Charlie Woods is the son of 82-time PGA Tour winner Tiger Woods. The shot is 16-over par during Thursday's pre-qualifying event for next week's Cognizant Classic in Palm Beach.
Woods, 15, was in the second group with Olin Brown Jr. and Ruidri McGee at 7:39 a.m. Thursday at Lost Lake Golf Club in Hope Sound, Florida. He ran into a bit of trouble early with a pair of bogeys through four holes and then a double bogey on the par-5 fifth hole. It got worse on the par-4 seventh hole when he birdied a 12 to move to 12-over par.
Woods finished with an 86 on the back nine with two bogeys, a double bogey and six pars.
What didn't help the teenager was the fan base Described with great interest by the Palm Beach Post
As a frustrated Woods climbed the fairway, spectators began to realize there were no ropes to keep them off the course. In turn, they walked too close to Woods on the fairway despite repeated requests from tournament officials to stay on the cart path.
A disgruntled fan asked an officer: “Who are you? Fire marshal?”
The following tally of more than 50 fans reportedly took to the back nine, including one who shamelessly violated 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,” which Charlie demanded he sign. When an official told the fan that it was not allowed, Woods no. As he teed off at 13, he let out boos and shouts, including “I live here.”
Woods' bad day would have been even worse if not for Woods' 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 known as the Honda Classic. The top 25 players and ties from each site advance to the final qualifying round on Monday. From there, four players will compete at the PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, Feb. 29-March 3.
While this qualifier didn't go Woods' way in his first attempt at qualifying for a PGA Tour event, it certainly gave him some good experience going forward. He has already played in the last four PNC championships with his father, and last fall he finished 17th at the Nota Bagay III Junior Golf National Championship and helped his high school golf team win a state title.
The 2024 Cognizant Classic offers a $9 million purse and $1.62 million to the winner. Confirmations for the event include Rory McIlroy, Tom Kim, Shane Lowry, Justin Rose, Matt Fitzpatrick and defending champion Chris Kirk.
