Tiger Woods has been one of the most iconic athletes in American sports in our lifetimes. Woods, now 47, played in his first career tournament as a professional in 1996 at the Greater Milwaukee Open, though it seems as though he has been on the sports scene for longer than that. His level of excellence elevated professional golf from a niche sport to a worldwide spectator sport, largely on his good looks, charisma, and insane natural ability.
Woods first appeared on the scene in 1978 on the “Mike Douglas Show,” when, as a 2-year-old, he displayed a sweet, natural swing and a swagger unheard of in a child, no less an adult. Woods’s father, Earl, who passed away in 2006, trained and coached his young son and molded him into a high-level professional who set numerous records in the golf world. Now, years later, Woods is enjoying the opportunity to mentor and play with his own son as he enters the world of competitive golf.
The 15-time major winner and his son are playing together at the PNC Championships, where family members are allowed to play with the pros. Charlie Woods, the son of Tiger, has played here before, but now that he is physically maturing and older, he displays the chops and skills from which his legendary father has made a historic career. In fact, Charlie is displaying power that is reminiscent of his dad.
The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando, Florida, is hosting the tournament, and Charlie Woods has impressed on the course thus far. On the par-2 13th hole, the 14-year-old prodigy ripped a massive drive that made the green from over 300 yards away and ultimately rolled off. It was a huge poke from the younger Woods, but it wasn’t even his most impressive moment with the big club in hand.
At the Notah Begay III Junior Golf National Championship at Koasati Pines Golf Club in Kinder, Louisiana, last year, the younger Woods was routinely smashing drives well past what his similarly aged contemporaries were doing. All of this was with his famous father caddying for him. While Dad hasn’t previously shown much enthusiasm despite Charlie performing well, what happened during the PNC event elicited an unusual response from Woods.
The younger Woods pulled off a shot on the driving range Friday that had his dad flabbergasted. While practicing Friday, Charlie pulled off a “flop shot” that left Dad in awe and also prompted him to end the practice session on a high note. After the shot, Tiger said: “We’re ending on that right there. That was nasty. F—ing nasty.” That’s high praise coming from one of the best touch golfers ever. Many players can rip 350-plus-yard drives, but the touch game is reserved for a select few, and Tiger Woods knows touch when he sees it, and he saw it in his son Friday.
Tiger and Charlie sit tied for 11th for the two-round tournament at 8-under par with a 64 after Saturday’s first round. They finished 8th last year, finishing 20 under par. Certainly, this isn’t the last we will see of Chalie Woods, and perhaps one day, father and son can compete against each other on the PGA Tour.
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