'I feel like I'm never out of the fight.'
Tiger Woods got candid about his personal life with Jada Pinkett Smith for his new show, A Round With Tiger: Celebrity Playing Lessons, which was filmed just one day before his serious car crash in February.
Woods is still recovering from the crash on Feb. 23 in California that left him hospitalized with severe injuries. On Tuesday, Golf Digest debuted the first episode of the series with Woods' permission. The 45-year-old athlete was relaxed and appeared to be in good spirits while filming a day before the crash, speaking with Pinkett Smith about parenting. Woods revealed that he didn't coach his 12-year-old son, Charlie, in golf because he didn't want him to feel any pressure. But he did note that some of his own best memories are of him and his late father, Earl Woods, playing golf together.
"He just watches me do it, and then he kind of does it," he said of Charlie, agreeing with Pinkett Smith that his son was "a natural."
As for his daughter, 14-year-old Sam, Woods said she's taught him to be more patient and joked that he now "hates boys."
"I don't ever want her to leave home," he cracked.
Woods later reflected on his incredible career, noting that golf requires a lot of discipline. He also spoke about getting older, and how his body has definitely changed. When Woods said he had undergone 10 operations, Pinkett Smith replied that his journey was "inspiring."
"I just don't look at it like that," he said, clearly feeling uncomfortable. "I don't know how to. I just look at the fight."
When speaking about his golf game, Woods said his focus comes from his mom -- Kultida Woods, who's Buddhist -- and all the years of meditation they've done together.
"This game does just teach you how to be more present," he said.
As for his resilience, he commented, "I’m always fighting, you know, and I'm always trying to get better. That's all I know. I feel like I'm never out of the fight, you know, in that regard. I'm always pushing."
"I always felt like I wasn't the most talented," he surprisingly also shared. "So, I felt like I had to work my a** off because I was always younger than everyone else. I wanted to become better. I was small and I wasn't the best at what I did."
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva shared in a press conference that the primary cause of Woods' car crash was speed. Woods had to be pulled from his vehicle by firefighters and paramedics and was transported by ambulance to the hospital. The vehicle he was driving was totaled after it traveled several hundred feet from the center divider, hit a tree and rolled over several times.
In April, Woods Instagrammed a picture of himself using crutches on a golf course, but still smiling alongside his dog.
"My course is coming along faster than I am 😃," he wrote. "But it’s nice to have a faithful rehab partner, man’s best friend."
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