Will Tiger Woods Walk Back on His Open Championship Promise for Son Charlie’s Massive USGA Feat?

Charlie Woods might have put his father in a tough spot. The teenager earned the medalist honor at the Eagle Trace Golf Club in Coral Springs, Florida, one of the 40 sites for the U.S. Junior Amateur qualifier. Woods Jr. will travel to Oakland Hills on July 22, a day after the Open Championship ends on Royal Troon, on the other side of the pond. 

His 15-time major winning pop, Tiger Woods, has confirmed that the Open Championship will be his last competitive outing this year. But Charlie’s qualification means Woods will likely miss the first day at Oakland Hills if he makes the cut at Royal Troon. 

The 48-year-old has previously caddied for his son at the regional qualifier for the Notah Begay III Junior Golf National Championship. Given a chance, no doubt, the 82-time PGA Tour winner would love to walk with his son again. The Hall of Famer was reportedly present during Charlie’s AJGA debut. Moreover, Oakland Hills is where Woods played his last U.S. Open as an amateur. 

Although the nine-time USGA champion has yet to offer any public congratulations to his son, it might be unlikely that Tiger Woods would pull out from the Open Championship. It has been four years since the former world no. 1 played all four majors in a calendar year. On top of that, the U.S. Junior Amateur doesn’t allow the parents to caddie for their children.

But the tournament runs from July 22–27. The first two days feature 18-hole stroke play to determine the 64 qualifiers for the final match play. The final round of 36-hole match play is scheduled on July 27, after three days of eliminations on the South Course. 

If Charlie Woods makes the cut his father can arrive at Oakland Hills a little late. And, even if the teenager misses it, Tiger Woods can be at Bloomfield Township on July 23. Regardless of his father’s presence, Charlie Woods is unlikely to be deprived of family support. 

Charlie Woods might have his mom on his side 

Elin Nordegren is expected to check in at Oakland Hills, regardless of whether her ex-husband accompanies her or not. Nordegren, who divorced Woods but maintained a steady friendship, stood as a pillar behind Charlie Woods at Cognizant Classic Pre-qualifier. 

Woods Jr.’s PGA Tour bid ended in a disaster, but Nordegren kept his son from the outpouring of spectators eager to get close to the 15-year-old. Tiger Woods was recovering from influenza at that time.

“They have mastered the art of co-parenting,” said Notah Begay III, a close friend of Woods. It’s evident time and again. The Norwegian was at Charlie Woods’s Benjamin school ceremony, where the teenager received the State Championship ring. During Woods’s near-fatal car accident, Nordegren was also spotted taking their son and daughter, Sam Woods, to soccer practice.