Tiger Woods grew up in an immensely competitive environment. Woods' father, Earl, was a veteran of the U.S. Army Special Forces, and he strove to be the best at everything he did.
Unlike many fathers, Earl wouldn't let his young son beat him when they went head to head. Woods was 11 the first time he beat his father, and it was such a monumental occasion that Tiger still remembers every detail of the story. After that, according to the legend, Tiger beat Earl each time they played.
While some might argue that it's good for a child's self-esteem to win every now and then, Woods credits his father's strict teaching methods with his enormously successful career. And now that Tiger is a father of his own, he refuses to deviate from his dad's teachings.
In a blog post updating fans on his progress the past few months as he recovers from back surgery, Woods slipped in an anecdote about working with his young kids. He says that his son, Charlie, is getting pretty good at putting, but the 5-year-old still has a ways to go before he can compete with his old man.
"When we were in the Bahamas, the greens were much slower and he almost beat me. If Sam and Charlie beat me, they're going to earn it. That's how Pop was with me, and I think that's how it should be."
Harsh, but perhaps not surprising, from the man who has established himself as one of the most competitive athletes of all time. Woods grew up and flourished in a pressure-packed environment, and he wants the same for his kids.
But perhaps Tiger isn't quite as ambitious with his kids as his dad. After all, Tiger was showing off his skills on television by the time he was 2.
