Politics-shy Tiger Woods to be honored by Trump at White House

During his illustrious career, Tiger Woods has treated politics as he would a menacing sandtrap -- avoiding it if at all possible.

He has hit the links in bipartisan fashion, teeing off with Democrats Bill Clinton and Barack Obama and Republicans George H.W. Bush and Donald Trump.

A black superstar in a white-dominated sport, Woods has also generally avoided commenting about race relations in the United States.

But on Monday, Woods will find himself on the biggest political stage there is -- the White House.

And he will be the guest of honor of a president seen by many Americans as racially polarizing.

Trump, an avid golfer and the owner of several golf courses, is to present the 43-year-old Woods with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.

Though the outspoken Republican has been engaged in a bitter feud with black NBA stars and American football players, he has never expressed anything but unbridled admiration for Woods.

He spoke to Woods, whose father was black and whose mother is of Thai origin, following his epic Masters victory last month and extended his congratulations.

Trump tweeted that he was honoring Woods "because of his incredible Success & Comeback in Sports (Golf) and more importantly, LIFE."
- 'Unfair' -
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"In fact, he's never wanted to be an activist," said Starn, author of "The Passion of Tiger Woods: An Anthropologist Reports on Golf, Race, and Celebrity Scandal."
"He's done racial pioneering work by virtue of his excellence on the golf course," he said. "I don't think that he owes us anything more than that." - 'Respect' -
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"He's coming out of a military family," he said. "Tiger has this kind of patriotic streak."