Wearing Sunday red and making a back-nine charge is nothing new to Tiger Woods.
This time he brought his son, Charlie, along for the ride.
With the pedal to the metal, father and son reeled off 11 straight birdies to nearly reach the winners’ circle — a well-worn spot for the pairing’s elder statesman. Team Woods ultimately ran out of magic and chances while finishing two shots behind John Daly and son John II on Sunday at the PNC Championship.
“We had a little run there,” Woods said. “It was nice. It was fun. There were just too many groups that were either tied with us or ahead of us.”
Even settling for par after their chip-in attempt for eagle ran a good bit past the hole on the par-5 18th, the Woods duo finished runner-up in the 20-team event pairing big-name professional golfers with a child or parent. Tiger and Charlie finished with a 36-hole score of 25-under 119 total after carding a sizzling 15-under 57 — tied with the Dalys for Sunday’s low round.
No team otherwise could keep pace with the Woods, led by 12-year-old Charlie.
The youngest player in the field sank nine birdie putts Sunday. With the tournament on the line, Charlie stiffed irons on both the par-4 16th and par-3 17th holes, and then drained the putts.
“So impressive, he’s just a chip off the ol’ block,” said veteran PGA Tour Matt Kuchar, who was paired with the Woods. “He seems focused as you can be for a 12-year-old. Hit good shot after good shot in pressure situations — didn’t appear to show any signs of nerves at all.
“I was afraid to give him knucks [bump knuckles], like I might take him out of his zone.”
Charlie Woods is not among the top junior golfers in Florida but displayed plenty of game and moxie during the 36-hole event at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club Orlando, Grande Lakes.
Dressed like his father in Sunday red and black, Charlie also exhibited many of his father’s mannerisms, be it a tug of the shirt, twirl of the club or walking in putts. Striding inside the ropes between holes, the younger Woods maintained a stoic countenance and gazed ahead as fans shouted his name.
Tiger Woods perfected the 1,000-yard stare and extraordinary focus as he elevated the sport’s exposure and purses to new heights. But Woods’ hard edges have softened, letting in his legion of fans.
Woods’ stunning decision to play the PNC Championship just 10 months after a death-defying single-car accident in California supercharged the sold-out event.
The Woods’ 2020 debut delivered a jolt to professional golf during a rare slow week. Team Woods’ return this year was among the biggest sports stories of the year.
The Feb. 23 accident shattered his lower right leg to put day-to-day functionality, much less his playing career, in jeopardy.
Given the circumstances, Woods’ presence was palpable.
“It’s off the charts,” Hall of Famer Nick Faldo told The Orlando Sentinel. “The man has gone from every level, to possibly losing his leg to sitting in a wheelchair for three months and then rehabbing it like crazy.
“His determination is legendary.”
Time will tell how far sheer will, work ethic and athletic talent can carry Woods, who will turn 46 Dec. 30.
Glimpses of the greatest player of his generation, if not of all time, were increasingly frequent over the course of 54 holes, including Friday’s pro-am.
Woods’ limp also became a bit more pronounced as Sunday wore on despite the fact he was among the players who chose to ride in a golf cart.
Gary Player opted for walking, no surprise for the fitness-focused 86-year-old. The diminutive Player beat the odds to win nine major championships and more than 150 times worldwide.
Also known for his strong opinions, Player fully expects Woods to return to the top of the game, perhaps as soon as the 2022 British Open in July at St. Andrews.
“Everybody thought he was finished. I never ever thought he was finished,” Player told The Sentinel. “I took bets; I won a lot of money. I said he’d play here and come back — because he wants to do it. If you have a desire and zest to do something, you’ll do it.”
Woods’ expectations were more tempered.
Told Kuchar gushed that his game was PGA Tour-ready, Woods said, “No, no, no, no.”
He continued, “I totally disagree. I’m not at that level. I can’t compete again these guys right now, no.”
Even so, the question hung in the air as Team Woods headed back to South Florida.
“Who knows?” said Faldo, lead analyst at CBS. “Maybe with the rehab and the science, he can find a way.”
