3 min read

Tiger Woods, Charlie Woods
Tiger Woods, right, watches as his son, Charlie, tees off Saturday during the PNC Championship in Orlando, Fla. The Woods were tied for sixth place after a 10-under 62 in the scramble format. Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

The guy with a swoosh on his shirt and a Tiger head cover on his driver looked pretty good.

So did Tiger Woods.

Charlie Woods, the 11-year-old son of the 15-time major champion, made his national TV debut Saturday in the PNC Championship. And according to his dad, he played just like he does at home.

Never mind that he had some 250 people following along, more than were watching his dad at the Masters. Charlie confidently twirled his club before shots, quickly picked up the tee on his drives and even pumped his fist on the par-5 third hole after hitting a 3-wood into 3 feet for eagle.

They finished the scramble format at 10-under 62, four shots behind Matt Kuchar and his son, Cameron.

Advertisement

“I don’t really care about my game,” Woods said. “I’m just making sure that Charlie has the time of his life. And he’s doing that.”

Charlie Woods is the youngest to play in this 36-hole event that began in 1995 for major champions and their sons, and now includes all family members. He loves the game enough to start playing in a few junior events, and he had no qualms playing before a crowd or the cameras.

His father wasn’t surprised. This was different – a tournament with pros, a scorecard that had to be signed, a television audience. But it sure looked the same.

“I’ve seen this all along. Probably not a lot of people have,” Woods said. “A lot of the shots he hit, I’ve seen them back home at The Medalist this entire year. The junior events he played in, he hit a lot of these. It was a matter of stringing these out for 3 1/2 hours. It’s a totally different deal.”

They finished with a birdie on the par-5 18th – across the water left of the fairway, a small group of people posted a banner on the bridge that said, “Charlie Woods Fan Club – and were tied for sixth.

“The kid’s a gamer. He’s a grinder. He’s competitive. But he’s so young,” said Justin Thomas, who played with his father, Mike. “I’m pulling for him. I want him to keep it fun, keep it light. It can get nasty out there with what people say. Expectations are going to be high, but I hope it remains manageable for himself. I hope he stays within himself.

Advertisement

LPGA: Sei Young Kim is in position to defend her title in the CME Group Tour Championship, take player of the year honors, win the money title and possibly even move to No. 1 in the world.

Kim takes a one-stroke lead over top-ranked Jin Young Ko into the final round of the season, shooting a 5-under 67 in warmer conditions at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida, to reach 13-under 203. Ko had a 69.

“Really good chance to chase everything,” Kim said. “If I play well tomorrow, good chance.”

For Kim to take the No. 1 spot in the world from Ko, she would have to win Sunday and have Ko finish solo 10th or worse. Ko has held the top spot for 73 weeks in a row.

Georgia Hall was third at 10 under after a 68.

Lexi Thompson (71), Brooke Henderson (66), Charley Hull (66), Minjee Lee (66) and Austin Ernst (69) were 9 under.

Kim is tied for the tour victory lead with Danielle Kang with two, winning the major KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and Pelican Women’s Championship in consecutive starts in October and November. The South Korean star played a 12-hole stretch from the second to the 13th in 6 under, then dropped a stroke on the par-4 18th.

“My vibe was really good because warmer weather, and then I play pairing with Jin Young and Lexi (Thompson). Those are my favorite player, so yeah, it was fun. We wasn’t talking much but it was very comfortable and chill out there.”