New Nike ad pays tribute to Earl Woods
When the U.S. Open begins Thursday at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y., Tiger Woods will tee it up for the first time since his father's death on May 3.
While Tiger hopes to honor the memory of Earl Woods by winning his 11th major on Father's Day, he is already honoring his father in a new Nike commercial that is set to debut Thursday, The New York Times reports.
The ad contains Woods family home videos that feature moments from Earl cutting Tiger's hair to the two playing baseball and football together. At its conclusion, the ad reads: "To Dad. And Fathers Everywhere."
A Nike spokesman told The Times that the company was not trying to exploit the father-son relationship on the heels of the elder Woods' death.
"Nike would never have released this ad without the full blessing and support of Tiger and his family," he told the paper.
Tiger's close relationship with his father has always been a central part of his public persona. One of the defining images of Woods' career was the tearful embrace he shared with his father after winning the 1997 Masters -- his first major -- with a record-setting score of 18 under.
