Golf world in a tizzy as Tiger and son Charlie, 11, team up
The golf world hasn't been this excited to see an 11-year-old boy tee it up since, well, his father.
Tiger Woods' son Charlie is set to play alongside his old man at this week's PNC Championship in Orlando, Fla. The event, which begins Saturday, stars 20 major champions as well as Players Champions playing with a family member.
“It's so much fun for me to see him just enjoying the game and that's the whole idea,” Woods said after Thursday's pro-am.
The PGA Tour livestreamed Tiger and Charlie's warm-up session across social media platforms as the youngster showed off a smooth swing and a familiar club twirl, often looking like a mini-version of his legendary father.
“I don't know if his swing is any different than mine, but his feels are very similar and just hitting shots and creating little shots,” Woods said.
Charlie is no stranger to competition. In August, the young golfer won back-to-back junior tournaments in Florida by five and three shots. Of course, when Tiger was 11 years old he was a regular winner on the junior circuit, but the 44-year-old says times have changed.
“When I was 11 it was a totally different world,” Woods said. “I was playing a lot of tournaments, but it wasn't in front of the media like this. He's been handling this and playing, and being a part of golf. This is a part of being a part of golf.”
Team Woods will be taking on a field that includes Padraig and Paddy Harrington, Gary Player and grandson James, Bernhard Langer and daughter Jackie, as well as John and Little John Daly.
Justin Thomas has no kids, so he brought dad Mike along for the week.
The format for the two-day event at the Ritz Carlton Golf Club is a two-player scramble, with each player hitting a tee shot and the team selecting which shot to use. That format continues until the ball is in the hole.
The famously private 15-time major champion seemed understandably uncomfortable speaking about his son and having the world examine Charlie's game, but he was resigned to the fact that that's life in 2020.
“This is a different world that we live in,” Woods said. “Everyone has a phone and has the opportunity to video, and he's been out there and he's enjoying it, and that's the idea.”
The theme coming from Woods was that he only cares whether his son is enjoying himself. Tiger said he hopes to create similar memories with Charlie to the ones he had with his father Earl.
Much has been written about the relationship between Earl Woods and Tiger. The promos for an upcoming HBO documentary on Tiger Woods feature an emotional Earl delivering a speech describing Tiger as his “treasure,” one he asks the world to accept and use wisely.
Despite the image of Earl Woods as a hard-driving U.S. Special Forces vet, Tiger said Earl never forced him into golf or to practise.
“No, my dad never pushed me to play golf, or run track, or run cross country, any of those things,” Woods said. “My dad never coached me and it's all about feels and being there and being present, and he did that and I'm doing the same with Charlie.”