What happened at Tiger Woods and son Charlie's PNC championship debut?
Legendary US golfer Tiger Woods and his 13-year-old son Charlie are all set to participate in the PNC Championship in December. The tournament will take place at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando, Florida, from December 17 to 18.
This is the third time that the father-son duo will participate in the tournament. The pair debuted in 2020 when Charlie was only 11 years old. Tiger Woods was a proud father as he explained how excited he was to partner with his son for the event.
According to the PGA website, he had said:
"I can’t tell you how excited I am to be playing with Charlie in our first official tournament together. It’s been great watching him progress as a junior golfer and it will be incredible playing as a team together in the PNC Championship."
They ranked seventh in the competition that year.
One of Woods' best friends, Justin Thomas, won the PNC Championship in 2020 with his father, Mike Thomas. Vijay Singh, with his son Qass Singh, bagged the runners-up title.
The Woods legacy of golf greatness
It seems that golf greatness runs in the Woods family. Tiger Woods was introduced to the sport by his father, Earl. He had appeared on the Mike Douglas Show at the age of two and had given the world a glimpse of his potential.
Similarly, Charlie has also been showcasing his golf skills. And his father also acknowledged this when he spoke to GolfTV in early 2020. Tiger Woods said playing with Charlie reminded him of his memories with his father.
He said:
"He’s starting to get into it. He’s starting to understand how to play. t’s been just an absolute blast to go out there and just be with him. It reminds me so much of me and my dad."
"I just wish I could have walked down the fairways with him," - Tiger Woods on 2021 PNC Championship
In 2021, Team Woods improved by leaps and bounds and reached the final of the PNC Championship. However, they lost to another father-son duo of John Daly and John Daly II in the finals by two strokes.
Despite the loss, Tiger Woods was proud of how Charlie performed. According to ESPN, he said:
"We got on a nice heater; Charlie was hitting the ball unbelievable. It [winning] would have had a special meaning in my heart for sure, there's no doubt about that. And it still does."
In 2021, Tiger Woods suffered a terrible car crash post which his future in golf seemed pretty foggy. After the 2021 PNC Championship, he admitted returning to the greens after the accident was an achievement in itself. However, he wished he could walk with Charlie down the fairways and be with him the entire time the way he did the previous year.
"The fact that I'm able to have this opportunity this year, even a couple weeks ago we didn't really know whether or not I would be doing this, but here we are. And we had just the best time ever, and I just wish I could have walked down the fairways with him and been side by side with him the entire time like we were last year."
With less than a month to go for the championship, Team Woods would be all prepped up to finish the unfinished business. Who knows, the third time could be a charm.