Watching Tiger Woods play an often hidden role: Dad
ORLANDO, Fla. – The kid, like others of his generation, had never seen Tiger Woods win a major. He had no idea how cool golf could be.
And then his father unexpectedly won the 2019 Masters. That's when the game took hold of Woods' son, Charlie, 11, almost as soon as Woods caught him in his arms behind the 18th green. Augusta National Golf Club.
"It was casual before then," Woods & # 39; caddy, Joe LaCava said, referring to Charlie's interest in golf. "Now it's intense – in a good way."
Charlie Woods' deeper embrace of golf has given the audience this weekend a rare view of a different side of his famous father, a side Tiger Woods doesn't usually choose to see the curious audience: the devotee father.
Woods, 44, and his son will make their debut Saturday in the PNC Championship, a 36-hole best-ball format featuring 20 teams of big winners and their families. On a chilly Thursday at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Grande Lakes, where the tournament takes place, the Woodses warmed up with an 18-hole pro am memorable for Charlie & # 39; s approach-shot darts and Woods & # 39; 39; fatherly pride.
"It's so nice for me to see him enjoying the game," said Woods. "That's the whole idea. Enjoy making shots and making those shots."
Golf has come full circle for Woods, who forged a deep bond with his father, Earl, through the game. As Earl did with Tiger, Woods offered Charlie the opportunity early.At age 6, Charlie had a swing that Woods said was jealous of.
Charlie moves his neck to dissolve the crickets like his father He does. He shakes his water bottle, minus the added electrolyte powders, just like his father. He puts his hands in his pockets when he is cold like his father. And when he plays with his father at home, he reacts like him on good shots by spinning his club.
But Charlie is not a cut-out version of Woods, unlike his father, who competed with Bob Hope in a putting competition on "The Mike Douglas Show" as a toddler and against the time he was profiled 6 was in Golf D. igest and Ebony Magazine, Charlie has had a much lower level. important youth.
He was into golf, but seemed more interested in football at first, as did his older sister Sam. Woods was fine with that, who said Thursday, "Whatever he decides to do, as long as he's passionate about it, I'm happy."
Until this week, his children have not often appeared in the glare of his spotlight. Sam, 13, had not planned to attend the final round of the 2019 Masters and only showed up after her club soccer team failed to advance to a tournament final scheduled for the same day, and Woods said Charlie was alone was because his sister was.
After he won, Woods said, they spent the short flight home fighting over who could wear the green coat. He was pleased with their enthusiasm.
Woods has often spoken of how he thought his children were reluctant to commit to golf because they associated the sport with the pain it caused him, not only his physical problems, but perhaps his arrest with painkillers in his system in 2017 after risky back surgery. The surgery was undertaken, Woods said at the time, to improve his quality of life with his children, not to extend his career, which he thought was over.
Woods' voice and expressions always get softer when he talks about his children. children. They are the only subject that can reliably evoke a smile that reaches his eyes.
"So excited to be able to experience these moments," he said Thursday.
Getting to Woods and his son on the golf course gets a porthole in the parentage of Woods. Tournament officials have added forward tee boxes for Charlie, the youngest participant in the history of the tournament. On the ninth hole, Woods was behind Charlie and said nothing until he hit an errant driveway and begged his father, who pointed out that the battle lane was on a slight slope, so he had to adjust his setup to account for that.
"My dad never coached me," Woods said. “It was all about feeling and being there, being present, being with me. He did that and I do it the same way with Charlie.
At the same hole Woods & # 39; son asked him why he had used his 9-iron for a 113 meter approach. Woods explained it was cold and windy, so he decided to go with that club and take a bit of his swing.
"He picks up everything," said LaCava. "He's not just saying," Well done, Dad. "
Woods and his son played nine each with a different set of amateurs. At the ninth and 18th holes, Charlie took off his billed cap to shake hands with his players. He was polite and attentive and seemed unfazed by all the adults, including some with their small children in tow, who cheered at every shot.
"It's so cool for me to see him enjoy the sport and the shots and hit it as hard as he hits it," said Woods.
As the principal producer of NBC & # 39; s golf coverage, Tommy Roy has grown accustomed to seeing Woods on the 120 screens he watches during a broadcast. But when he played the first nine on Thursday in the same group as Woods, Roy saw him from a new angle.
"It's really cool, I must say, to think of him as a father," said Roy.
Whether Woods stood behind his son and studied his shape and the flight of his ball or leaned over to answer a question, the result was the same. Woods described them as & # 39; moments of attachment & # 39 ;.
Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas, younger stars who have gotten to know Woods well over the years, each describe him as a great father. But until this week, people drawn to Woods, the artist, had no idea what he looked like as a parent.
On every hole after the group was out, Woods punched a tee and engaged Charlie in games to see whose putt or chip came closest. On the 18th hole, as Woods and his son walked the fairway side by side, dragging about two dozen spectators, a man in the crowd turned to the other and said, "I'm not even a big fan, but I'm this enjoy it. It's pretty cool. "
