Products You May Like
Charlie Woods, the son of 82-time PGA Tour winner Tiger Woods, shot 16-over par during Thursday’s pre-qualifying event for next week’s Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches.
The 15-year-old Woods was part of the second group with Olin Browne Jr. and Ruaidhri McGee that went off at 7:39 a.m. ET Thursday morning at Lost Lake Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Florida. He got in a little trouble early on with a pair of bogeys through four holes and then a double bogey on the par-5 fifth hole. It got worse at the par-4 seventh hole when he put up a 12 to go 12-over par.
Woods fared a bit better on the back-nine with two bogeys, a double bogey and six pars to finish with an 86.
Not helping the teenager was a group of fans described as over-eager at best by the Palm Beach Post:
As a frustrated Woods made his way up the fairway, spectators began to realize that there were no ropes to bar them from the course. In turn, they walked very close to Woods on the fairway, ignoring repeated requests from tournament officials to stay on the cart path.
A disgruntled fan asked one official: “Who are you? The fire marshal?”
That following reportedly increased to more than 50 fans heading into the back nine, including one who brazenly breached tournament etiquette:
After Woods left the 12th green, another fan approached him with a pen and a copy of Tiger’s book, “How I Play Golf,” demanding Charlie sign the book. When an official told the fan it wasn’t allowed, she made a commotion of shushes and yells, including “I live here,” as Woods teed off on No. 13.
Woods’ already bad day could have been worse if not for his two-man security detail, which included a Martin County sheriff’s deputy.
There are five pre-qualifying sites for next week’s Cognizant Classic — formerly know as the Honda Classic. The top 25 players and ties from each site will advance to a final qualifying event on Monday. From there, four players will make it into the tournament, which will take place Feb. 29-March 3 at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
While this qualifier didn’t go Woods’ way in his first attempt at qualifying for a PGA Tour event, it certainly provided a good experience for him going forward. He has already played in the last four PNC Championships with his father, and this past fall he finished tied for 17th at the Notah Begay III Junior Golf National Championship and also helped his high school golf team win a state title.
The 2024 Cognizant Classic will feature a $9 million purse and $1.62 million going to the winner. Commitments to the event include Rory McIlroy, Tom Kim, Shane Lowry, Justin Rose, Matt Fitzpatrick and defending champion Chris Kirk.