Tiger Woods caddies as son Charlie comes through at big tournament
Tiger Woods may not be playing any time soon, but his son is working his way up through the golf ranks.
Tiger Woods is still striding over golf courses ... but now he's carrying clubs, not swinging them.
Woods was on the bag for son Charlie as the younger Woods won the 14-15 age division of the Notah Begay III National Championship's Last Chance Regional. Charlie Woods fired a 1-under 71 to take a share of the lead, then backed that up with a 6-under 66 to win his division. He'll now go on to play in the championships, scheduled for early November on the Koasati Pines course at Coushatta Casino Resort in Louisiana.
You can watch Charlie — dressed in red, of course — drain an eight-footer to close out the win below, with a familiar face looking on in the background:
Charlie Woods makes a 8ft. putt on 18 to secure the victory in the boys 14-15 division! He is on his way to COUSHATTTAAA! #jgnc #nb3jgnc #seeyouatcoushatta pic.twitter.com/UrcDiKEJlf
— Notah Begay III Junior Golf National Championship (@nb3jgnc) September 24, 2023
Charlie Woods spoke with local media afterward, and his voice and cadence were eerily familiar, even if he didn't quite control the interview the way his old man once did:
Charlie Woods post round interview after firing rounds of 71(-1) & 66(-6) to win the Boys 14-15 division and secure his spot in the @nb3jgnc National Championship on @golfchannel! #jgnc #nb3jgnc #seeyouatcoushatta pic.twitter.com/0i4bn39BhY
— Notah Begay III Junior Golf National Championship (@nb3jgnc) September 24, 2023
Asked about his father caddying for him, Charlie couldn't have been happier. "It’s great. We just stay in our own little world," he said. "We take it one shot at a time. He puts me in my place. I’ll talk about the next tee shot and he’s like, ‘No. This is the shot we’re going to focus on. Focus up. This is what we’re gonna do.' "
As for what it's like facing off against the Woods family? Shane Croft, whose son Chase played alongside Charlie during the tournament, raved about the experience on Instagram.
"Ok, EPIC would in no way be a big enough word to describe today," he wrote. "Chase was paired with Tiger Woods’ son Charlie at the Notah Begay tournament at Mission Resort + Club. Tiger and I were the boys’ caddies. Honestly, there is no way to express what this was like. Four hours one on one with Charlie and Tiger was just unreal ... This will be a story my family talks about on my deathbed one day. And it will be a proud moment for sure."
Tiger Woods has not played professionally since withdrawing from the Masters in April while he recovers from a range of injuries. He has not targeted a date for a return.