Charlie Woods tried to qualify for his first PGA Tour event at only 15 years old. It was a long shot and did not go well, but if we have learned anything from Tiger, don’t ever count the Woods family out!
His son was on the course at Lost Lake Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Florida for one of the Cognizant Classic’s four different 18-hole pre-qualifying tournaments on Thursday morning. If he played well during his pre-qualifying round and finished in the top-five, Charlie would get the chance to play in the qualifying tournament on Monday. A top-four performance next week would then thrust him into the field for the actual PGA Tour event, which will begin on Feb. 29 in Palm Beach Gardens.
He finished at +16, which is… not great! His round included a 12 on the Par-4 seventh.
- Par 4 — 4
- Par 3 — 4
- Par 4 — 5
- Par 4 — 4
- Par 5 — 7
- Par 3 — 3
- Par 4 — 12
- Par 4 — 4
- Par 4 — 4
- Par 5 — 5
- Par 4 — 4
- Par 4 — 4
- Par 4 — 4
- Par 3 — 5
- Par 4 — 5
- Par 3 — 4
- Par 4 — 4
- Par 4 — 4
Needless to say, the path to the Cognizant Classic is not easy and the chances of Charlie making it into the field are slim. Tiger joined the PGA Tour at 20 years old, so there is still plenty of time for the younger Woods to out-pace his father if this weekend is not it.
Regardless of what happened on Thursday, Charlie is establishing himself as the future. And his outfit made it clear that he wants to be his own player/person, in addition to the son of Tiger.
Charlie was not wearing any of his father’s new brand, Sun Day Red, upon arrival to the course. He donned Greyson Clothiers from the neck-down, just like he did at the PNC Championship, with a Titleist hat on his head.
The choice of headwear was telling because Tiger and Titleist’s split in the late 1990s/early 2000s was not particularly amicable.
Charlie Woods wants to be Charlie Woods.
Although Charlie and Tiger are two very people, there are a lot of similarities. Especially when it comes to their work ethic.
The former was the first golfer to arrive ahead of Thursday’s event.
He also carried a headcover identical to the one that his dad often kept/keeps in his bag.
As for the actual on-course action, Charlie began the round with a club twirl that looked just like vintage Tiger. His swing is so smooth.
And just like Tiger, the crowd and the cameras follow Charlie wherever he goes! A local sheriff was even assigned to follow him (not actually Olin Browne Jr.) throughout his round.
Although Charlie Woods struggled at times during the pre-qualifying event, it was a good learning experience! He did not record a birdie, but managed par on 11 of 18 holes. Hole No. 7 really crushed him.