For as long as Tiger Woods has been alive, he’s been in the spotlight.
The 15-time major champion made his television debut at the tender age of two alongside legendary comedian Bob Hope. He was showcased on ABC’s “That’s Incredible” at the age of five. By the time he was 16, Woods was a U.S. junior amateur champion.
In that sense, Tiger and his 11-year-old son Charlie have something in common.
The only son of a generation’s greatest golfer, little Charlie’s life has progressed under the watchful eye of the golfing public. He is one-half of 2019’s most memorable image — engulfed in his father’s arms after his old man’s unforgettable Masters triumph.
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Beyond the confines of Augusta National’s 18th green, the pair’s on-course commonalities have largely remained a mystery. But not for much longer.
To the great anticipation of the golf world, Charlie will play in his first televised event alongside his father this week. The father-son duo will tee off together for the first time at 11:48 a.m. ET on Saturday. Here’s everything you need to know about this week’s PNC Championship.
1) Charlie is *pretty* good
Maybe you’ve seen the swing videos lurking around social media or you’ve heard about his tournament-winning exploits. The reality is this: Charlie Woods has learned a thing or two under the tutelage of his father.
Charlie is good, with a sick swing for a golfer of any age, let alone a preteen. He’s seen success on the junior golf circuit and is used to playing with eyes ogling toward his father, who has been known to double as his caddie. That’s surely not a predictor of this week (and is definitely not a predictor of anything beyond this week), merely an observation of his skill.
2) The format is advantageous
No, we won’t be seeing an 11-year-old battle the best golfers in the world in stroke play, but that would also be madness. Rather, the format is a two-man scramble with father and son playing alongside one another. Tiger and Charlie will play the best ball all the way into the hole, comparing their scores against that of the other family tandems in attendance.
3) Charlie isn’t the only kid
The PNC Championship is billed as a parent-child pro-am, and that’s exactly how the field shakes out. Twenty major championship (or Players Championship) winners across the men’s and women’s games will be competing alongside family in the scramble. John Daly, Gary Player, Annika Sorenstam, Greg Norman and Justin Thomas are among the biggest non-Woods names in the field.
4) It’s not a typical schedule
Goodbye, traditional 72-hole format! The PNC Championship will run only on the weekend, with television coverage split across Peacock, Golf Channel and NBC.
5) Charlie and Tiger will have to go *low*
The winning score at the PNC Championship over the past five years has hovered between 20 and 26 under for the two days, so if Tiger and Charlie are going to contend for the title, the Woods’ will have to get rolling early and keep rolling. Consecutive low scores is the only way to stay in contention at the Ritz Carlton Golf Club in Orlando.