeing what they’re doing, what they’re capable of doing – the joys, just the shifts of interest. It’s just fun. We have a great time together,” he said in 2011.

While things may have gotten easier as Sam and Charlie have gotten older, Woods still sees his children as the highlight of his life, encouraging him to continue onward even through some of his biggest obstacles.

Here’s everything you need to know about Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren’s children.

Woods and Nordegren’s older child, Sam Alexis Woods, was born on June 18, 2007, in Orlando, Florida. The couple chose a name with special meaning, as Woods’ father had always called the golfing superstar by the nickname Sam when he was growing up.

“We wanted to have a name that would be meaningful to either side of the family, my side or Elin’s side, because she was born [the day after] Father’s Day. It just happened to fit. 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,’ ” the golfer explained.

Woods instilled a love of sports in his daughter from the very beginning, sharing that he put a golf club in Sam’s hands when she was just a few weeks old — although “she couldn’t quite hold it.” At just six months old, Sam attended the first of many of her dad’s golfing competitions. Throughout her childhood, she was spotted rooting him on from the crowd on numerous occasions and even served as his caddy at one point. While it sounds like Sam might now be more into soccer than golf, Woods has said that his children’s attendance at his golfing events means the world to him.

“We all know what happened in ’97 with my dad’s health, and he was pronounced — well, he was dead at one point earlier that year; came back, and then came here and I won the Masters. To now have come full circle and to have a chance to have my kids out there and be able to share that with them, it’s special,” Woods told the Golf Channel.

Following Woods and Nordegren’s split, the athlete later revealed that he was upfront about the situation with his young children. While he didn’t tell them exactly what happened, he says he did admit to them that he had made mistakes.

“I’ve taken the initiative with the kids, and told them up front, ‘Guys, the reason why we’re not in the same house, why we don’t live under the same roof, Mommy and Daddy, is because Daddy made some mistakes,’ ” Woods told TIME magazine in 2015.

Following the divorce, the couple arranged to share custody of their two children, who split their time between their parents. Sam continued to support Woods from the sidelines, although a series of setbacks and injuries stalled Woods’ career. The golfer explained that it came to a point where his children didn’t want him to practice and would say, “Dad, don’t try and play, don’t try and practice, ’cause you’ll be in more pain.” Fortunately, Woods’ career took a turn for the better in 2018 and he says it was the first time his children had truly seen him at his prime.

“They felt that rush and that buzz in the gallery, and the people talking and the excitement. They’d never seen that or experienced that or felt it. I think they’re able to remember this day and this moment, and especially the process. Now they’re starting to see the joy that I get from it, and I think they’re starting to really enjoy it because of [that] as well,” Woods explained.

In 2021, Woods opened up about his daughter, sharing that she taught him “how to be more patient.” Despite her already being a teenager, he added that she was still his “little girl.”