How old was Tiger Woods when he made his PGA Tour debut? Exploring the ace golfer’s start amid son Charlie’s rumored Tour entry
Tiger Woods made his PGA Tour debut at the age of 16 at the Nissan Los Angeles Open in 1992 as an amateur. He defended his US Junior Amateur title and earned an opportunity to compete in the PGA Tour event that year.
Tiger Woods played in the tournament on a sponsor exemption. It was held at the Riviera Country Club and he played two rounds of 72 and 75. He was paired up with Dicky Thompson and Bob Friend for the first two rounds. However, Woods failed to make the cut at the tournament by six strokes.
His professional PGA Tour debut came in 1996 at the Greater Milwaukee Open. Interestingly, he made the cut at the event and finished in a tie for 60th place.
Tiger Woods started his professional career in 1996 at the age of 20. He won his first PGA Tour event in his debut year at the Las Vegas Invitational. He shot five rounds of 70, 63,68, 67 and 64 to win the tournament and earned $297, 000 in prize money.
Woods had played in 11 PGA Tour events before starting his professional journey and made the cuts in three. His first cut in a PGA Tour event was recorded at The Masters in 1995 when he finished in the T41 position as an amateur.
Tiger Woods has won 82 PGA Tour events in his career. Now, his son Charlie Woods is trying to earn an opportunity to make his PGA Tour debut.
Charlie, who is 15 now, teed it up at a pre-qualifier event of the Cognizant Classic, a PGA Tour scheduled to take place next week. The pre-qualifier is scheduled for Thursday, February 22. Following this, the top 25 golfers and their ties will head for the Monday qualifier, which will take place on February 26.
The top four golfers on the Monday qualifiers leaderboard will earn an opportunity to compete at the PGA Tour event next week. So, if Charlie Woods qualifies for the tournament, he will make his debut on the Tour at the age of 15, a year earlier than his father did.
When will Tiger Woods play next on the PGA Tour?
Woods last played at the 2024 Genesis Invitational Open but had to withdraw from the competition due to illness. He will most likely return to compete on the PGA Tour at The Players Championship. The tournament is scheduled to take place from March 14 to 17 at the Players Stadium Course.
Meanwhile, Charlie is aiming to get a berth in the Cognizant Classic next week. Hence, fans are curious as to whether Tiger Woods would join the PGA Tour field to play with his son.
However, the officials are yet to confirm the full field of the Cognizant Classic. The full field of the tournament is likely to be confirmed by Tuesday, February 27 following the Monday qualifiers.