does tiger woods still have a pga tour card

What to expect from Tiger Woods this year, on and off the course

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The results were probably what Tiger Woods should have expected in last week's Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas. In his first start in more than seven months, the 15-time major champion finished even par and 18th out of 20 players in the unofficial PGA Tour event.

More importantly, though, Woods' surgically repaired right ankle and foot didn't trouble him while walking 72 holes at Albany. He had fusion surgery April 19 to relieve post-traumatic arthritis caused by injuries in a February 2021 car wreck. Woods said last week that his right ankle was essentially "bone-on-bone" before his latest procedure.

"It's not bothering me, no," Woods said, when he was asked about the ankle.

That doesn't mean the rest of his body didn't hurt. Woods has undergone at least four microdisectomy procedures on his back, most recently in December 2020 to relieve nerve pain in his lower back. He had a more complex spinal fusion in April 2017 that sidelined him for about 11 months.

"My back hurts every day," Woods said. "It is what it is, that's just life. But I can deal with that, that's not a problem."

On top of the injuries, Woods is also battling Father Time. He turns 48 on Dec. 30. He's competing against golfers who are much younger than he is, most of them in their 20s and 30s.

Woods said it still takes him about four or five hours to recover from playing a round. His post-round treatment includes massages and ice baths. Getting his back, leg and ankle activated through physical therapy and time in the gym before each round makes for a long day.

"It's about the same, just I don't have the bone pain that I did," Woods said. "But I still have to go through the same protocols. It takes a long time. That's the unfortunate thing about aging and trying to do something that either I've worn out my body or trying to keep up with the younger people. It takes a long time pre- and post-[round]. You spend more time in the treatment room and weight room than you do on a golf course. That's just part of wanting to hang around as an athlete."

Fans will probably see Woods one more time this calendar year. He's scheduled to play with his son, Charlie, Dec. 14-17 in the PNC Championship at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando. Woods jokes that it's the "fifth major," as he and his 14-year-old son will be competing against Woods' good friend Justin Thomas and Thomas' father, Mike.

Woods said last week that he hopes to play one tournament a month in 2024. His first start might come Feb. 13 in the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club outside Los Angeles, a 72-hole tournament that he hosts. Like the Hero World Challenge, it benefits Woods' TGR Foundation.

Despite making only five starts in official PGA Tour events the past two seasons, Woods has an exemption into the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, March 14-17. His fifth Masters victory in April 2019 earned him a five-year exemption into the Players.

Woods could opt to compete March 7-10 in the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando instead. It wouldn't give him as much time to recover after the Genesis Invitational, but Bay Hill Club and Lodge might be an easier walk than TPC Sawgrass.

The Masters will be played April 11-14 at Augusta National Golf Club. Last year, Woods made his 23rd consecutive cut, tying Gary Player and Fred Couples for the longest streak in the tournament's history. He withdrew midway through the rain-delayed third round because of severe pain in his right foot and ankle. At the time, Woods said the pain was caused by plantar fasciitis. He had subtalar fusion surgery on his right ankle about two weeks later.

If everything goes right, Woods would probably spend the next three months competing in the majors: PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, May 16-19; U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 in Pinehurst, North Carolina, June 13-16; and The Open at Royal Troon Golf Course in Troon, Scotland, July 18-21.

In 2000, Woods won his second straight PGA Championship at Valhalla, defeating Bob May in a three-hole playoff.

Whether Woods' playing schedule extends beyond July will depend on his health and how well he plays in the majors. He probably won't make enough PGA Tour starts to qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs -- unless he does something magical in one of the four major championships.

"I think that I can get into the rhythm of it," Woods said. "I think that having a couple of weeks off to recover, a week to build up, there's no reason why I can't get into that rhythm. It's just a matter of getting in better shape, basically. I feel like my game's not that far off, but I need to get in better shape."

Overall, Woods seemed satisfied with his performance at the Hero World Challenge. He said he drove the ball "on pretty much a string all week" on wide fairways at Albany. He said his ball speed was up off the tee. He admitted he had work to do with his short game; Albany is considered one of the more difficult courses around the green because of the grain.

"To be able to knock off some of the rust as I have this week and showed myself that I can recover each and every day, that was kind of an unknown as far as I've walked this far," Woods said. "I've done all my training, but add in playing and concentration and adrenaline and all those other factors that speed up everything. I'm very excited about how the week's turned out."

Although Woods said he didn't have to adjust his swing after the latest surgery, there are areas where he has had to make adjustments.

"There's a lot of things I can't do that I used to be able to do with a golf ball," Woods said. "I used to be able to call upon any shape, any shot whenever you wanted and was able to contort myself to those shots. I can't do that anymore. I've always been one that has been able to hit the ball in the middle of the face, so that's been good. I'm hitting the ball further than I did when I first came out on tour. I'm slower, but [with technology] I'm still able to hit the ball in the middle of the face, so there's always an advantage to do that."

Scottie Scheffler , who won the Hero World Challenge by 3 strokes over Sepp Straka , said Woods still produces a recognizable sound when he's flushing iron shots on the practice range.

"I love looking down the range and seeing him hit balls and hearing that sound," Scheffler said. "He's still got the same sound, which is amazing. I feel rusty coming off two months without a tournament. He goes almost a year at a time and he comes back and he plays fine golf."

While Woods' return to competitive golf comes at an important time for the PGA Tour as it continues to battle the LIV Golf League for the world's best players, his work on the tour's policy board might be even more important. Woods was named a player director Aug. 1, after the PGA Tour's stunning June 6 announcement that it had signed a framework agreement with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and the DP World Tour.

The framework agreement is set to expire Dec. 31, and PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan last week called that a "firm deadline." The tour is also entertaining investment proposals from a handful of U.S.-based equity groups.

Like Jack Nicklaus and Palmer before him, Woods has taken on an integral role in shaping the future of the tour.

"Tiger's not someone that's going to go at anything 50 percent," Scheffler said. "He's going to go 100 percent into whatever he's doing, and right now that's a lot of stuff for the tour. As a player, I'm extremely grateful for what he's doing. He has our best interests in mind, and he's not going to compromise when it comes to what's best for the players. His voice definitely holds a lot of weight.

"So for us as players, it's great to have him on our side. It's great that he wants to do this stuff. That's another thing, he doesn't have to do that. He could easily sail off into the sunset, never touch a club again, never do anything again, just go live his life and enjoy [the] second half of his life and do whatever."

Jordan Spieth , another player director on the policy board, said Woods isn't "stepping in to throw influence anywhere."

"It just comes with him when he walks in the door," Spieth said. "He's a listener, and he has a lot of experience. He's seen the PGA Tour go through a lot of different changes over almost 30 years for him now. He comes with that kind of perspective as well as somehow a way of recognizing what can be good for the PGA Tour and its entire membership when he's never been an ordinary member, but it doesn't seem lost on him."

Thomas compared his role to Nicklaus and Palmer passing Woods the torch more than a quarter-century ago.

"It was an honor for him to kind of get the torch passed to him from Arnold and Jack," Thomas said. "I think he's looking at it as he wants to kind of pass that to whatever the following generation is.

"I think as little as he's playing, it's very clear that the decisions he's making and thoughts that he has isn't for his own good, it's for the betterment of the game. As a player who's out here, I mean, someone of his stature and someone with his accomplishments, he doesn't need to be taking the time to do that. He could very well just be posted up and come play whenever he wants. But he takes it seriously. He wants the game of golf to continue to grow and be in a great spot."

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MOMENTS THAT DEFINED WOMEN'S GOLF

Masters 2024: Tiger Woods is in the field (for now), while controversial past champion is out

Ross Kinnaird

Tiger Woods is in the 2024 Masters field, at least for now. But one controversial past champion is not.

Augusta National Golf Club listed the competitors for this year's Masters on the tournament website this week, and Woods, 48, was among the names appearing in the field. In itself this is not necessarily a surprise; past champions are allowed to play in the Masters for life, and Woods has won five green jackets. Conversely, with the Masters less than three weeks out, Woods has made just one start this season. The 15-time major winner played one round at the Genesis Invitational last month before pulling out of the tournament on Friday due to illness, and passed on the chance to compete at last week's Players Championship.

Woods is coming off an abbreviated 2023 season, where he made only two PGA Tour starts before undergoing ankle surgery. The second start was last year's Masters, where he made the cut but withdrew on the weekend. He has played all four rounds of an official tournament just twice in the last four years.

It should be noted that Woods’ name in the field does not signal he’s officially playing, but—given his limited sightings after his proclamation in December that he planned on playing once a month in 2024—it’s a promising sign for Tiger fans.

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One notable who apparently won’t be at Augusta is Angel Cabrera. Ther 2009 Masters winner was convicted in July 2021 in an Argentine court of assaulting, threatening and harassing Cecilia Torres Mana, who was Cabrera’s partner between 2016 and 2018. He was arrested in Rio de Janeiro in January of that year on charges of assault, theft, illegal intimidation and repeated disrespect to authorities and had been on Interpol’s “red code” list, which is used to seek the location and arrest of a person wanted by a legal jurisdiction or an international tribunal with a view to his or her extradition. Cabrera had been sought by authorities in a separate Argentine case involving assault claims filed by Torres Mana, and her case was joined by Cabrera’s former wife, Silva Rivadero, and another former partner Micaela Escudero.

Cabrera, 54, was released from prison last August, and in December was reinstated by the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions. In January, at the Latin America Amateur Championship, Augusta National and Masters chairman Fred Ridley said the tournament would welcome Cabrera back should he straighten out issues pertaining to his Visa into the United States. Cabrera recently played in a PGA Tour Champions event in Morocco. However, Cabrera’s agent told Golfweek that the Visa issue remains, keeping Cabrera from the tournament.

The Masters begins April 11. Jon Rahm is the defending champ.

RELATED: Tiger Woods doesn't have much left

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Tiger Woods Gives Update On PGA Tour Return

The 15-time Major winner says he still has a long way to go before returning to competitive golf

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Tiger Woods has admitted that a return to competitive golf is still some way off. Woods hasn’t played since being hospitalised following a car accident almost a year ago . The former World No.1 had been in Los Angeles as host of the Genesis Invitational. However, two days before the tournament started, he was involved in a single-car accident that left him needing surgery on multiple leg injuries, followed by extensive rehab. Now Woods is back in Los Angeles to host this year’s tournament . When asked about his prospects of playing again soon, the 15-time Major winner said:

“I can still play, but I’m in a cart. Being a weekend warrior is easy, that’s not that hard. Hit your ball, hop in a cart, ride, barely step out of the cart, grab your club and hit the next one. And the longest walk you have is probably from, what, the cart to the green and back. I can do that, that’s not that hard, but walking a golf course, that’s a totally different deal. Then walking out here for days on end, long days. Don’t forget when my back was bad, when we had rain delays and had to reactivate everything and go back out there again. I’ve still got that issue, too. I’ve got a long way to go.”

Despite Woods’ reluctance to commit to a return any time soon, there have been signs he’s getting closer, most recently last December, when he played a semi-competitive round with his son Charley at the two-day PNC Championships and almost won the event , eventually losing by two strokes to John Daly and his son, John Daly II. Two months on, Woods didn’t rule out a return at some point:

“I have seen progress. I’m a lot stronger than I was then, I’m able to hit more shots. But as I was alluding to at the PNC, I was in a cart. I can play weekend warrior golf, that’s easy. But to be able to be out here and play call it six rounds of golf, a practice round, pro-am, four competitive days, it’s the cumulative effect of all that. I’m not able to do that yet. I’m still working on getting to that point.”

Nevertheless, Woods reiterated comments he made at the Hero World Challenge last November, stating he’d never tour full-time again: “Will I come back? Yes. Will I come back and play a full schedule? No. I said that at Albany, that will never happen again. I can play certain events here and there, but on a full-time level, no, that will never happen again. Pick and choose my events, whether they’re Majors or other events, I can do something like that, but come back and playing the Tour, yes, but not on a full-time basis.”

Woods revealed that he can step up his golf activities since the PNC Championships, but only to a point: “Short game-wise, yes, I can. Long game-wise, no, because that involves more loading, more torquing of the leg, and as I said, walking is something I’m still working on. I can walk on a treadmill all day, that’s easy. That’s just straight, there’s no bumps in the road. But walking on a golf course where there’s undulations, I have a long way to go. My leg was not in a very good position there about a year ago and I’ve had to work through a lot of different operations and a lot of different scenarios. It’s been tough, but I’ve gotten here, I’ve gotten this far and I still have a long way to go. Each and every day’s a fight and I welcome that fight.”

Asked about his prospects of playing in April’s Masters Par 3 contest, Woods was equally non-committal, saying: “It’s the competitive nature, how much that takes out of you mentally, physically, emotionally. I haven’t prepared for any of that. Going for a walk, I can do that. Am I going to be sore? Hell, yeah, but I can do that. Whether I do that or not, I don’t know.”

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Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories. 

He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game. 

Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course. 

Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.

The World No.1 is set to make his Olympic debut later this year, after becoming the first player from the United States to be mathematically guaranteed qualification

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Tiger Woods to make first PGA Tour start since 2023 Masters at Genesis Invitational

For the first time in 2024, Tiger Woods will be returning to competitive golf.

Woods announced Wednesday on social media that he is "excited to be playing host next week" at the 2024 Genesis Invitational, the tournament he hosts at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California. This marks Woods' first PGA Tour start since the 2023 Masters Tournament, when he withdrew before third-round play because of "constant" pain and underwent ankle surgery . This also marks the first time Woods will tee up since he announced the end of his 27-year partnership with Nike .

Excited to be a playing host next week @thegenesisinv pic.twitter.com/YvtJhe5DjB — Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) February 7, 2024

In 14 tournaments at Riviera, including 12 as a pro, Woods has never won at the course and his best outing was a second-place finish in 1999. He has posted 10 made cuts and eight Top 25 finishes in those tournaments.

At last year's Genesis Invitational, Woods finished tied for 45th.

Woods last played competitive golf alongside his son, Charlie , at the PNC Championship in December. Held in Orlando, Florida, the pair finished tied for fifth.

The Genesis Invitational carries a purse of $20 million — with a take-home of $4 million for the winner — and is scheduled to begin Thursday, Feb. 15.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tiger Woods to return to competitive golf at 2024 Genesis Invitational

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Tiger Woods: Five-time Masters champion included on list of players set to compete at Augusta National in 2024

Five-time Masters champion Tiger Woods' name has been included on the list of players set to feature in the invitation tournament at Augusta National next month; Woods withdrew from The Players Championship last week; watch the Masters live on Sky Sports from April 11-14

Wednesday 20 March 2024 22:18, UK

Five-time winner Tiger Woods is in line to play at The Masters next month after being included on the entry list for this year's tournament.

The 48-year-old had been due to compete in last week's Players Championship but withdrew prior to the start of the tournament at TPC Sawgrass.

However, Woods is listed on the prestigious invitation event's website among the players taking part at Augusta National from April 11-14, live on Sky Sports . He is yet to publicly confirm his intention to play.

• LIV Golf's Joaquin Niemann handed invite to The Masters
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When are the majors? 2024 golf calendar and key events

Only Jack Nicklaus, with six titles, has won The Masters on more occasions than Woods, who last pulled on the iconic green jacket awarded to the winner in 2019.

Although his tournament appearances have been sporadic following his car accident in 2021, the 15-time major winner has a lifetime exemption to play at The Masters - as do all former champions.

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Since that accident, he has competed twice in the event, finishing 47th in 2022 and then being forced to withdraw midway through the third round last year due to reaggravating his plantar fasciitis.

Prior to withdrawing from The Players, Woods' only PGA Tour appearance of 2024 so far came at The Genesis Invitational where he withdrew after seven holes of the second round due to illness.

LIV Golf's Niemann handed invite to The Masters

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He posted on social media later in the day stating he was already on the road to recovery and spoke of his disappointment at not being able to continue his round.

At present, he is one of 83 players set to tee up at Augusta National in three weeks' time for the first major of the year.

There are still opportunities for players to earn a spot at The Masters by winning either the upcoming Valspar Championship, Houston Open or the Valero Texas Open. Other routes in are to be handed an exemption from tournament organisers, or to be inside the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking on Monday April 1.

Who has already received an invite to The Masters?

Correct as of March 18; USA unless stated

# denotes first Masters; *denotes amateur; ^ denotes committee invite

Ludiv Åberg (Swe) #

Keegan Bradley

Patrick Cantlay

Wyndham Clark #

Eric Cole #

Corey Conners (Can)

Fred Couples

Cameron Davis (Aus)

Jason Day (Aus)

Santiago de la Fuente (Mex) #*

Bryson DeChambeau

Nick Dunlap #

Austin Eckroat #

Harris English

Matt Fitzpatrick (Eng)

Rickie Fowler

Ryan Fox (Nzl)

Sergio Garcia (Esp)

Lucas Glover

Emiliano Grillo (Arg)

Adam Hadwin (Can)

Stewart Hagestad*

Brian Harman

Tyrrell Hatton (Eng)

Russell Henley

Ryo Hisatsune (Jpn) #^

Lee Hodges #

Nicolai Hojgaard (Den) #

Viktor Hovland (Nor)

Sungjae Im (Kor)

Dustin Johnson

Zach Johnson

Si Woo Kim (Kor)

Tom Kim (Kor)

Kurt Kitayama

Jake Knapp #

Brooks Koepka

Christo Lamprecht (Rsa) #*

Min Woo Lee (Aus)

Shane Lowry (Irl)

Hideki Matsuyama (Jpn)

Denny McCarthy #

Rory McIlroy (NIrl)

Adrian Meronk (Pol)

Phil Mickelson

Taylor Moore

Collin Morikawa

Grayson Murray #

Joaquin Niemann (Chi) ^

Jose Maria Olazabal (Esp)

Thorbjorn Olesen (Den) ^

Matthieu Pavon (Fra) #

Jon Rahm (Esp)

Patrick Reed

Justin Rose (Eng)

Xander Schauffele

Scottie Scheffler

Adam Schenk #

Charl Schwartzel (Rsa)

Adam Scott (Aus)

Neal Shipley #*

Vijay Singh (Fij)

Cameron Smith (Aus)

Jordan Spieth

Sepp Straka (Aut)

Jasper Stubbs (Aus) #*

Nick Taylor (Can)

Sahith Theegala

Justin Thomas

Erik van Rooyen (Rsa)

Camilo Villegas (Col)

Bubba Watson

Mike Weir (Can)

Danny Willett (Eng)

Gary Woodland

Tiger Woods

Cameron Young

Will Zalatoris

Who will win The Masters? Watch live from April 11-14 exclusively on Sky Sports. Stream the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, majors and more with NOW.

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Tiger Woods officially registered for 2024 Masters; past champion Angel Cabrera visa denied

Past champions Tiger Woods is officially listed in the 2024 Masters field, and Angel Cabrera is officially out.

Woods, a five-time Masters winner most recently in 2019, is officially listed on the entry list for competitors on the tournament website and in the latest update to the Masters app, which went live Wednesday. Woods’s participation was expected as he has made clear his intention to build his schedule around the four majors ever since being involved in a car crash in February 2021 that required multiple surgeries and nearly led to the amputation of his right leg.

But Woods, 48, has played just one full competitive round in the lead up to the Masters, withdrawing after six holes from the second round of the Genesis Invitational in February citing the flu. He played in the one-day Seminole Pro-Member in early March but elected not to play either the Arnold Palmer Invitational, where he has won eight times, or the Players Championship last week, the Tour’s flagship event and where he’s a two-time champion. Woods, who is making his 26 th  Masters appearance, survived the 36-hole cut at the Masters last year to tie a record with Gary Player and Fred Couples for most consecutive tournament cuts made with 23. Woods withdrew Saturday, stating he aggravated his plantar fasciitis.

More: Jon Rahm's 2024 Masters champions dinner menu serves up some Spanish flair

Cabrera, the 2009 Masters champion, hasn’t competed in the Masters since 2019. The 54-year-old Argentine, who also won the 2007 U.S. Open, was sentenced in July 2021 to two years in prison for threats and harassment to his partner, but was released late last year and last month competed in his first PGA Tour Champions event in Morocco, finishing T-27. He has been listed on the tournament website as “a past champion, not playing,” though he is eligible to compete in the field as is custom to past champions.

Speaking to  Golf Digest  after his release from jail, he said memories of his victory at the Masters helped him pull through while serving time.

“I remember nearly every strokes of that Sunday I won the Masters and would replay it in my mind: the playoff, the famous shot I made through the trees,” he said.

“It’s my dream to return to that prestigious place and walk the course that gave me so much joy and satisfaction,” he said, calling it like a second home. “It would be a great privilege to return and to attend the Champions Dinner with so many of the golf world’s greatest players.”

More: David Feherty's live show in Augusta during Masters week: Ticket info, what to expect

Speaking during a press conference at the Latin America Amateur Championship in Panama in January, Augusta National Golf Club Chairman Fred Ridley said Cabrera would be welcomed back with one caveat.

“Angel certainly is one of our great champions,” Ridley said. “As we all know, he has been unable to participate in the Masters the last couple of years due to legal issues. Presently we have been in constant contact with Angel’s representatives. He presently is not able to enter the United States. He doesn’t have a visa, and I know that that process is being worked through. We certainly wish him the best of luck with that, and we’ll definitely welcome him back if he’s able to straighten out those legal issues.”

Golfweek  has learned Cabrera’s visa has been temporarily declined.

“More information has been requested and will be provided to the embassy shortly. Final decision on the visa will take no less than 8 to 10 weeks. He will not be at The Masters,” Cabrera’s longtime agent, Manuel Tagle, wrote in an email to  Golfweek .

The Masters field is currently at 85 players. The first men’s major of the year runs April 11-14.

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Tiger Woods’ Masters news to bring excitement, sigh of relief to golf fans

The Masters updated its website to feature the 2024 field and gave fans a massive gift that included Tiger Woods.

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There are three weeks until the 2024 Masters Championship begins at Augusta National on Thursday, April 11. Things are starting to come together for the first major championship of the year.

The Augusta National team updated their website Wednesday to include new information which included the field of players who will be participating.

Tiger Woods was one of the names on the list, giving fans even more to be excited about. He hasn’t indicated when his next event would be, but many assumed it would have to be Augusta.

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This year will mark his 26th appearance at The Masters. He has won five green jackets during his illustrious career, with the latest coming in 2019.

When Woods teed it up in December at the Hero World Challenge, he announced his goal of playing once a month through majors season. However, his withdrawal from The Genesis Invitational prompted concern that would be possible.

Thankfully, he removed himself from the tournament due to an illness.

Fans hoped he would compete at The Players last week, but that did not come to fruition.

There are still two events the 15-time major winner could play in before Augusta National. The Houston Open and the Valero Texas Open are the two weeks ahead of The Masters. However, it seems unlikely that he would play in the Lone Star State and quickly turn around to play in Georgia.

Woods’ successful surgery last year made him more optimistic about playing.

Fans are still excited about him playing. As Patrick Cantlay put it, Tiger Woods is the needle .

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.

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Is Scottie Scheffler on Tiger Woods-like run? Here’s what Scheffler thinks

Scottie Scheffler has a long way to go to catch Tiger Woods.

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Tiger Woods comparisons generally are a really good thing.

But after Scottie Scheffler joined Woods as one of seven multiple-time Players champions , he was reminded of what could be viewed as a slightly depressing statistic.

The current World No. 1 has been on a tear the past 25 months; Scheffler earned his first PGA Tour win in February 2022 at the WM Phoenix Open and hasn’t slowed down much since.

He won three more times over the next three months that season, including his first major title at the Masters. He won in Scottsdale again in 2023 before taking the Players Championship a month later. Scheffler didn’t win for 52 weeks after that (gasp!), but that didn’t stop him from cementing his place at the top of the sport.

While Scheffler didn’t win an official event between March 2023 and March 2024, he racked up top-10s at a mind-boggling pace. For the entire 2022-23 PGA Tour season, he finished outside the top 12 just three times. His next start, after the Tour Championship, at the unofficial Hero World Challenge? He won .

In the past two weeks, the 27-year-old has returned to his official winning ways, taking the Arnold Palmer Invitational and defending his title at TPC Sawgrass, becoming the first to accomplish the feat.

Scottie Scheffler is golf’s best player. Maybe its most charming, too

According to the analytics site, DataGolf , Scheffler’s current peak of +2.82 in the DG Index is the fourth highest of all-time, behind Woods in 2000, Vijay Singh in 2004 and David Duval in 1999. He’s been able to maintain — and elevate — that number despite losing strokes on the green until the last couple of weeks.

But, being compared to Woods ain’t easy, and on Sunday night at TPC Sawgrass Scheffler shared a funny revelation about how far he has to go to draw legitimate comparisons to Woods’ sustained run of dominance.

“I’m not going to remember the exact numbers, but like we’re playing at Riv this year , and I hit my tee ball and this guy yells out, like, ‘Congrats on being No. 1 Scottie. Eleven more years to go,'” Scheffler recalled, cracking up the press room.

"Anytime you can be compared to Tiger, I think is really special." pic.twitter.com/2O4W0P0sSO — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 18, 2024

“Eleven more years to go,” he repeated for emphasis.

The fan at last month’s Genesis Invitational was referring to Woods’ incredible mark of 683 weeks atop the Official World Golf Ranking, more than double the total of the next closest player. Woods was also World No. 1 for two separate streaks of 281 and 264 weeks — again, both more than double the next best.

Pro golf desperately needed a boost. A wild Players finish provided it

Scheffler, meanwhile, is working on a run of 44 straight weeks atop of the OWGR for a total of 79 weeks in his career, all of which have come in the last two years. That means to catch Woods, Scheffler needs to hold the world’s top ranking for another 604 weeks, or about 11 years and seven and a half months.

The win he logged Sunday was the eighth of his career, leaving him 74 behind Woods’ record total on the PGA Tour, not to mention Scheffler’s lone major title is 14 fewer than Woods’ mark.

“Anytime you can be compared to Tiger I think is really special, but, I mean, the guy stands alone I think in our game,” Scheffler said. “He really does. This is my eighth tournament win now out here, I’ve tied him in Players Championships. Outside of that, I got 14 more majors and 70-some PGA Tour events to catch up. So I think I’m going to stick to my routine and just continue to plot along, try and stay as even-keeled as I can.

“We all idolize Tiger. He’s been our guy. Watching what he did in special moments over the years is crazy to watch. I’ve learned a lot just from being around him. We’re just very thankful that he’s still a part of our sport.”

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Jack Hirsh is an assistant editor at GOLF. A Pennsylvania native, Jack is a 2020 graduate of Penn State University, earning degrees in broadcast journalism and political science. He was captain of his high school golf team and recently returned to the program to serve as head coach. Jack also still *tries* to remain competitive in local amateurs. Before joining GOLF, Jack spent two years working at a TV station in Bend, Oregon, primarily as a Multimedia Journalist/reporter, but also producing, anchoring and even presenting the weather. He can be reached at [email protected] .

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Tiger Woods’s Stardom: A Vicious Circle for Son Charlie

via Reuters

Golf – PNC Championship – The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Orlando, Florida, U.S. – December 18, 2021 Tiger Woods of the U.S. alongside son Charlie Woods during the first round REUTERS/Joe Skipper

There is no doubt that Charlie Woods was born into a life filled with privilege. But there are two sides to being Tiger Woods’s son. While the superficial glory that is readily available to the naked eye is on one side of the coin, the other is nowhere near as glorious. From facing the wrath of being constantly compared to the greatness of his father to facing numerous security threats and getting the smallest of his mistakes overly critiqued, not everything comes easy for this budding golfer.

Surely, then, growing up in the shadow of his father does not seem as easy as the widespread assumption. Call it destiny or a coincidence, but the same happened at the AJGA’s Will Lowery Junior Championship this week, where he received a sponsor’s invite.

Charlie Woods’s background renders him unsafe

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At just the age of 15, the news of Junior Woods’s performance already invites massive crowds to the greens, wherever he is spotted teeing up. What was tipped off at the pre-qualifier of the Cognizant Classic now seems to have turned into a vicious trend cycle from what is being witnessed at the AJGA’s ongoing event. So much so that the young star’s safety has become a growing concern.

Yes, you read that right. This is the main reason why Woods Jr. has been forced to arrange for a host of security personnel and armed police in case of any unexpected mishaps from overenthusiastic fans. In fact, it has also been reported that there are increased security measures in place in light of his first official appearance at the AJGA event, including stringent identity verification processes.

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At the Cognizant Classic’s pre-qualifier, t he young talent’s performance was impeded because of the unruly behavior exhibited by the fans. The crowd surrounded and pressurized the young golfer in more ways than one. Some fans were even seen walking alongside him, thereby distracting him in attempts to catch Charlie’s glimpse.

Golf – PNC Championship – The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Orlando, Florida, U.S. – December 19, 2021 Tiger Woods of the U.S. and his son Charlie on the 17th hole during the second round REUTERS/Joe Skipper

But who is the culprit for the same? Well, it’s probably the fame he has gotten from his 82-time PGA Tour winner father. Junior Woods is living a reality that would be a completely strange occurrence for any other amateur of a similar stature as him. So has it influenced his performance in some way?

Is Tiger Woods’s shadow casting a dark cloud over Charley Woods’s career?

The answer to this might invite different opinions, but in some ways, that is certainly the case. Unlike most of the other golfers, who could remain at peace and perform at the event, the heavy weight of expectations and the concerningly high level of scrutiny certainly played a key role in an unfortunate result on his part.

A similar saga seems to be forming at the Carolina Trace Country Club-Creek Course in Sanford. Junior Woods’s performance can be best described as inconsistent so far, and the public scrutiny pool is certainly not impressed.

USA Today via Reuters

Dec 17, 2023; Orlando, Florida, USA; Charlie Woods plays his shot from the first tee during the PNC Championship at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

He finished with a score of 21 over par and tied for 33rd on the leaderboard, making it a less-than-appreciable performance. His first round saw him card a 78, whereas he concluded his second round with a score of 81, and a third round of 78 quashed the expectations of many fans of the Woods family who were vastly interested. Has TW been helping his son in coping with the struggles that he continues to face on the greens?

Tiger Woods’s role in helping his son rise stronger from the challenges

Despite the fact that it is inadvertently the shadow of his father that has opened the window to the challenges being faced by Charlie, it is his father’s golden advice and constant support that makes it easier for him to cope with the challenges.

Tiger Woods’ TGL Leaves Serena Williams’ Husband Hyperventilating Over LAGC’s Exploits

The 5x Masters champion was seen cheering on his prodigal son in his AJGA debut recently. Despite the professional involvement that has rendered him busy in recent times (especially ones involving LIV Golf chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan), supporting his son during the challenging times of his career seems to be a father’s responsibility.

Life in the spotlight surely has its perks, but it is definitely no cakewalk. How does Charlie Woods’s future in golf persists, it remains to be seen! Will he be the next TW as everyone wishes and hopes?

Is Tiger Woods Retreating From Playing Golf to Land on the PGA Tour Centerstage?

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Round recap: Tiger and Charlie Woods shoot 64 in PNC's first round

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Tiger Woods and son Charlie fist bump following a birdie at the ninth hole during the PNC Championship. (Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)

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December is all about family traditions, and today was the start of relatively new one that has quickly become one of the golf world’s favorites.

Tiger and Charlie Woods played their opening round of the PNC Championship today at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando, Florida. This is the fourth consecutive year that Team Woods has teed it up in this 36-hole, parent-child scramble.

While Woods’ career once was defined by his performances in March, April, June and July, December has become the month of Tiger. The PNC comes a couple weeks after his Hero World Challenge, which Woods played a couple weeks ago. The Hero was his first tournament since having fusion surgery on an ankle joint after this year’s Masters.

Woods finished 18th in the Hero’s 20-man field, displaying some promising signs while also showing the expected rust and fatigue after his long layoff. This week’s PNC offers another opportunity for him to prepare for his return to the TOUR in 2024 – he believes he can play once a month next year – and for Charlie’s continued progress to be on full display.

Charlie is now 14 and has grown 4 inches in the past year, according to his father. That meant he had to move back a set of tees for this year’s PNC Championship, but that didn’t have much impact on Team Woods because Charlie also displayed copious clubhead speed on Saturday. He drove it over one green and hit several tee shots over 300 yards. Notah Begay, Tiger’s college teammate and close friend, said that Charlie’s clubhead speed sits somewhere between 115-120 mph. Begay also noted that Charlie can “cruise” at a ball speed in the mid-170s with his driver.

“For his age, (that’s) quite a lot of ball speed,” Begay said. Tiger got both his kids involved Saturday, as daughter Sam served as his caddie for the first time.

“For me to have both my kids inside the ropes like this and participating and playing and being part of the game of golf like this, it couldn't have been more special for me,” Tiger said, “and I know that we do this a lot at home, needle each other and have a great time. But it was more special to do it in a tournament like this.”

For Team Woods, it was the shorter clubs that kept them from going lower Saturday. Their 8-under 64 leaves them T11 in the 20-team field after the first round. They’re seven shots behind the leaders, Matt Kuchar and his son, Cameron, and four back of the four teams that are tied for second: the Langers, Singhs, Goosens and Duvals. Those latter three were some of Tiger’s toughest competition during his prime years.

The PNC’s host venue, the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando, Florida, has wide fairways and large greens. Tiger and Charlie were in the fairway with wedge in hand throughout the day but didn’t hit enough approach shots close to the hole, nor did they hole many putts. There were too many two-putt pars for this low-scoring format.

“I drove the ball really good today,” Charlie said. “Didn't miss a fairway, and still managed to shoot 8-under. We just suck at putting.”

Added Tiger, “That sums it up right there.”

A pair of 10-footers were the longest putts they made all day, surprising considering they get two cracks at each attempt. Team Woods had two two-putt birdies on par-5s on the front nine and another came from just off the green on the par-4 13th after Charlie’s tee shot landed on the green before rolling to the back fringe. The rest were on putts inside 5 feet after getting near the green on short par-4s and the par-5 18th.

Charlie’s clubhead speed was the highlight of the day. On the front nine, he twice hit the green on par-5s with iron shots that sailed more than 200 yards. Then he drove it into a greenside bunker on the par-4 seventh and displayed a nifty short game with a high, spinning sand shot that carried some 20 yards before stopping near the hole. They closed the front nine with Tiger’s 10-foot birdie putt.

Their first birdie on the back nine came after Charlie drove it within 40 yards of the 11th green and wedged to 5 feet. He hit the shot of the day two holes later, carrying his drive more than 300 yards and onto the green. Charlie birdied the par-3 17th after hitting his tee shot to 10 feet, and they closed with one more birdie after Tiger hit his approach just over the final green and chipped it close to the hole.

“I like the way everything looks for next season,” Notah Begay said of Tiger. “He talked about playing once a month. I think that would be a nice, aggressive, manageable schedule. He can get the recovery routine down, he’ll be just fine.”

Tiger and Charlie will undoubtedly appear in their Sunday red-and-black for the final round, and they’ll need one of their father’s famous charges if they want to win the PNC for the first time.

Back-to-back birdies to end the day for Team Woods, but their 8-under 64 will leave them seven shots behind the Kuchars and four shots behind the four teams who are tied for second place: the Langers, Singhs, Goosens and Duvals. The latter three were some of Tiger’s stiffest competition in his prime.

If there’s one consolation for Tiger and Charlie, it’s that they tied Justin Thomas and his father, Mike, with that last birdie on 18.

Tiger hit the fairway first on 18, playing a bleeding cut that started over the water before turning back toward the fairway. That allowed Charlie to take a crack off the tee, and he nailed another one down the fairway. Neither Tiger or Charlie could hit the green on the par-5 18th, but Tiger’s approach rolled just through the putting surface and he was able to chip it close.

We’re off the par train! That’s not a good ride to be on in the scramble format.

Another true birdie for Charlie, who hits his tee shot on the par-3 17th to 10 feet and then drains the putt.

It matches the longest putt they’ve made all day. Three of their seven birdies have come on two-putts. They’ve also made two 10-footers and had a couple birdie putts inside 5 feet after Charlie drove close to the green. It’s been a lot of two-putts today, as Team Woods has had no trouble finding the fairway and the putting surface. They just haven’t rolled them in.

Three straight for the pars Woods, who are nine off the lead with two holes remaining in their second round. They’re going to be facing a sizable deficit in the second round.

The latest par exemplifies their day. They were in the fairway with wedge in hand but unable to capitalize. Notah Begay, who’s observed Charlie’s game closely, again makes the astute observation that Charlie is missing his wedges short and right because his swing is too steep and the ball rides up the face of the club. Woods doesn’t do much better from 87 yards, hitting his shot 15 feet past the hole. They two-putt for another par.

The highlight of the hole was the presence of Justin Thomas’ dog Franklin, who gives Tiger several kisses as he walks off the green.

The Charlie recoil is on display again after he rips another drive into the fairway. He obviously loves the freedom of this scramble format, and fans love his swagger.

The team makes an unacceptable mistake after Tiger’s second shot sets them up just short of the par-5 green. Their ball lay just a couple feet off the ground, and both Tiger and Charlie chose to putt it but neither could get it closer than 15 feet from the hole. They both missed and made par to remain 6 under par, nine back of the Kuchars.

Charlie has produced a couple highlights today, including his drive that landed on the green on the previous hole, but it has been a pretty quiet performance from them. They just haven’t made enough putts to contend today.

After another par at 12, Charlie produces another amazing shot on a short, dogleg par-4. He takes his drive over the trees and carries it onto the green. The ball lands about 15 feet from the hole before landing in the back fringe. The shot inspired a fan to yell, “Watch out, he’s coming!” Charlie’s reply?

“I’m already here.” Bold!

Charlie Woods drives it over par-4 green to set up birdie at PNC Championship

It’s one of the best shots of the day, and leads to an easy two-putt birdie for Team Woods. They’re now 6 under through 13 holes.

After another par at 10, another natural birdie for Charlie at the 11th hole after he drove it within 40 yards of the green and pitched to a couple of feet. Team Woods has picked up the pace a bit with three birdies in their last five holes, but still find themselves in the middle of the 20-man field. And the Kuchars continue to make birdies, now standing at 13 under through 16 holes.

Charlie Woods sticks it close to set up birdie at PNC Championship

If there’s one consolation for the Woodses, it’s that they’re beating their rivals, Team Thomas, by one.

It wouldn’t be the PNC Championship without comparisons between Tiger and Charlie. After Charlie hits another drive over 300 yards, father and son are shown making similar, smooth practice swings next to each other as they prepare for the 93-yard approach shot on the ninth hole. Then the telecast shows side-by-side comparisons of Charlie’s current swing with Tiger’s action when he was 15 years old and winning his first U.S. Junior Amateur at nearby Bay Hill Club & Lodge.

Tiger and Charlie Woods’ swing comparison

Notah Begay notes that Charlie can reach clubhead speeds between 115-120 mph. The PGA TOUR average in 2023 was 115 mph.

Tiger hits his wedge about 10 feet past the hole, and after Charlie narrowly misses, Tiger pours it in. They make the turn in 4-under 32. The Kuchars are now 12 under through 14, however.

Tiger Woods uses nice approach to yield birdie at PNC Championship

Tiger and Charlie both two-putt from the fringe on the par-3 eighth hole, with Tiger leaving his putt agonizingly short. Charlie drops to his knees as Tiger’s attempt stops inches short of the hole, right in the middle.

The most interesting part of this hole was the conversation between Dan Hicks and Notah Begay about Tiger the golf dad. Charlie has been competing in Begay’s series of junior tournaments as part of his competitive schedule. Begay admits “it’s quite an undertaking when Tiger comes on property anywhere” but also notes how hard Tiger tries to not be a distraction when he’s caddying for Charlie or simply in his gallery. That, of course, is impossible.

“He demonstrated a lot of respect for all those other kids,” Begay says, “and was just happy to see Charlie competing.”

Here we go! After a methodical start, Charlie produced several highlights on the seventh hole. It started when Charlie drove it over a penalty area and into a greenside bunker on the dogleg-right par-4. His ball carried the hazard by just a few yards before bouncing into a greenside bunker. Notah Begay noted that Charlie, 14, can “cruise” at a ball speed in the mid-170s with his driver.

“For his age, (that’s) quite a lot of ball speed,” Begay said.

The next shot may have been even more impressive, though. Facing a bunker shot of about 40 yards that required a long carry over the sand, Charlie opened the face of his sand wedge wide open and took an aggressive swing that resulted in a high, spinning shot that stopped a couple feet from the hole.

Charlie Woods' bunker play leads to birdie at PNC Championship

Charlie made the putt, as well, for the team’s first one-putt and first birdie on a hole that is not on a par-5. They’re now 3 under through seven holes, but the Kuchars continue they’re incredible pace. They’re 11 under on their first 12 holes.

Team Woods continues to lean on Charlie’s driving. Even though he moved back a set of tees this year, he’s still hitting it past Tiger and JT. On the sixth hole, the Woodses had just 89 yards remaining for their approach shot.

Charlie hit first, but was disappointed with the shot immediately. He one-armed the follow through as his ball sailed onto the putting surface, but well short and right of the target. The mishit provides Notah Begay the opportunity for some great analysis:

“It’s just that (Charlie’s) transition generates a lot of lag in the full swing but you have to shallow it out in those shorter clubs,” Begay said. “You could tell he just got steep on that, the ball slid up the face and went high and right, which is exactly what it should do if you get steep on a wedge.”

Before Tiger hits, Begay says, “Now let the master show you how to shallow it out, how to flatten the flight and control the distance.” Tiger does exactly that, as his ball is directly on-line, sailing about 12 feet past the flag. After Charlie misses, Tiger can’t take advantage of getting the read. His putt lips out.

“That’s a head-scratcher,” Begay says after Tiger misses the relatively simple birdie putt. They remain 2 under after six holes. They’ve two-putted every hole they’ve played.

Charlie’s ability with the long-irons is the biggest revelation thus far. On both par-5s they’ve played, Charlie has hit the green in two with a long-iron from more than 200 yards. This time, he found the putting surface from 210 yards, four yards closer than his approach on the par-5 third. Impressive stuff for a 14-year-old.

Charlie Woods waves at tee shot, hits fairway at PNC Championship

Team Woods had just an iron into another par-5 because of another roasted drive from Charlie. He displayed the full recoil and then waved at his ball and walked after it, leaving his tee in the ground. Justin Thomas told Charlie that he’d snag the tee, to which Charlie replied, “Ya, you get that.” Trash talk is always part of the Woods-Thomas dynamic. Tiger has described Justin as the little brother he never had, and Justin and Charlie have the same dynamic.

Unlike the third hole, however, Dad showed up his son and hit his approach closer than Charlie’s. After making just one birdie in the first four holes, an eagle here would be a huge lift for the Woodses, who are currently beating just one team. Instead, it’s another two-putt.

While another birdie is helpful, it’s also a bit disappointing.

Tiger Woods birdies No. 5 at PNC Championship

Like the previous hole, Tiger left his putt short, bemoaning his lack of aggressiveness in the scramble format. With Charlie already close to the hole, Tiger didn’t have to worry about hitting his putt close to the hole. He was only concerned with making it. “It’s a scramble,” Tiger says in amazement, to which Justin sarcastically replies, “It’s a hell of a two-putt, though.” That’s not what the Woodses need. They’re 2 under through five, five behind the Kuchars, who shot 7-under 29 on the front.

The sound of rain drops crackling on umbrellas can be heard on the broadcast as the anticipated precipitation arrives in Orlando. Tiger was wearing white pants to complement his peach shirt, but he now has the rain pants on. One note of interest is that Charlie’s pullover is not made by Nike, the brand that Tiger has worn for the entirety of his pro career, but instead is from Greyson, the same brand that Justin Thomas wears.

Course management and strategy were always an important part of Tiger’s success, and Team Woods used a bit of it on the par-3 fourth hole. Charlie hit first from the forward tees, aiming toward the middle of the green so Dad could take aim at the flag tucked behind a bunker. Tiger hit it to about 15 feet, and two two-putts meant another par. This would be a great start if this was a U.S. Open, but pars won’t allow the Woodses to keep pace in this scramble format. They’re now 1 under after four holes after four two-putting every hole, including the par-5 third.

The third hole is where Charlie displayed some of the skills that makes fans so curious about his potential. Charlie’s tee shot on the par-5 third left Team Woods with 214 yards to the green. Charlie, 14, hit the green with an iron, leaving the team a lengthy eagle putt after Tiger pulled his attempt at the approach shot well left of the green. Charlie possesses the power to reach the green with an iron but his swing also was well-balanced, a combination of speed and grace that his father showed in his earlier days. Notah Begay noted on the broadcast that balance is something Tiger and Charlie have been working on in Charlie’s swing. Team Woods earned its first birdie after Tiger cozied their long eagle putt a couple inches from the hole.

Tiger and Charlie Woods make birdie at PNC Championship

They’re now 1-under par, five behind the team of Matt Kuchar and his son, Cameron, who have birdied six of their first eight holes. Matt had two top-10s in three starts in the FedExCup Fall, and Cameron is a promising junior player who made it to U.S. Open Final Qualifying this year.

Two holes. Two pars.

The Woodses once again had a wedge in hand from the fairway but couldn’t convert. Charlie hit his approach from 114 yards in the fairway over the green, while Tiger’s approach went about 17 feet past the flag. Both Tiger and Charlie two-putted for the par.

Par on the first hole. That’s not going to get it done in this scramble format, where the winning score is often around 25-under par for the 36 holes. Even with Charlie moving back a set of tees, his driver is still a huge asset. From the forward tees, Charlie’s drive went well past the tee shots of Tiger and JT. Charlie also hit the closest approach shot of the four. NBC’s Notah Begay, a college teammate and close friend of Tiger, noted that Tiger has been helping Charlie develop a wider array of wedge shots, and it paid off as Charlie hit it to about 12 feet from 80 yards. After using both Charlie’s tee shot and approach, neither of the Woodses could convert the birdie putt, however.

One thing to note is that carts are allowed at the PNC Championship, which is one reason that Tiger has played this event over the years. NBC’s Peter Jacobsen noted that Tiger walked all 18 holes in Friday’s pro-am. Jacobsen also noted how well Woods was getting on to his left side through impact. Woods found the fairway with his opening tee shot. Thomas outdrove Woods by about 15 yards on the opening hole.

Steve Stricker, Vijay Singh, Tom Lehman, Jim Furyk, Nelly Korda and John Daly – all major winners on the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions or LPGA – are among the players who will compete this week from the same distance as Charlie.

A year ago, Charlie played from tees that were roughly 500 yards shorter. There were some holes where Tiger Woods would send his son up first to drive, and if he hit the fairway, Tiger didn’t need to leave his cart to hit.

There are only seven players in the field – including Tiger Woods – who will play tees deeper than those from which Charlie will compete. The extra yardage did not seem to face Charlie in a final practice round on Friday. He will be able to get to the par-5 holes with ease (the exception being the 585-yard 14th), and there are even a few par 4s (Nos. 10 and 13) that Tiger wants him to aggressively try to drive.

We’re still a few minutes from the first tee shots for Tiger and Charlie Woods, but a crowd is already gathered around the first tee in anticipation. And we already have some news. Tiger’s daughter, Sam, will be on the bag for him today.

There were questions about who would caddie for Tiger after his longtime looper, Joe LaCava, went to work for Patrick Cantlay earlier this year. Tiger employed his friend, Rob McNamara, who also serves as the vice president of Tiger’s TGR Venture, at the Hero World Challenge. McNamara also was on the bag in Friday’s practice round. But Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis tweeted Saturday morning that Sam would be on the bag.

Sam, 16, was born a day after Tiger finished runner-up in the 2007 U.S. Open at Oakmont. She impressed with her poise at the podium when she introduced her father at last year’s World Golf Hall of Fame induction.

“My dad found himself in a position to make an 18-foot putt to force a U.S. Open playoff, which he missed by a foot,” she said in that speech. “He then had to rush to the airport, fly from Pittsburgh to Orlando, and drive to the Winnie Palmer Hospital. Within five minutes of walking into the hospital room, still wearing his red golf shirt, on June 18, I was born. He may have lost that day, but he won the greatest gift of all.”

Her speech was both humorous and emotional, eliciting tears from her father.

“I realized while writing this speech that, no matter what life throws our way, we somehow come out together and stronger. You know, train hard, fight easy,” she said, echoing the mantra that her grandfather, Earl Woods, passed on to Tiger.

Tiger Woods and his daughter Sam on the range at PNC Championship

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2024 Texas Children's Houston Open odds, field: PGA picks, predictions by model that's called 10 majors

Sportsline's proven model simulated the houston open 2024 10,000 times and revealed its pga golf picks.

The 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open is set to get underway on Thursday, March 28, and several players will enter this week's event confident they can secure the victory. Tony Finau is the defending champion and he's racked up six career wins on the PGA Tour. With another win at Memorial Park Golf Course this week, he'll become the first golfer to successfully defend his title at the Houston Open since Vijay Singh (2004-05). 

Meanwhile, Scottie Scheffler, the No. 1 ranked player in the world, can add to his impressive resume with a victory at the Texas Children's Houston Open 2024. Scheffler is coming off back-to-back wins at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship. The latest 2024 Houston Open odds list Scheffler as the 14-5 favorite, followed by Wyndham Clark (14-1), Will Zalatoris (18-1) and Finau (18-1). Before locking in your 2024 Houston Open picks, be sure to see the golf predictions and projected leaderboard from the proven computer model at SportsLine .

SportsLine's proprietary model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure, has been red-hot since the PGA Tour resumed in June 2020. In fact, the model is up nearly $9,500 on its best bets since the restart, nailing tournament after tournament.

McClure's model predicted Scottie Scheffler would finish on top of the leaderboard at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship this season. McClure also included Hideki Matsuyama in his best bets to win the 2024 Genesis Invitational. That bet hit at +9000, and for the entire tournament, McClure's best bets returned nearly $1,000.

The model also predicted Jon Rahm would be victorious at the 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions and The American Express. At the 2023 Masters, the model was all over Rahm's second career major victory heading into the weekend. Rahm was two strokes off the lead heading into the third round, but the model still projected him as the winner. It was the second straight Masters win for the model, which also nailed Scheffler winning in 2022.

In addition, McClure's best bets included Nick Taylor (70-1) winning the 2023 RBC Canadian Open, Jason Day (17-1) winning outright at the 2023 AT&T Byron Nelson, and Rickie Fowler (14-1) finishing on top of the leaderboard at the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic. This same model has also nailed a whopping 10 majors entering the weekend. Anyone who has followed it has seen massive returns. 

Now that the 2024 Texas Children's Houston Open field is set, SportsLine simulated the tournament 10,000 times, and the results were surprising. Head to SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard .

Top 2024 Houston Open predictions 

One major surprise the model is calling for at the Houston Open 2024: Finau, the defending champion and one of the top favorites, struggles this week and doesn't even crack the top five. Finau coasted to victory at the 2022 Houston Open, shooting 16-under par and winning by four strokes. He went wire-to-wire and set a tournament and course record of 264 en route to his fifth career win.

However, Finau has struggled mightily in recent weeks, finishing T-45 or worse in three of his last five starts on the PGA Tour, which includes a missed cut at last week's Valspar Championship. Finau's recent rough patch can be directly attributed to his inconsistent putting stroke. The 34-year-old enters this week's event ranked 144th in strokes gained: putting (-0.460) and 131st in total putting (235.3), which doesn't bode well for his chances to finish on top of the leaderboard.

Another surprise: Keith Mitchell, a 40-1 longshot, makes a strong run at the title. He has a much better chance to win it all than his odds imply, so he's a target for anyone looking for a huge payday.

In order to score well at Memorial Park, players will need to be extremely accurate with their irons. Mitchell enters this week's event ranked sixth in greens in regulation (73.75%) and ninth in strokes gained: approach to green (0.727). He's also been effective off the tee, ranking sixth in total driving (96) and ninth in strokes gained: off the tee (0.696). His ability to constantly put himself in advantageous positions has the 32-year-old ranked ninth in scoring average (69.12). Those impressive stats, plus his long odds, make him a strong value pick for your 2024 Houston Open bets this week.  See who else to pick here .

How to make 2024 Houston Open picks

The model is also targeting three other golfers with odds of 40-1 or longer to make a strong run at the title. Anyone who backs these longshots could hit it big. You can only see the model's picks here .

Who will win the 2024 Houston Open, and which longshots will stun the golfing world? Check out the Houston Open 2024 odds below and then visit SportsLine to see the projected Houston Open leaderboard , all from the model that's nailed 10 golf majors, including last year's Masters and Open Championship.

2024 Houston Open odds, field

See the full Houston Open picks, best bets, and predictions here .

Scottie Scheffler +280 Wyndham Clark +1400 Tony Finau +1800 Will Zalatoris +1800 Sahith Theegala +2000 Jason Day +2800 Si Woo Kim +3500 Keith Mitchell +4000 Alex Noren +4500 Stephan Jaeger +5000 Beau Hossler +5000 Tom Hoge +5000 Aaron Rai +5500 Jake Knapp +5500 Patrick Rodgers +5500 Kurt Kitayama +6000 Billy Horschel +6000 Thorbjørn Olesen +6000 Akshay Bhatia +6500 Mackenzie Hughes +7000 Cam Davis +7000 Ben Griffin +7500 Luke List +8000 Taylor Moore +8000 Doug Ghim +8000 Ryan Fox +8000 Taylor Montgomery +9000 Davis Thompson +9000 Daniel Berger +10000 Chesson Hadley +10000 Alex Smalley +11000 Joel Dahmen +11000 K.H. Lee +11000 Taylor Pendrith +11000 Scott Stallings +12000 Thomas Detry +12000 Mark Hubbard +12000 Peter Malnati +12000 Sam Ryder +12000 Victor Perez +12000 Robert MacIntyre +12000 Adam Svensson +12000 Cameron Champ +12000 Joseph Bramlett +15000 Carl Yuan +15000 Matt Wallace +15000 Ben Silverman +15000 Sam Stevens +17000 Carson Young +17000 Vincent Norrman +17000 Garrick Higgo +17000 Greyson Sigg +17000 Ryan Moore +17000 Chandler Phillips +17000 Chris Gotterup +17000 Gary Woodland +20000 Justin Suh +20000 Matti Schmid +20000 S.H. Kim +20000 Andrew Novak +20000 Chan Kim +20000 Bud Cauley +20000 Alexander Björk +20000 Jhonattan Vegas +20000 Davis Riley +20000

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Details emerge from Tiger Woods' private meeting with LIV Golf chiefs amid PGA Tour uncertainty

Details of Tiger Woods' private meeting with Yasir Al-Rumayyan have emerged, with the two speaking on multiple topics from the future of golf to how PIF can benefit the PGA Tour

• 01:08, 21 Mar 2024

Some details have emerged from Tiger Woods ' meeting with Yasir Al-Rumayyan , the governor of the Public Investment Fund (PIF) and backer of LIV Golf , at his home in the Bahamas.

Webb Simpson explained to Sports Illustrated just how the meeting between the golf legend and Al-Rumayyan went earlier this week, with Woods being "very engaged" with what was said.

Simpson also added that Woods acted like the "leader," with the future of golf also discussed. It was also reported that Woods and Al-Rumayyan played golf on the Albany course near where the Hero World Challenge is held.

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Despite Woods and Al-Rumayyan's meeting, it appears as if the two sides are not any closer to an agreement that would formally join the two rival sides. Still, Simpson said the meeting was more exploratory and to explain the PIF's potential involvement with the PGA Tour, if an agreement were to be finalized.

"What I was interested in going there was to learn more about who he is and what he's thinking," Simpson explained. "Learn about LIV more. What was your intention and hope there? How's it going? All that kind of stuff. A meet and greet and learn. i think he wanted to learn from us kind of what we think. We wanted to figure out what he thinks."

Along with Woods and Simpson, Peter Malnati, Adam Scott, Jordan Spieth, Patrick Cantlay and Joe Ogilvie were present in the meeting. Jay Monahan, PGA Tour commissioner and a handful of members of the Strategic Sports Group were also present.

For all the latest on news, politics, sports, and showbiz from the USA, go to The Mirror US .

Regarding the future of golf , Simpson added that while the meeting did not delve into the specifics, the American did explain that Al-Rumayyan "envisions a place" in golf somehow. "We didn't get as far as what he wants and what does LIV want," Simpson continued.

"He certainly seems engaged enough in the game already that he has desires to see the game grow globally, I think it's fair to say. And he mentioned growing it in Saudi to try and do that."

Malnati added that while he "enjoyed and appreciated" seeing Al-Rumayyan in a new light, especially considering what the Saudi Arabian businessman has accomplished, the American added that he ultimately wants to see "all the best players together" again at some point in the future.

"I still certainly think a path forward for professional golf makes more sense with him on our side than him as an antagonist," Malnati told Sports Illustrated . "But there's a lot of work to do to ... seeing the same vision for the future of professional golf. There is space between his and ours."

While the two sides continue to work toward a deal to join the two competing circuits together, it remains to be seen just how effective Woods' meeting with Al-Rumayyan will be. For now, Woods will continue to prepare for the Masters as he looks to return to competitive golf.

MORE ON Tiger Woods PGA Tour LIV Golf Webb Simpson Sports Illustrated Joe Ogilvie Jordan Spieth Adam Scott The Masters

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Charlie Woods, Tiger's son, to compete in qualifier for PGA Tour's Cognizant Classic

Tiger Woods played in his first PGA Tour event at the age of 16. His son Charlie has a chance to top it.

On Thursday, Charlie Woods will begin competing in pre-qualifying for the PGA Tour's Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches – formerly known as the Honda Classic.

If he's one of roughly the top 25 finishers at Lost Lake Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Fla., he'll move on to Monday's qualifier, where four players will earn a spot in the field at PGA National. If Charlie manages to grab one of those spots, he’ll make his first start on the PGA Tour at 15 years, 21 days old.

Charlie and Tiger Woods have played together in the PNC Championship – which features PGA Tour players partnering with family members in an alternate-shot competition – since 2019. This would be the first time Charlie has attempted to qualify for an official PGA Tour event.

A fifteen-time major champion, Tiger Woods made his PGA Tour debut as an amateur in 1992, missing the cut at the Nissan Los Angeles Open at the age of 16 years, 1 month and 28 days.

Tiger Woods breaks silence on PGA Tour's $3bn investment deal with Liverpool's owners

Tiger Woods has given a big thumbs up to the PGA Tour's $3billion investment deal with Strategic Sports Group (SSG).

The deal was announced on Wednesday and is led by Liverpool owner John W. Henry. It brings an immediate cash boost of $1.5b, which could double over time. Other investors include New York Mets owner Steven A. Cohen and Atlanta Falcons boss Arthur Blank.

This deal will allow nearly 200 PGA Tour members to own shares in the newly-formed PGA Tour Enterprises. This is seen as a thank you for their loyalty during the LIV Golf breakaway. The SSG investment isn't directly linked to the PGA Tour's ongoing talks with LIV backers the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund.

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These merger discussions, aimed at mending the cracks in the elite game, are being delayed by US Government scrutiny. Many players have been unhappy with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan's leadership since the LIV Golf breakaway. However, Woods supported him in Wednesday's conference call.

With other tour executives and the new investors listening in, Woods, a 15-time major champion, praised the deal. He believes it's unique in professional sports because it gives players ownership of the tour.

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“Hey everyone, this is Tiger Woods,” he began, according to Golf.com . “Just wanted to say thank you, SSG, for believing in us and believing in our sport. Believing in the potential growth that we could enjoy together. Golf is an amazing sport.

"It has allowed communities to heal and grow. And we, as a team, are going to offer that according to what we believe is the true compensation and meritocracy that our sport has been built upon for all these years.

“As has been described earlier, as the Tour grows, we grow. So the more we invest into the Tour, the more we get the benefits of it. Which has never been — it’s never happened in sports history. So we’re the first. Exciting for me to be able to be part of that.”

Woods, 48, is on the mend after undergoing ankle fusion surgery last year. He competed in the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas in December, where he finished 18th. He's also set to play at The Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on February 15.

* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story.