JD Vance once confessed he was “never a huge fan of Tiger Woods” during the 15-time major winner’s legendary prime years.
Vance, who became a New York Times bestselling writer before entering politics, authored the celebrated 2016 memoir ‘Hillbilly Elegy,’ which examined the hardships facing America’s working class. The 41-year-old has spoken candidly about his challenging upbringing in a fractured household in the blue-collar community of Middletown, Ohio.
In his memoir, Vance, who recently came under fire for his own golf skills, documented his teenage years discovering golf, a sport frequently criticized for its exclusive nature and limited access for those from disadvantaged communities.
During the book’s launch period, Vance spoke with Golf Digest about Woods’ influence on the game.
While acknowledging the groundbreaking former world No. 1’s contributions, Vance revealed that the five-time Masters winner wasn’t his preferred player.
Nevertheless, Vance acknowledged that golf’s attraction to young people from groups not typically linked with the sport certainly decreased alongside Woods’ fading status as a competitor with age.
The 49-year-old has rarely participated in competitions in recent years because of numerous injuries. He is presently sidelined with a torn Achilles tendon sustained in March.
Vance said: “I don’t think anyone has done what Tiger did in expanding the demographic reach of the game. He made it cool, and he made it interesting to a lot of kids who probably wouldn’t have thought twice about golf if Tiger never picked up a club.
“I really wonder how kids like me perceive the game now that the big tournaments rarely include Tiger on the leaderboard. I was never personally a huge Tiger fan.
“But he definitely made the game interesting. And I really wonder whether it’s still interesting to the kids from my neighborhood now. My guess is probably not.”
Vance continues to play golf today, though not as frequently as President Trump. The Vice President is vacationing in Scotland and hit the links at Trump-owned Turnberry on Thursday.
Nevertheless, the VP endured a humbling experience on the legendary Ailsa Course, which is widely considered among the finest layouts in the world.
Footage surfaced of Vance taking four putts on one hole, revealing a serious lack of finesse on the greens. The clip rapidly spread across social media, and he faced merciless ridicule from detractors.
