Tiger Woods says his son Charlie beat him in a round of golf for the first time, but only on a nine-hole course

CNN
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Tiger Woods revealed that his son Charlie, 15, has beaten him in a round of golf for the first time – although he was quick to clarify that it was over nine, not 18 holes.

“Yeah, he beat me in nine holes,” Woods told reporters Friday on the PGA Tour. “He has yet to beat me in 18 holes. That day will come; I just prolong it as long as I possibly can.”

The father-and-son pair hit the rounds at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando, Florida in Friday’s pro-am ahead of this weekend’s annual PNC Championship, marking Woods’ public return to golf after he successfully underwent back surgery in September.

“It was just a fun day to be out here playing again and looking forward to the weekend,” Woods said after his Friday round.

The 15-time major winner has not played since The Open in July. He has made just 13 starts on the PGA Tour over the past four seasons and has completed the full four rounds just twice since suffering serious leg injuries in a car accident in 2021.

On Friday, Woods described the challenges of putting together a string of good rounds and the toll it takes on his body.

“I have had many procedures over time. I’m not going to feel what I used to feel. And the recovery turns to the more difficult side. I can go a day here or there, but over rounds, weeks, months it just gets harder.”

Woods said his son Charlie has grown “3.5 to 4 inches in height” and gotten “stronger, faster, heavier” since last year, so he hopes Charlie will handle all the driving and putting while Tiger can just serve as “backup” in the tournament.

This will be the fifth time Team Woods has played in the two-day, 36-hole competition, which features 20 major champions and their family members.

Woods also shared the advice he has given son Charlie to handle the pressure of competing with the Woods name.

“I just always remind him to ‘Just be you.’ Charlie is Charlie. Yeah, he’s my son, he wants that last name as part of the sport, but I just want him to just be himself, you know, and be your own person. That’s what we’re always going to focus on, and we’re always going to encourage that, for him to just carve his own name, to carve out his own path and have his own journey.”

Asked how Charlie is handling the spotlight so far, Woods replied, “I think he’s doing a great job.”