Fox News contributor Tammy Bruce defended golf legend Tiger Woods Tuesday after critics expressed dismay that he appeared with President Trump to accept the Presidential Medal of Freedom this week.

The Baltimore Sun's editorial board wrote that it "wish[ed] Mr. Woods would have taken a stand against hatred and declined the award given the racial and ethnic rift Mr. Trump has widened and exploited in the country since taking office."

The op-ed's headline read: "Plenty of athletes are refusing to stand with Trump - not Tiger Woods."

TIGER WOODS RECEIVING PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM CLOUDED BY FRESH ROUND OF CRITICISM

In a tweet, New York Times columnist Paul Krugman wrote that he was "old enough to remember when Presidential Medals of Freedom were given for showing courage and making sacrifices on behalf of the nation and the world."

An error occurred while retrieving the Tweet. It might have been deleted.

In contrast, he wrote: "Tiger Woods... hits golf balls for money."

KRUGMAN TAKES SWING AT TRUMP, WOODS, SEEMINGLY FORGETS RECENT HISTORY OF AWARD

Bruce dismissed the critiques, saying that Woods committed a "thought crime" in the eyes of his critics.

"He likes the president," she said. "I'm glad that he's not conforming."

Bruce said that Woods was "the perfect recipient of the Medal of Freedom."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

"Not only is he a leader in his sport, a remarkable athlete, but this is also about what you can accomplish and being a role model," she said on "The Story."

"[Woods] knows what it's like to struggle and he knows what it takes to come back," she said.

Fox News' Ed Henry contributed to this report.