Tiger Woods’ son Charlie hounded by fans during PGA Tour qualifier
Tiger Woods’ son Charlie hounded by fans during PGA Tour qualifier
Charlie Woods attracted a sizeable gallery while attempting to qualify for a PGA Tour event for the first time in the Palm Beaches pre-qualifier at the Cognizant Classic
Charlie Woods was left scratching his head at his own play and the conduct of the crowd following him.
Dozens of golf fans followed Charlie Woods around the Lost Lake Golf Club as Tiger ‘s teenage son attempted to qualify for a PGA Tour event for the first time.
Woods, 15, has previously played alongside his father at the PNC Championships, but the Palm Beaches pre-qualifier was his first time as an individual at a Tour-sanctioned competition. The Cognizant Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, is his hometown event.
His mother, Elin Nordegren, attended, but Tiger was absent almost a week after withdrawing from the Genesis Invitational with what he has since confirmed was influenza. Despite his father staying away, a gallery that swelled to over 50 followed Charlie on Thursday.
Per the Palm Beach Post, several spectators made a beeline for the bushes, attempting to snaffle a souvenir after a drive on the fifth flew wide-right and out-of-bounds, rolling into the rough. Of those that remained with their eyes on Woods, some overstepped the mark as they strayed from the cart path, almost walking with him up the unroped fairway.
Warnings from the tournament officials in attendance are said to have fallen on deaf ears, with one fan overheard questioning: “Who are you? The fire marshal?” On the seventh, Charlie’s round continued after a 12 on the par-four hole.
Onto the back nine, the gallery grew. One onlooker even took the opportunity after the 12th to try and get a copy of Tiger’s ‘How I Play Golf’ book signed.
An official disrupted the demands by intervening because signings are unsurprisingly not permitted mid-round. That fan is then said to have remarked, “I live here,” while causing a commotion, shushing the security and yelling as Woods teed off on the following hole.
The two security staff had their work cut out. After completing his 16-over-par round of 86, Woods reportedly remarked to his caddie Jacob “J.J.” Kutner, “That was some round, huh?”
He finished the day with no birdies, 11 pars, four bogeys, two doubles and the costly 12. That left him 21 shots back of the leader, Billy Basham, with the top five progressing to Monday’s qualifying event.
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His playing partner, 35-year-old Olin Browne Jr., also the son of a multiple-time Tour winner, Olin Browne, remarked about the size of the crowd afterwards. “It was great. Charlie is a great kid, and it was great playing with him,” he told reporters. “It’s definitely the most people I’ve ever seen at a pre-qualifier.
“Charlie’s got a beautiful golf game. It’s tough to come out here and play a professional event at 15 years old.” For comparison, his father did not compete at his first Tour event until he was 16, and that was on a sponsor exemption where he went on to miss the cut by six strokes.
“I think (Charlie) conducted himself beautifully,” Browne Jr. continued. “He didn’t have his best stuff today, but he hit some high-quality shots.”
