Will Charlie Woods make the PGA Tour in the near future? Prospects and performance so far explored
This week, Charlie Woods was back at the PNC Championship, the event where he burst onto the scene three years ago. Over the two days, glimpses of his talent were on display, and it looked like the golf genes were well transferred to him from his father, Tiger Woods.
The question arises: can Charlie Woods make the PGA Tour in the future? As of now, it's still a far-fetched thought, given that he's just a 14-year-old who's still in his growing-up phase. However, he indeed seems to have improved over the past few years. He appears taller, stronger and better than last year. On one par-4, a 321-yard hole, he drove it through the green.
In Tiger's words, Charlie's speed has gone up dramatically in just one year. However, he also credited the modern equipment for that change, along with his son's growth.
"But I think that more than anything, it's just the fact that he's grown so fast," he was quoted as saying via the Golf Digest.
"The aches and pains of growing, just teenage life. I sort of didn’t have the speed that he has at that age. But also, I didn’t have the equipment, either. The equipment is so different."
This year was Junior Woods' first full-fledged season in competitive junior golf. According to the Junior Golf Scoreboard, he was ranked No. 1,326 out of 10,616 juniors. He finished 86th among all players for the Class of 2027.
Charlie won two events in 16 appearances this year. His lowest round was 66 at the Notah Begay III Florida Regional qualifier triumph in September.
According to oddsmakers, the 14-year-old is at 1500 to 1 odds of winning a major before turning 22. For reference, Tiger won the 1997 Masters when he was 21 years, three months and 14 days old.
Given that Charlie Woods is the son of the world's most famous golfer, he receives more attention, but his improvement is commendable considering that he started taking the game seriously only three years ago.
As per one of Golf Digest's Top 50 Teachers in the US, people need to give the kid more time and stop comparing him with those who have been playing competitive golf for longer.
How did Charlie Woods and Tiger Woods perform at the 2023 PNC Championship?
Charlie Woods and Tiger Woods carded an 11-under 61 on Sunday, December 17, aggregating at 19-under after two rounds at the PNC Championship. They finished T5, six strokes behind winners Bernhard Langer and Jason Langer.
Team Woods sank nine birdies and an eagle on their second day at the Ritz Carlton Golf Club. The highlight of the day was Charlie chipping in on the par-4 ninth hole for a birdie, creating a buzz throughout the crowd. While Team Langer took home $200,000, Team Woods bagged $47,000 for their joint fifth-place finish.
Charlie and Tiger have appeared four times at the PNC Championship. Their best performance is a runner-up finish in 2021, where they lost to Team Daly by just one stroke.