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Tiger Woods made his grand return to golf at the Genesis Invitational before his comeback was cut short due to an illness. There’s no telling when we’ll see him back on the PGA Tour, but there’s a slim chance his family will be represented at an upcoming event courtesy of his son Charlie.
Charlie Woods faces a bit of an uphill battle when it comes to attempting to match his father’s virtually unparalleled legacy, and there’s only so much he can do to escape the shadow of a man who’s been the face of professional golf for more than 25 years.
With that said, being the son of someone who’s mastered the game like Tiger has obviously comes with some perks, and Charlie has been able to reap the benefits as he’s honed his own skills on the course.
The elder Woods was 20 when he joined the PGA Tour, but he was no stranger to the pressures that come with playing on the sport’s biggest stage; in 1992, he was a sophomore in high school when he earned the right to compete as an amateur in the Los Angeles Open, which was the first professional tournament he ever took part in (he ultimately missed the cut).
Charlie celebrated his 15th birthday earlier this month, and according to ESPN, he’s gearing up to try to outdo his dad by attempting to qualify for the Cognizant Classic, which is slated to kick off at the PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens on February 29th.
The younger Woods will also be facing an uphill battle to play in that tournament, as he’s just one of the dozens of golfers who will be competing in one of the four 18-hole pre-qualifying tournaments that will be held on Thursday (Charlie will throw his hat into the ring at Lost Lake Golf Club, where he’s slated to tee off at 7:39 A.M. EST).
There are approximately 25 spots reserved for the low scorers in those competitions, but only four of them will be able to land an invite to the Cognizant Classic after taking part in the qualifier scheduled for next Monday.
As a result, it’s a bit hard to imagine the 15-year-old Woods will end up making the cut when everything is said and done, but if history has taught us anything, it’s that you never want to count out a golfer with that last name.