Woods recalls early sacrifices at Hall of Fame induction

The greatest golfer of his generation became visibly emotional while delivering his acceptance speech for his World Golf Hall of Fame induction.

After being introduced by his 14-year-old daughter Sam, Tiger Woods joked that he had already lost a bet that he would not cry.

As he was ushered into golf's most revered club on Wednesday night, the 82-time PGA Tour winner and 15- time major champion told those gathered how his love for the game had been ignited when he was just six years old.

By the time he was eight, he was using his skills to win quarters and then dollars off other children at weekend tournaments.

From the very beginning his mother and late-father had been supportive, Woods said, to the point they took out a second mortgage on their home so he could play the junior circuit in California.

"This passion to play the game of golf (drove me). I was never going to be denied to play. I loved it. I had this burning desire to be able to express myself," the 46-year-old said.

"One of the things dad instilled in me... is that you had to be twice as good to be given half a chance," Woods added, explaining this late-father had grown up in the same era as golfing legend Charlie Sifford who was the first African-American to play on the PGA Tour.

His father's ethos had been the foundation for what would become Woods' mantra, both in golfing and in life: "Train hard, fight easy".

"That understanding, that drive... I made practising so hard, so difficult (and) hurt so much because I wanted to make sure that I was ready come game time."

Woods recalled the thrill he felt the first time he began playing on the soft greens of a country club and how it was spoilt by the fact that he was denied access to the clubhouse because of the colour