"He enjoyed watching me grind out" - When Tiger Woods remembered his late father after emotional 2006 Open Championship victory

Tiger Woods has turned 49 today and in these 49 years, he has established himself as one of the greatest golfers of all time. He has won 82 titles on the PGA Tour, the joint most on the circuit. His wins included fifteen major championships and is only behind Jack Nicklaus.

Tiger's 49th win on the PGA Tour had come at the 2006 Open Championship where he beat Chris DiMarco by two strokes to successfully defend his title. This was his eleventh major championship but was the first one after his father Earl's demise. For the uninitiated, Earl had passed away on May 3 earlier that year.

Following his win at the Royal Liverpool, Tiger Woods hugged his caddie Stevie Williams and couldn't control his emotions. During the post-round interview, he remembered his late father.

"Stevie said to me as we were coming up the last, 'this one is for dad'," he said as per BBC Sports. "And then, after the putt, all these emotions just poured out of me. They have been locked in there."

"I just miss my dad so much," he said in the winner's press conference. "I wish he could have been here to witness this. He enjoyed watching me grind out major wins and this would have brought a smile to his face."

Tiger Woods entered the Royal Liverpool after missing the cut at the US Open, his first event following his father's passing. However, he had previously secured a T2 finish at the Cialis Western Open.

Woods started the Open Championship week with a 67 and was two strokes behind after Day 1. However, he took the solo lead with a second-round 65 and never looked back. With this win, he became the first player since Tom Watson in 1982–83 to win the British Open in back-to-back years.

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Tiger Woods' major championship wins explored

Here's a look at all the fifteen major championships won by Tiger Woods:

• 1997 Masters: beat Tom Kite by 12 stroke margin
• 1999 PGA Championship: beat Sergio García by 1 stroke margin
• 2000 U.S. Open: beat Ernie Els and Miguel Ángel Jiménez by 15 stroke margin
• 2000 The Open Championship: beat Thomas Bjørn and Ernie Els by 8 stroke margin
• 2000 PGA Championship (2): beat Bob May in Playoff
• 2001 Masters Tournament (2): beat David Duval by 2 stroke margin
• 2002 Masters Tournament (3): beat Retief Goosen by 3 stroke margin
• 2002 US Open (2): beat Phil Mickelson by 3 stroke margin
• 2005 Masters Tournament (4): beat Chris DiMarco in Playoff
• 2005 The Open Championship (2): beat Colin Montgomerie by 5 stroke margin
• 2006 The Open Championship (3): beat Chris DiMarco by 2 stroke margin
• 2006 PGA Championship (3): beat Shaun Micheel by 5 stroke margin
• 2007 PGA Championship (4): beat Woody Austin by 2 stroke margin
• 2008 US Open (3): beat Rocco Mediate in Playoff
• 2019 Masters Tournament (5): beat Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, and Xander Schauffele by 1 stroke margin