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Rising golf prodigy Charlie Woods has displayed his impressive skills time and again in his junior circuit as well as at the PNC Championships.
He has taken part in the PNC Championship thrice with his father Tiger Woods. They finished seventh, second and most recently eighth in 2022. Charlie carried the pair across the stretch with clean putting strokes, clutch iron shots, and consistent drives down the middle.
Fans have drawn several resemblances between the father-son duo.
And while Charlie Woods' skills and potential cannot be denied, how good is the 13-year-old really? When his father Tiger Woods was 13-years-old how well was he playing?
In August 2020, Charlie Woods dominated the field in his age group event in Florida. At the age of 11, he hit a 3-under-33 and won the competition by five strokes with his father Tiger as his caddie. He entered the junior circuit a few months later and finished fifth after a 10-over-77.
In 2022, he finished fourth in the qualifier for the Notah Begay III Junior Golf National Championship in Florida. The same year, he again participated in the tournament in Louisiana and finished in 11th place amongst 33 golfers in the 12-13 age group.
The South Florida Section Junior Tour, which Charlie competes is very competitive. In eight recorded events since 2020, he has recorded one win.
Where did 13-year-old Tiger Woods stand?
Tiger Woods began his golf career at an extremely young age. His father Earl introduced him to the sport when he was just 2-years-old. He soon started appearing on talk shows and was 6 when he won the Drive, Pitch and Putt competition in the Under Age 10 category.
At the age of 8, Tiger Woods won the Junior World Golf Championship in the 9-10 age section. He went on to win the tournament five more times. Woods became the youngest US Junior Amateur winner at the age of 15. He registered three back-to-back wins in the tournament.
He followed suit when he won the US Juniors straight three times as a teenager. He is still the only golfer in history to have achieved this incredible feat in both the events.
When he was 13, he took part in his first major junior national tournament. He participated in the 1989 Big I, where he was paired opposite John Daly who was a relatively unknown pro at the time. Daly birdied three of the last four holes to beat Woods by one stroke.
Charlie Woods has inherited father Tiger Woods' competitive streak
Charlie Woods has shown immense potential from a very young age. His talent was not known to the world till he was 10 years old. But the moment he burst out on the golfing scene, everybody could see the young boy making his way into the PGA Tour someday.
While his swing reminded fans of Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy, he has surely inherited his father's competitive streak that could clearly be seen in the PNC Championship.
However, Charlie Woods has something to bear with that Tiger Woods never had to: the pressure of an illustrious legacy.
But thankfully, Tiger Woods has been very clear in setting boundaries when it comes to Charlie playing golf. He has clarified that he will not put any pressure on the child and wants him to enjoy himself. He has also said that he won't push Charlie into golf if he isn't interested in the sport.
Charlie has tried his hand at different sports over the years but it seems that he is growing fond of golf and his father is quite impressed with his progress.
Tiger Woods spoke in an interview with GolfTV:
"He’s starting to get into it. He’s starting to understand how to play. He’s asking me the right questions. I’ve kept it competitive with his par, so it’s been just an absolute blast to go out there and just, you know, be with him. It reminds me so much of me and my dad growing up."
Woods admitted to envying some of his son's skills as well.
"I wish I had his move. I analyze his swing all the time. I wish I could rotate like that and turn my head like that and do some of those positions, but those days are long gone, and I have to relive them through him."
According to the PGA Tour, it was Tiger who told him to learn from Rory McIlroy's swing instead of his in December 2022.
"Don’t copy my swing. Copy Rory’s. Have you ever seen Rory off balance on a shot? No. Not ever."
Well, when the master of the sport himself admits to Charlie Woods' potential, who is anybody else to question it?
