How Charlie Woods fared in PGA Tour qualifier as Tiger’s son has steep learning curve
Charlie Woods learned plenty on Thursday as he endured a difficult day trying to qualify for the Cognizant Classic, which would have been his first PGA Tour event
Charlie Woods’ hopes of making his PGA Tour debut will have to wait for another day after enduring a chastening round as he tried to qualify for next week’s Cognizant Classic.
The son of 15-time major champion Tiger Woods was in the field for a pre-qualifying event at Lost Lake in Hobe Sound, Florida, in the hope of taking a step towards competing in the tour event PGA National on February 29. But the 15-year-old carded a 16-over-par round of 86 including a disastrous 12 on the par-four seventh.
Charlie finished the day with no birdies, 11 pars, four bogeys and two doubles and his nightmare at seven. Five places in next week’s Monday qualifying event for the Cognizant Classic were up for grabs, with the teenager finishing 21 shots back of clubhouse leader Billy Basham.
Woods’ day started brightly and was the first player on the range before his 7.39am tee time, and he started with a par on the first, but back-to-back bogeys followed. He finished with a 47 on the front nine before rallying and carding a tidier 39 on the back.
Huge hype has built around Charlie in recent years, performing impressively at the PNC Championship alongside his father, an 82-time winner on the PGA Tour. He will have to mark his day at Lost Lake as a learning experience as he continues his journey in professional golf.
He remained in high spirits throughout the round despite things not going to plan, with his mother, Elin Nordegren – who separated from Tiger in 2010 – watching from a distance in support.
It was the first time Charlie, who has a +3 handicap, had competed in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event. He is ranked 1,301 in the Junior Golf Scoreboard ranking, with two wins and two top-fives in the 16 accredited events he has played.
Charlie is a student at The Benjamin School, a private school in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and he helped his team win the Class 1A state championship in November, with Tiger watching on as he carded rounds of 78 and 76 to finish 26th in the individual standings.
The youngster also competed in the Notah Begay III Junior Golf National Championship last year, with his father caddying for him. Charlie finished 17th in the boys 14-15 division.
Charlie’s attempt to make his PGA Tour debut followed his father playing his first event on tour in almost a year at The Genesis Invitational last week. Woods was making his first PGA Tour appearance since The Masters last April, undergoing ankle surgery soon after.
Woods was forced to withdraw in Los Angeles on February 16 after just six holes of his second round. The 49-year-old was suffering with the flu and required medical treatment on site before being discharged later that day.
