Is there too much hype surrounding Charlie Woods?

We all know what an incredible golfer Tiger Woods has been in his career. When he won the Masters in 2019, Woods won his 15th major title all-time which is the second most majors ever. The only golfer with more majors is Jack Nicklaus of Columbus, Ohio, who has won 18 major titles.

Over the last couple of years there have been some focus on Tiger’s son Charlie, and a question of how good of a golfer could he possibly be? Tiger and Charlie have competed together at the PNC Championship since 2020. The event is a father/son event that is very popular among television viewers. Twice in the last four years, Tiger and Charlie have finished in second place. In 2021, Tiger and Charlie Woods posted a score of -25, but lost to John Daly of Carmichael, California, and his son John Daly II by two strokes. Then in 2024, Tiger and Charlie Woods posted a score of -28, but lost to Bernhard Langer of Anhausen, Germany in a playoff.

Competing in individual events, Charlie has had respectable results in events at his age level, competing against golfers in his own age. Among the events Charlie has won include the 2023 Hurricane Junior Golf Tour’s Major Championship (an event for 14 and 15 year olds) in Royal Palm Beach. Florida, and the 2023 Last Chance Regional Golf Tournament for 14 and 15 year olds in Orlando.

But over the last two years, Charlie has tried to take his game to a higher level. He has attempted to qualify for the 2025 United States Open. In 2024, Charlie had a score of 81, and this year posted a score of 75. In order to reach the second round of qualifying this year, Charlie needed a score of 68.

The fact that Charlie had a six stroke improvement in a span of a year at age 16 cannot be overlooked. But is there too much focus on Charlie because of his father’s past success? How good of a golfer can Charlie be, and should a suitable standard or bench line be put in place to determine if he has been successful or not? Right now, we should celebrate a birdie for Charlie, and not look too much at the statistics. He is only 16 nonetheless!