To be forced to fill your father’s shoes is indeed a difficult task! Especially when you are expected to do so at the age of fifteen. This is pretty much what has been happening with the legendary golfer’s son, Charlie Woods. Be it his attempt to qualify for his first PGA Tour event in February or his ongoing first USGA event.
Charlie Woods was accompanied by his father as he made his debut at the USGA Championship, which unsurprisingly garnered a lot of attention. Throughout the championship, Tiger Woods followed Charlie during his games, attracting a massive crowd along the way. To manage the situation, several bodyguards were present to keep Tiger Woods separated and safe from the public. For a teenager, handling such pressure could certainly be a rather uncomfortable task.
Charlie Woods qualified for his first USGA Championship after carding a 1-under 71 last month at Coral Springs. As he attempted to be a part of the leading 64 competitors who would advance to the knockout competition held at match play, he faced significant challenges. On Monday, he shot a disappointing 12-over 82 with a T242 finish.
Tiger Woods was still by his side, following him and carefully observing his strategy. As the word of Mr. T’s attendance spread around, an entire crowd gathered to catch a glimpse of the 15-time major winner and the 15-year-old’s game. As reported by TWLegion on their official X (formerly Twitter), “Galleries have assembled in Michigan to watch the great Charlie Woods. Charlie is having a tough go at T243 thus far with 9 holes to play.”
At the Oakland Hills Country Club on Tuesday, Charlie Woods failed to make the cut and did not advance to the penultimate round. Carding four bogeys and three double bogeys, he landed himself with a score of 10-over-80 with a T240 finish.
Although the crowd was not the only reason for his struggle, it was pretty evident that it became a bit overwhelming for him to handle that much pressure for such a massive event.
The golf community feels sorry for Charlie Woods
Earlier, Charlie Woods stated that the two enjoy living in a world of their own. However, their ‘little world’ has expanded, as every move of the teenager undergoes criticism, not just on the course but even on social media. Taking this into consideration, some of them showed their empathy towards Charlie.
They left comments like, “This is kinda sad I think” and “The amount of pressure this kid is always going to have on him is insurmountable”.
Well, the US Junior Amateur was not the first time that Charlie Woods was overwhelmed by such a huge crowd. Back in June, at the US Open, when the father-son duo were spotted practicing in Florida, as Junior Woods offered his 48-year-old father some tips for his swing, they were interrupted by a crowd.
To add to the expectations of the crowd, Charlie Woods has the added pressure of being the son of the greatest golfer of all time. Taking to this, people left comments like, “The kids not built for this type of pressure, unimaginable to have to follow in tiger’s footsteps”, and “I agree. Give the lad a break. I’m certain he feels enough pressure just being Tiger’s kid let alone having all those people following him.”
Although Tiger Woods might be struggling at the moment, there is no denying the fact that he once reigned over the world of golf and is still the GOAT.
He spent the highest number of weeks on the No. 1 spot for 683 consecutive weeks (June 15, 1997, to May 27, 2014). He has also won the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship three times (1991-93) and Charlie Woods is expected to be able to surpass his father.
Charlie Woods teed off with Chase Kyes and Baylor freshman Davis Ovard. For them to be followed by Tiger Woods was a fan moment, but to see so many people closely witnessing each move was intriguing enough for the 18-year-olds. They too had mentioned struggling through it initially but, later on, got the hang of it.
However, the massive crowds interrupted the entire gameplay by walking in the middle of the course. This was what left the people all the more infuriated. Taking to this, one of them wrote, “Isn’t there a group on the tee waiting to hit, but they can’t because of those spectators in the fairway?”
The US Junior Amateur is a free-entry event and, hence, can be attended by as many people as the Oakland Hills Country Club can accommodate. This made the crowd all the bigger. Thus, one of the people on the internet suggested, “These events should be closed to the public.”
