Just one day after winning his fifth Masters Tournament championship in one of the greatest comebacks in golf history, Tiger Woods is set to receive another rare honor: the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
And unlike other pro athletes whoβve turned down the, er, opportunity to be feted by the current occupant of the Oval Office after major sports achievements, Woods is likely to show up for the honor as he and Donald Trump have been buddies for years. As Woods told reporters after a golf game in August, per Agence France-Presse via Yahoo! Sports :
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βWell, Iβve known Donald for a number of years,β Woods said. βWeβve played golf together. Weβve had dinner together. Iβve known him pre-presidency and obviously during his presidency.
βHeβs the president of the United States. You have to respect the office. No matter who is in the office, you may like, dislike personality or the politics, but we all must respect the office.β
OK. So, on Monday, Woodsβ buddy tweeted his congratulations for the Masters Tournament victory and announced that he would βbe presenting him with the PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM!β
So joyous.
While itβs a rare honor to be awarded with the nationβs highest civilian honor (only a dozen or less are awarded each year, according to the New York Times), it is rare that an athlete that is being honored receives one while still being active in his or her sport.
But, in any case, if Trumpβs tweet rings true, congrats are in order again for Tiger Woods.
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