AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee
- President Trump tweeted on Monday that he would be awarding Tiger Woods with the Presidential Medal of Freedom after his win at the Masters on Sunday.
- Trump said that Woods was an "incredible Success & Comeback in Sports (Golf) and, more importantly, LIFE."
- It's not the first time Trump has turned to the world of sports while giving out the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
- Read all of Business Insider's Masters coverage here.
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President Donald Trump tweeted on Monday that he would be awarding Tiger Woods with the Presidential Medal of Freedom after his win at the Masters over the weekend.
Woods won his fifth green jacket on Sunday after outlasting a crowded leaderboard of contenders, taking his first win at a major since 2008.
Trump, who has golfed with Woods on numerous occasions, tweeted out on Sunday that he was following along with the action at Augusta National, and offered his congratulations to Woods when he won the tournament.
Read more: Trump congratulates Tiger Woods after Masters win, calls him a 'great champion'
On Monday, Trump took his praise for Woods a step further, tweeting that he would be awarding Woods with the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his "incredible Success & Comeback in Sports (Golf) and, more importantly, LIFE."
Woods relationship with Trump goes back years, with the two playing golf together well before the latter entered the world of
Since Trump's ascendance to the presidency, Woods has done his best to sidestep political questions regarding their relationship.
Read more: Tiger Woods got grilled about his relationship with Trump
It's not the first time presidents have chosen to award athletes with the honor. Gerald Ford awarded both Jesse Owens and Joe DiMaggio with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1976 and 1977, respectively. Barack Obama gave the honor to Vin Scully, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Michael Jordan in 2016.
Trump has also given the distinction to stars from the sports world in the past, with Babe Ruth, Roger Staubach, and Alan Page all being honored in 2018.
- Read more Masters 2019:
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Spoke to @TigerWoods to congratulate him on the great victory he had in yesterday's @TheMasters, & to inform him that because of his incredible Success & Comeback in Sports (Golf) and, more importantly, LIFE, I will be presenting him with the PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM!
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 15, 2019