CNN
—
It would be no exaggeration to say that Tiger Woods’ return to competition was a success.
Team Woods played with son Charlie, daughter Sam as caddy, and 13 points in the first round of the two-day PNC Championship at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando, Fla., on Saturday. He achieved a blistering performance of under-59.
This outstanding performance gave the father and son team a three-way tie for first place.
Woods, who played in a scramble format, finished the day with a bogey-free round and 13 birdies on his scorecard. Tiger and Charlie birdied seven of nine holes on Saturday’s back nine.
After the round, Woods told NBC: “There’s nothing better than being here in this environment and having fun like this.” “This week is for each other and we are all rooting for each other to make the shots they want.”
The tournament concludes on Sunday with another 18-hole round.
Tiger Woods said, “This week is for each other. We’re just going to be rooting for each other as hard as we can so each of us can make the shots we want.”
This will be the fifth time Team Woods will play in the two-day, 36-hole tournament featuring 20 major champions and their families.
Woods’ public return to golf comes after successful hip surgery in September.
Until this week, Woods had not played competitive golf since the British Open in July. He has started just 13 times on the PGA Tour over the past four seasons, and has only completed a full four rounds twice since sustaining severe foot injuries in a car accident in 2021.
On Friday, Woods revealed that the 15-time major champion is often unable to put together good rounds due to physical strain after undergoing multiple surgeries in recent years.
“I’ve had a lot of surgeries over the years,” Woods said Friday. “You’re not going to feel what you used to feel, and the recovery is going to be even harder. You can go here and there all day, but as the rounds, weeks, months go by, it gets harder and harder.”
Woods said 15-year-old Charlie beat him in his first round of golf, but he quickly clarified that it was over nine holes, not 18.
“Yeah, he beat me in nine holes,” Woods told reporters Friday, according to the PGA Tour. “He hasn’t beaten me in 18 holes yet. That day is getting closer. I’m just going to extend it as long as I can.”
Woods said Charlie has grown “3.5 to 4 inches” since last year and is “stronger, faster and heavier,” so Charlie does all the driving and putting and Tiger simply ” He said he hopes it will serve as a backup. tournament.
Woods also shared advice he gave his son to deal with the pressure of competing with the Woods name.
“I always remind him to ‘be himself.’ Charlie is Charlie. Yes, he’s my son and he’ll take that last name as part of his sport, but I just want him to know.” We want you to be yourself, we want you to be your own person. That’s what we’re always going to focus on and we’re always going to encourage that, and we want him to be his own person. All you have to do is carve out a name, carve your own path, and take your own journey.”
When asked how Charlie is handling the spotlight so far, Woods said, “I think he’s doing a great job.”
