Charlie Woods has been tipped to follow in Tiger Woods’s footsteps for several years, and the teenage golfer has also made strides away from the golf course
Charlie Woods has been credited with improving his physique away from the golf course(Image: Ryan Lochhead/PGA of America)
Charlie Woods’ coach has shared the physical transformation that Tiger Woods’ son has undergone as he continues to impress in junior golf.
The younger Woods has been in the spotlight since he made his PNC Championship debut alongside Tiger at 11. While the famous father-son duo is yet to win the event, the 16-year-old celebrated his first hole-in-one at the tournament in December, showing signs of following in his dad’s footsteps.
The teenager clinched his first American Junior Golf Association title at the TaylorMade Invitational in May and recently tied for ninth at the Junior PGA Championship. However, it is not just his inherent talent for the sport that is contributing to Woods’ success.
His high school coach has discussed the effort that Woods has put in away from the golf course. “Charlie knows a lot of the attention is going to be on him and he knows not to put himself in an uncomfortable position, but his teammates are protective of him,” Benjamin Buccaneers coach Toby Harbeck told The Palm Beach Post.
“Charlie has come a long way in two years. He’s lost 10 pounds and is ready to take on that No. 1 role.”
Woods is not the only second-generation golfer that Harbeck has coached, having previously mentored Jack Nicklaus’ sons Gary and Michael. He added: “When Tiger and Elin show up to watch, Tiger is a different person than what you see on TV. Just like Jack [Nicklaus] was.”
Charlie Woods finished T9 at the Junior PGA Championship earlier this month(Image: Tim Heitman/Getty Images)
While Harbeck’s primary aim is for The Benjamin School to win the Florida state championship, Woods may still be reeling from recent blows to his hopes of qualifying for Team U.S.A. at the Junior Ryder Cup. His T9 finish at the Junior PGA Championship and missing the cut at the U.S. Junior Amateur mean he may have to rely on being a captain’s pick for the tournament.
Despite these setbacks, his father has always spoken glowingly about his son’s prospects in the sport. At the 2024 PNC Championship, Woods reflected on Charlie’s performance after the pair lost in a playoff to Bernhard and Jason Langer.
“He [Charlie] has gotten better at every facet of the game,” Woods said in December, as reported by Sky Sports. “That’s a commitment to practicing and developing as a player. I think that most of us forget he’s only 15 years old.
“I know he’s been doing this in front of the media for a long time but, being only 15, I think it’s incredible what he’s been able to accomplish so far and the ceiling that he has is unlimited.”
Tiger and Charlie Woods have competed as a team at the PNC Championship since 2020(Image: Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
After watching his son hit an ace, Woods added: “That was the thrill of a lifetime to be able to have that moment with Charlie, make his first hole-in-one, Sam [Tiger’s daughter] on the bag, just our family and friends,” Woods added. “That’s what this event is about. It’s about bonding and family.
“For us to have that experience together, I know we didn’t win, but it was the fact that we competed. No one really made a mistake out there. We had to earn it and that’s what you want to have. Hats off to the Langers – they played amazing.”
On getting his first hole-in-one, Woods Jnr said: “It was awesome having Dad there. That was so much fun. It was just a perfect seven-iron, little cut in there. Of course never got to see it go in. So that sucks. But that’s all right.”
