Tiger Woods left golf fans excited by admitting that his 13-year-old son Charlie has already outdriven him.
Woods is keen to temper expectations surrounding Charlie - who he will team up with once again at next weekend's PNC Championship. But there is inevitable hype surrounding the 15-time major champion's son given his father's icon status as golf 's transformative figure.
And the fact that the 13-year-old already has the power to beat his father for distance off the tee has unsurprisingly raised eyebrows in the golfing world.
The admission came as Woods made his long-awaited return to televised action - albeit in an exhibition alongside Rory McIlroy as the duo were beaten by Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas in the latest edition of 'The Match'.
Of course, Woods is no longer as explosive as he once was as he plots another competitive return, continuing to suffer injury setbacks from his horror car crash in February 2021.
The 46-year-old hit balls for the first time in a fortnight at Florida's Pelican Golf Club after recovering from plantar fasciitis, as he continues rehabilitation from the single-vehicle crash that threatened his ability to walk.
And during the showcase 12-hole showdown, Woods made the revelation that his teenage son has already smashed it further than him off the tee.
"I hate to say it but I'm going to admit it: He finally did it a few weeks ago. I spun one and he tomahawked one and got me," Woods said on the live television broadcast.
Golf fans eagerly responded to Woods' admission, with one tweeting: 'Yeah Charlie is the 2nd coming." Another excited user posted: "Tiger has been prepping his son to dominate the PGA Tour."
But one suggested that Charlie's big-hitting was instead a sign of his father's demise: "If Charlie is outdriving Tiger, it doesn’t make me optimistic that Tiger will win again on the PGA Tour," the fan claimed.
Woods' son Charlie will be keen to impress once again in the spotlight of his third consecutive appearance at the PNC Championship in Orlando. Fans will get a glimpse of Charlie's talents and enjoy the father-son dynamic at the unique 36-hole tournament.
But while Woods is looking forward to teeing it up with Charlie once again, he has urged perspective over his son - who is simply a child enjoying his golf.
“When we’re out there playing I’m his dad, so I’m protective of him,” Woods said. “Obviously I want him to do the best he possibly can. I want him to learn from everything. But I also want to protect him from, like, all of this. The environment. Especially this day and age.
"When I grew up there were no camera phones, there were no videos. I try to shoo people away, ‘let him enjoy, don’t put any pressure on him, let him play, let him be a kid, OK?'”
