A letter handwritten by Tiger Woods, in which the future PGA Tour legend denounces racism in golf on personal terms, is currently up for auction at Goldin, a collectibles marketplace.
In 1994, Chad Jones, a high school student and golf fan in Indiana, penned a letter to Tiger's home address complimenting the 3-time U.S. Amateur champ for his ascendance in the face of racism. Tiger, then 18, wrote a substantive response, Jones told cllct.
Here's what Tiger wrote.
Tiger Woods' rare letter denouncing racism
“To Chad, I appreciate you taking the time and interest to write to me,” replied Tiger. “I completely agree with you that racism is unfortunately part of the game of golf. I am excited that you are writing on this topic because this is something that has been a significant part of golf and is something we should start talking about.
“The answer to your first question is ‘You [racist slur]’ and a death threat in my first tour event, the L.A. Open. These are not the only remarks of this kind. I have had other such remarks, but I just can’t seem to remember them clearly. This racist remark was brought on because I was a little black kid practicing at the Navy Golf Course.
“You have to understand that the Navy G.C. is mainly made up of retired Navy officers who are about fifty to eighty years old. Back when they were in the military the blacks were either cooks, porters, or low-ranking officers. Then comes along my father who is a retired lieutenant colonel from the Green Berets (a special forces group in the Army) who has the audacity to have a kid who can beat most of the membership and who just happens to be black. This brings on jealousy and from that, you can understand how this kind of statement can be made.”
According to the provenance, Jones — who would play under Tiger's longtime swing coach, Hank Haney, at SMU — kept the letter inside its original envelope, sealed in a Ziploc bag. Finally, he's putting it up for sale.
The letter has received 16 bids since going live on Aug. 12, the highest being $2,500. The auction will be posted until September 2. Full proceeds from the sale will be donated to the Tiger Woods Foundation.
“I just thought how cool it would be to send a kid to college using Tiger's letter to me,” Jones said.
Jones told cllct when he met Tiger the following year at the NCAA Championship Game, the future 15-time major chamion “remembered me and the letter.”
A signed UpperDeck Tiger Woods card from 2001 — the year of the “Tiger Slam” — is currently pulling $4,750 on Goldin.
Tiger Woods is currently tied with Sam Snead for the most wins in PGA Tour history (82). In 2025, the 48-year-old is expected to play in the Genesis Invitational at Riviera in Los Angeles in February (which his foundation hosts) and the four majors. The PGA Tour created a unique exemption allowing him into all eight Signature Events, but Tiger has been noncommittal on his plans.
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