Charlie Woods recently beat Tiger Woods

On By Littum

ORLANDO – As Charlie and Tiger Woods hit balls on the green at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club on Friday, Charlie turned to his famous father, the 15-time major winner, and said in a worried voice, “Dad, you hit it. so well the other day.”

To which Tiger replied, “That was yesterday.”

Tiger hit his first balls in public since the British Open in July and will play his first round – albeit just one match – since undergoing his sixth back operation on September 13. On Friday, he participated in the PNC Championship pro-am. He went the entire round dodging a golf cart and there was little sign of him letting go. Golf Channel’s John Wood followed Tiger for most of the round and described it as the best he’s seen Tiger look.

“You look great,” one writer told him.

“Trying to, right,” Tiger replied with a broad smile.

But his latest comeback remains a work in progress. Asked about his back, he said, “It’s much better, but I still have a long way to go,” adding, “The recovery has been the hardest part.”

Just a few weeks ago, Woods chose not to compete at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas. He neither showed up at the back of the court to practice nor participated in a slap and giggle contest to hit 80-yard wedge shots at a target in a lake. To some, it was a bad sign that he wouldn’t bring it up with Charlie, and to others, it just indicated that he was saving himself for this week. Asked how close he came to not playing this week, Tiger said, “There were moments.”

As evidence of how much he values ​​the chance to play with Charlie for the fifth time in the 36-hole 2-man best ball team this weekend, Tiger noted that the timing of his surgery was dictated with the PNC date in mind.

“That was one of the reasons I had the surgery done earlier so I could hopefully give myself the best chance to be with Charlie and be able to play,” he said. “I’m not competitive right now, but I just want to have the experience again. This has always been one of the biggest highlights of the year for us as a family, and now we get to have that moment together again.”

Charlie, a 15-year-old high school sophomore, is 3-4 inches taller, and he’s stronger and faster. When asked what part of his game had developed the most in the last year, Tiger replied, “His maturity.”

Earlier in his development as a golfer, Charlie counted on Mike Thomas, Justin Thomas’ father and a PGA professional by profession, as his teacher, but Charlie has realized that his dear old dad knows a thing or two about the golf swing and is a handsome good set of eyes. “I’m here to help,” Tiger said, “but I want him to discover things on his own.”

Charlie’s game has developed enough that he recently beat Tiger in nine holes. Luke Leonard, son of Justin Leonard, witnessed the victory. Tiger confirmed he had lost, but added: “He hasn’t beaten me in 18 holes yet. That day will come. I’ll just extend it as long as I possibly can.”

This was the first year Charlie played without his father in the pro-am. After the round he reported back on his play. “A few squirrelly drives, but overall solid,” he said. His eyes lit up as he talked about killing a drive just the way he wanted to. “I shot it 320 into the wind,” he boasted.

Charlie has played in AJGA events and qualified for the US Junior Amateur Championship this summer, but failed to play a match. He loves the game, reportedly has the golfer’s IQ of a Tour pro, but comparisons to Tiger are inevitable but unfair.

“I always remind him, just be you. Charlie is Charlie. Yes, he’s my son. He’s going to have my last name and it’s going to be part of his core. But I just want him to just be himself and be his own person,” Tiger said. “I always encourage him to carve out his own name, carve out his own path and have his own journey.”

Team Woods, who finished T-5 last year at PNC, will start Saturday at 10:44 a.m. ET. But for one of the few times in his career, Tiger didn’t have victory as his priority.

“Yes, we want to win, but it’s about the bond. It’s about having the family. It’s about us having a father-son moment together,” he said. “That’s what this tournament is about. It’s about family.”

Charlie is not the only one who has matured.