Golf legend Jack Nicklaus lent support to Tiger Woods on Wednesday, agreeing with Woods’ decision to respect the office of the presidency and not get involved in political discussions involving race.
On Sunday, a New York Times reporter asked Woods whether he would characterize his relationship with President Trump as “personal or professional.”
After Woods established that he and the president had a relationship that pre-dated his presidency and continues until this day.
Then, the reporter asked the 14-time major winner how he would explain that relationship to “colored immigrants” who might feel threatened by the president’s immigration policies.
Woods said, “Well, he’s 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.”
Those words of support earned a thankful tweet from President Trump, who praised Woods for not falling for the “Fake News Media” game:
The Fake News Media worked hard to get Tiger Woods to say something that he didn’t want to say. Tiger wouldn’t play the game – he is very smart. More importantly, he is playing great golf again!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 27, 2018
When asked about Woods’ comments on Fox on Wednesday, Nicklaus made it clear that he backs Tiger.
“I thought Tiger handled it very well,” Nicklaus said. “No matter’s who’s president, whether it was Barack Obama or Donald Trump, I think you respect the office. I’m much in Tiger’s camp on that.”
While Nicklaus answered several questions pertaining to Woods’ comments about Trump, he appeared on Fox & Friends largely to promote his “Folds of Honor,” his charity which benefits the families of fallen service members.
According to Fox News:
Nicklaus endorsed Trump during the 2016 election, telling CBS that he was “awakening the country.” He also discussed Folds of Honor’s Patriot Golf Day, the country’s largest golf fundraiser.
Folds of Honor raises money for the spouses and children of fallen service members.
Nicklaus ranks first all-time in major championship wins, with 18. Tiger is a distant second with 14, but is still active and has improved his play as of late. Woods has not won a major since 2013.
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn
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