It’s become an annual treat to watch Tiger Woods and his son Charlie play in the PNC Father/Son Challenge. Their swings are similar, their club twirls are similar, their putting strokes are similar and so is the early walk toward the hole when they are sure the ball will drop.
There’s the similar lean on the putter when they wait for others to putt out. There’s the ball flips walking from tee to green, the whiplash follow-through when they go for the big shots. And of course, there’s the trash talking that is part and parcel of such a fun event as the PNC Championship at the Ritz-Carlton in Orlando, where Tiger and Charlie finished fifth in December. This year, 14-year-old Charlie (he turned 15 in February) was moved back a tee box for the event, playing the course at 6,500 yards. That’s (a little) longer than the members’ tees at Augusta, and he played the same tee boxes as Vijay Singh, Jim Furyk and John Daly. Charlie was even able to outdrive his dad, who was playing from one tee box back, on a few holes.
When Charlie first came onto the golf scene several years ago, he looked like a mini-me version of his father, coming about up to Tiger’s chest. He’s not so mini any more, standing five-foot-eleven, according to reports, just a few inches shy of his father’s billed height of six-foot-one. And he’s still growing.
“His speed has gone dramatically up this year,” an admiring Tiger said when asked to name the biggest difference in Charlie’s game. “He’s hitting it past me now.”
This story is from the March/April 2024 edition of Cigar Aficionado.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March/April 2024 edition of Cigar Aficionado.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
CIGAR AFICIONADO'S 2023 YEAR IN REVIEW
AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT A YEAR'S WORTH OF CIGAR RATINGS
A Soprano No More
Michael Imperioli is standing just inside the door of Scarlet, he and his wife's new bar and restaurant on Manhattan's Upper West Side.
Like Father Like Son
Charlie Woods is growing up. Will he follow Tiger's famous footsteps?
THE SPHERE LIGHTS UP LAS VEGAS
IN A CITY FILLED WITH BRIGHT SHINY OBJECTS, NOTHING CATCHES THE EYE MORE THAN THIS $2.3 BILLION DOME
Secretariat's Ride to Derby Glory
Even the most hallowed of sports records get eclipsed. Roger Bannister was the first to run a four-minute mile, but that feat has been vanquished again and again.
Smoking In (And Around) Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky, has all the charm and character of a city with deep connections to a pair of American sporting pastimes: horse racing and baseball.
The Drink of the Derby
More than 120,000 icy cold Mint Juleps will be served on May 4 at Churchill Downs
The Brown-Forman Way
For more than a century and a half, the Kentucky whiskey giant behind Woodford Reserve, Old Forester and many other spirits brands has prospered by matching tradition with foresight
The Gambler
Barbara Banke's Stonestreet Farm has gone from a hobby to the top Thoroughbred horse breeding operation in America
Living for the Track
FanDuel host Michael Joyce has been in love with horse racing since he was a boy