Tag: Charlie Woods

Categories
Panorama

Under The Eyes Of Tiger Woods: Unsuccessful USGA Debut For Charlie

Tiger Woods and son Charlie together at his USGA debut. (Photos: Getty)
Tiger Woods and son Charlie together at his USGA debut. (Photos: Getty)

Charlie Woods, son of golf legend Tiger Woods, celebrated a small milestone in his young golf career this week with his USGA debut. Accompanied by his father Tiger, the 15-year-old took part in the prestigious US Junior Amateur Golf Championship 2024, which his father won three times in a row between 1991 and 1993. Although he did not make the cut at the tournament in Michigan, qualifying for the event alone must be regarded as a great success.

Successful Qualification, Weak Tournament: Tiger Woods Experiences Frustrated Charlie

Charlie Woods played probably the biggest event of his young career this week as part of the 2024 US Junior Amateur Golf Championship. Last month, the 15-year-old won a qualifying tournament to secure his place in the event at the legendary Oakland Hills Country Club, which has already hosted six US Opens and the 2004 Ryder Cup, where father Tiger Woods suffered a historic defeat to Team Europe. Qualifying for the prestigious junior event should be regarded as a great success in itself and should overshadow Charlie Woods’ poor tournament performance. Nevertheless, it became clear in the first two rounds that the 15-year-old was unable to match the performance level of the top junior players and was visibly frustrated with his performance.

After rounds of 82 and 80, Charlie Woods clearly missed the cut, which was four strokes over par, and finished the tournament after just two days (+22). According to spectators on site, however, the 15-year-old not only struggled with his game, but also with inappropriate behavior from fans, as he had already done at a pre-qualifier for the PGA Tour. Twitter user @conman-stalions, for example, posted videos of the tournament and wrote that: “Charlie Woods. Impressive young man. Hundreds of fans on top of him. On 3 Tiger politely asked ‘They’re on top of him, 30-40 yards back’. Fans were walking, distracting. Crying baby during Charlie’s downswing on 9 that led to a skulled chip over the green.”

If Charlie Woods dreams of playing on the PGA Tour one day, he certainly has a lot of work ahead of him. Nevertheless, the positives outweigh the negatives in his USGA debut: despite all the pressure and attention, achievements such as successfully qualifying for the US Junior Amateur 2024 are certainly impressive. A 15-year-old should not be measured against the accomplishments of a father like Tiger Woods.

Categories
Live

Charlie Woods Takes Part in US Open Qualifier

Charlie Woods took part in a qualifier for the US Open. (Photo: Getty)
Charlie Woods took part in a qualifier for the US Open. (Photo: Getty)

Charlie Woods made another attempt to qualify for a professional tournament this week. The son of Tiger Woods took part in a local qualifying tournament in Florida for the US Open 2024 on Thursday. Woods is one of 10,052 golfers who have applied to take part in the US Open 2024 in Pinehurst. Only 52 of them have already been confirmed as participants, the rest are trying to qualify via the qualifying tournaments.

Charlie Woods Plays 81 at US Open Qualifier

Charlie Woods took part in one of 109 local qualifiers. Among the 84 participants at The Legacy Golf & Tennis Club in Port St. Lucie, there were five spots for the final qualifier. Woods, who carded a round of 81 over the 18 holes of the event, finished T61 and will not advance to the next stage. He started the round with a bogey and a double bogey, followed by another double bogey on hole 6, before making his only birdie of the round on hole 5. Another double bogey and three bogeys followed on the back nine. In the end, he was twelve strokes behind the leader. Only four players played under par.

The 15-year-old last tried his hand at a pre-qualifier for the PGA Tour’s Cognizant Classic in February and played a round of 86. He gained his first ‘experience’ on professional tours together with his father at the PNC Championship on the Champions Tour. The two have been taking part in the family event together since 2020. Last year, the pair finished in a tie for fifth place behind winner Bernhard Langer. Their best result came in 2021, when they finished second behind John Daly and John Daly II.

Incidentally, the older Woods is not one of the players who has already qualified for the US Open. 2023 was the last year in which he was automatically qualified thanks to his Masters victory in 2019.

Categories
Professionals

Charlie Woods: Behavior of fans determines pre-qualifier in Florida

Charlie Woods had a complicated day in his attempt to qualify for the Cognizant Classic. (Photo: Getty)
Charlie Woods had a complicated day in his attempt to qualify for the Cognizant Classic. (Photo: Getty)

Attempting to secure a spot in the upcoming Cognizant Classic, the 15-year-old prodigy, son of golf legend Tiger Woods, found himself amidst unwanted attention during his qualifying round at the Lake Golf Club. While Tiger was absent, Charlie was accompanied by his mother, Elin Nordegren, for support, but what unfolded was a challenging day for the young golfer.

Charlie Woods: Complicated day for the teenager

Struggling with his drives and frequently searching for his ball in the rough, Charlie started his round with two early bogeys and compounded his difficulties with a double-bogey on the 5th hole. The real challenge came at the par-4 7th hole, where he endured a tough stretch, requiring twelve strokes to complete the hole. However, he showed resilience, bouncing back with six consecutive pars on the following holes, finishing the round with a score of 86.

Yet, it wasn’t just Charlie’s performance that garnered attention on that Thursday in Florida. The absence of ropes typically used to delineate spectator areas led to some fans encroaching upon the young golfer. Reports from “Golfweek” highlighted instances where fans approached Charlie, with one audaciously requesting his signature on his father’s book, “How I Play Golf.” When officials intervened, the response was brazen: “I live here.” Such incidents persisted throughout Charlie’s round, disrupting his focus before he ultimately left the course. However, amidst the chaos, his playing partner, Olin Brown Jr., son of three-time PGA Tour winner Olin Browne, provided unwavering support, encouraging Charlie throughout the round.

Tiger Woods’ son takes his first steps with the big boys

While a qualification for the Cognizant Classic 2024 seemed remote, Charlie’s ability to bounce back from setbacks showcased his resilience. Even if he had managed to secure a top-five finish or a tie at the Pre-Qualifier, success in the subsequent Monday Qualifier would have been necessary for entry into the main event. Nonetheless, the experience gained from participating in such a high-stakes event will undoubtedly prove invaluable for Charlie as he continues to pursue his dreams on the PGA Tour.

In conclusion, while the focus should have been on Charlie Woods’ journey and his aspirations in the world of professional golf, the unfortunate behavior of a minority of fans served as a stark reminder of the challenges young athletes like him face on their path to greatness. Despite the distractions, Charlie’s determination and talent shine through, hinting at a promising future in the sport.

Categories
Uncategorized

Charlie Woods aims for PGA Tour debut in Florida

Charlie Woods - PGA Tour
Will Charlie Woods soon make his debut on the PGA Tour? (Photo: Getty)

Things are getting serious for Charlie Woods in Florida. The 15-year-old will play a PGA Tour pre-qualifier at Lost Lake Golf Club on Thursday to qualify for next weekend’s Cognizant Classic. Should the teenager finish in the top five or share one of the places, however, that would only be the first step for Charlie Woods. Advancing would initially mean taking part in next week’s Monday Qualifier. There he would have to finish in the top four to take part in the Cognizant Classic and have a chance of winning a share of the nine million US dollars in prize money.

Charlie Woods: Almost a tournament winner at the age of 13

Charlie, who was born in 2009, is not in the spotlight for the first time. He has already played with his father four times at the PNC Championship, which Bernhard Langer won for the fifth time last year with his son Jason. In 2021, the Woods duo and Charlie, who was 13 at the time, even managed to finish runner-up. Tiger’s offspring also seems to practise a lot outside of father/son tournaments. His handicap is currently +3 and therefore clearly fulfils the requirements for pre-qualifiers, which demand a handicap of 2 or better. In the pre-qualifier, he is now fighting for progress in the flight with Olin Browne Jr, son of three-time Tour winner Olin Browne, and Ruaidhri McGee.

Tiger Woods’ son far from the age record

At the Cognizant Classic, which will take place between 29 February and 3 March at Palm Beach Gardens, Charlie Woods would probably be one of the youngest participants in the tournament on the course. It would be far from historic on the PGA National’s Champion Course. Because in the history of golf, Don Dunkelberger is unlikely to be overtaken any time soon. At the age of just 11, Dunkelberger played in the 1937 Chicago Open, but withdrew from the tournament after the first round. The youngest participant of this millennium is Lorens Chan, who took part in the 2009 Sony Open at the age of 14. In 1992, Charlie’s father Tiger made his debut at the Nissan Open at the age of 16. He failed to make the cut at his first PGA Tour event at the Riviera Country Club before going on to win 15 major titles in his career.