WASHINGTON — Ever since Tiger Woods arrived on the public stage as a golf phenom at the age of 21, Donald Trump has been cultivating him as a celebrity who could add a sheen to his properties around the globe.
The medal, which is considered the nation’s highest civilian honour, is typically given near the end of the recipient’s career to honour a lifetime of achievement. But Trump waited only a few weeks after the Masters to celebrate Woods.
Established in 1963 by President John F. Kennedy, the award is a unilateral exercise of presidential power. There are no guidelines for how or why someone should be selected. Kyle C. Kopko, a professor at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania who helped write a study on the Medal of Freedom, said presidents often bestowed the award on political allies or celebrity friends.
Coming clean was not the beginning of a comeback, though. After his subsequent divorce, Woods underwent repeated back operations, which led to an addiction to painkillers. In 2017, the year he was charged with driving under the influence, he questioned whether he would ever be able to play golf again.
Woods has appeared happy to return the support. The day before the 2014 World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship, Woods appeared with Trump and three of his children to inaugurate the Tiger Woods Villa at Doral.
Congratulations to Tiger for this honour. Just wondering if Jack Nicklaus has been so honoured.
Meanwhile in Canada. ...