Tiger Woods’ adolescent son Charlie will aim to qualify for his first major title.
The 15-year-old is set to compete in the first round of qualifying for this year’s US Open at Pinehurst No. 2.
Charlie will compete against 84 other golfers in an 18-hole event in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
Five players will proceed to the next stage, a 36-hole qualifying in June.
On April 25, the adolescent golfer was scheduled to tee off at 8.18 a.m. at the Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
The announcement comes two months after Charlie made his American Junior Golf Association debut.
Charlie received an invitation from a sponsor to compete at the Will Lowery Junior Championship in March.
Charlie’s debut AJGA event did not go as planned, with rounds of 78, 81, and 78, totaling 21 over par.
Unsurprisingly, his participation in that competition sparked a lot of curiosity among fans and media.
The AJGA intervened to protect Charlie when he was subjected to ‘unruly’ behaviour while attempting to qualify for his maiden PGA Tour event.
Charlie teed off in a pre-qualifier for the Cognizant Classic in February and was met with ‘unruly’ crowd behaviour.
As reported by the Palm Beach Post at the time:
Fans walked alongside Charlie on the fairway, despite tournament officials’ instructions to stay back.
A woman pulled her granddaughter out of school hoping Charlie would notice her. A fan demanded Charlie sign a copy of his father’s book, ‘How I Play Golf’.
The recoil 😳
Charlie Woods isn’t holding back @PNCChampionship. pic.twitter.com/J4nT8Jjmke
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) December 15, 2023
It’s no surprise that Charlie’s ambitions to try to qualify for the U.S. Open elicited a strong response from golf enthusiasts.
One X user commented: “I wish he could get a sponsor exemption or something. Imagine the television ratings.”
Another pointed out that the 2024 US Open could be Tiger’s final major appearance.
Woods is currently unqualified for this year’s major and will require an exemption soon.
Tiger was asked about this at the 2023 PNC Championship, where he competed alongside Charlie.
He stated he wasn’t sure whether he’d have to try to qualify for the 2025 U.S. Open or seek an exemption.
“But as of right now, no, I’m not in,” he added.
“And if I have to formally ask them, if they invite me, if you grant me an exemption, or if I have to go qualify, who knows.
“I don’t know what the process is.”
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