BY Everett MunEz
As a 25-year-old Asian American who grew up watching Tiger Woods, there was nothing cooler than being called “the next Tiger.” Whether I was on the course wearing red and black, hitting Nike’s Mojo golf balls, or on the range rolling some putts, being likened to the player I believe to be the greatest of all time made me want to keep improving my game.
I was not even close to being the next Woods, but if not for him I might not be a golf writer. For my stories, I often ask collegiate and junior golfers who their favorite player was growing up. For people of Asian descent, the answer is almost always Tiger Woods, whose ancestry is Thai and Chinese, along with African American, Caucasian, Native American and Dutch.
“It was very important seeing [Woods] dominate on TV,” said Gabe Salvanera, a Filipino-American Arizona State alum who plays in the Arizona-based Grass League. “He’s my color. It’s inspiring and it kind of motivates you like, ‘If you can do it, I can too.’”
On today’s PGA Tour, players of Asian descent such as Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, Hideki Matsuyama and J.J. Spaun are often at the top of leaderboards. But that wasn’t always the case.
I often ask collegiate and junior golfers who their favorite player was growing up. For people of Asian descent, the answer is almost always Tiger Woods, whose ancestry is Thai and Chinese, along with African American, Caucasian, Native American and Dutch.
Sam Chien is a naturalized American citizen from Taiwan who serves as Northwestern University’s assistant men’s golf coach. He played professionally on the Korn Ferry Tour and various Asian tours.
Chien says before Woods, golf wasn’t cool. He remembers being too embarrassed to wear his golf clothes to school the day of a big match. Woods changed that. Soon, Chien was copying Woods’ swing from foldouts in magazines.
“Asian Americans, we're used to being in the library studying, making sure you become a doctor,” Chien said. “Now these parents are like, ‘You can go be the next Tiger. You can be the next Morikawa.’”
Those are high bars, but it’s good when kids chase goals. One of the many up-and-coming players Woods inspired is Arizona State junior and reigning Asia-Pacific Amateur champion Pongsapak “Fifa” Laopakdee of Thailand. He says watching Woods play in the Masters was what got him into golf in the first place.
“I watched him dominate in his prime,” Laopakdee said. “He was amazing to watch. Even though I was a little kid and barely knew anything, just watching him on TV was super inspirational and made me fall in love with the game.”
When Woods donned his fifth green jacket in 2019, the then 14-year-old kid watched from his homeland. The sun had yet to rise, but Laopakdee hadn’t slept.
“It was worth it,” Laopakdee said. “I think I cried because all of the things he’d been through and being able to come back and win one of the most prestigious events, it’s one of those comeback stories.”
And next April, Laopakdee will follow in his hero’s footsteps to Augusta National as he plays in his first Masters.
Future generations, and some younger junior golfers, can only watch YouTube clips to get a glimpse of what Woods was like in his prime. That makes me a little sad. But now it’s time for the generation Woods inspired to inspire the generation after them.
It’s a challenge, but golfers such as Vietnamese-American Lilia Vu, a five-time LPGA winner and former world No. 1, are ready to take it head on.
“I feel like I'm so fortunate to grow up during a time when Tiger Woods was in his prime and playing golf,” Vu said. “There weren’t many Asian American golfers back then but there are so many now everywhere. … I think I can kind of be one of those influences [for the next generation].”
