Tiger Woods is 46 years old. But he is aging champion, returning to the sport, not ready to exit the stage.
Click here to read the full article…
| Be sure to check the legality of online gambing in your state! Our partner Hypercasinos.com has a list of which US states allow online gambling. |
ORLANDO - The tournament itself will not begin until Saturday, but there was no shortage of anticipation as the main act - a duet - took the stage for pro-am day at the chilly, breezy PNC Championship at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club Grande Lakes on Thursday. And there were two immediate reactions. The first impulse, only human, was to smile as 11-year-old Charlie Woods warmed up alongside his dad on the range. Although he'd won some junior tournaments, he had largely eluded the cameras. Now, though, his fundamentals, tempo, mannerisms - heck, even the Nike Golf shoes - were a sight to behold. Here, before the world, was a sort of Mini Me version of Tiger Woods. "They're very similar," said Justin Thomas, a friend of the Woods family in South Florida. "I mean, who wouldn't want to be like your dad if your dad was Tiger Woods? He definitely has all the mannerisms. I think people at home, and you all, will get pretty good entertainment out of watching him twirl the club and walk putts in and fist pump." RELATED: How to watch | Expert Picks | LaCava and son to caddie for Team Woods The second impulse, also human, was to tap the brakes. Tiger is arguably the greatest golfer of all-time, and any comparisons seem patently unfair. This week is meant to be fun, nothing more. Heck, it's not even clear yet whether Charlie likes golf more than his first love, soccer. "It's so much fun for me to see him enjoying this, enjoying the game," Woods said. But is he old enough to be doing this? "He's been playing junior golf tournaments," Woods said, "and he's been out in front and having people video him. This is a different world we live in now; everyone has a phone." The important thing, he added, again, was that Charlie is enjoying himself. Clearly Woods is trying to do what Mike Thomas, a longtime PGA teaching professional in Goshen, Kentucky, did for his son Justin. Above all, both have stressed, kids need to have fun. "He obviously has all the tools already," said Mike, who helps Charlie with his game in South Florida and who also will play the PNC, with Justin. "The two things that are most incredible to me are how much speed he has - I mean he's a small person, and he gets that club moving fast - and his golf knowledge is unbelievable. I get that his dad is Tiger, but he's 11! "He hits fades, draws, low shots and high shots," he continued. "He sees kicking balls into a bank and stuff. Most 11-year-olds just want to hit one shot; he's got a lot of shots in his arsenal. It's going to be interesting to see what happens with him because he's got a ton of talent. What's cool is he looks like he's enjoying the game. He doesn't get all worked up over a bad shot." The PNC will feature major winners (Bernhard Langer and son defend) and family members (mostly sons, but also fathers and a father-in-law), and utilize a scramble format for all 36 holes. Team Woods and Team Thomas will play together, which makes sense. Charlie had expressed an interest at the same time that Mike confessed to Justin, "I'm not getting any younger." Mike, who with wife Jani recently moved into a winter home in South Florida, is Charlie's only teacher other than Tiger. "He's helped from the word go, he's been a part of it," Woods said. At the same time, Justin, 27, has taken on a sort of big brother role. Indeed, if Charlie is to become a golfer, if he makes a career of it, Thomas told a story that will likely endure. "I was over at Tiger's house, and us three were having a putting contest and we played nine holes, us three, straight-up, (Charlie) didn't get any sort of advantage," Thomas said. "I think he was 8 years old, 9 years old at the time. And it was one of the three combined total weeks I've held No. 1 in the world, around that time. And Charlie was leading going into the last hole. "He was 2 under, I was 1 under, and I think Tiger was even or 1 under or something like that," Thomas continued. "Charlie was mouthing off, you know, he's like, ‘Here I am, I'm 9 years old beating the No. 1 player in the world and supposedly the best golfer of all time.' And he three-putted and I made it, so I beat him. And that shut him up pretty quick." Thomas laughed, as did his audience, and there we were again, with those two competing impulses. Awe at the thought of a 9-year-old beating his father and Thomas, and caution for an 11-year-old entering the hype machine. "I'm hoping Charlie will be comfortable," Thomas said. "I'd love to see him play well. I'd love to see him, you know, hold his own, if you will. But at the same time, he's just 11 years old. He doesn't need to be compared to Tiger; he doesn't need to be compared to anybody. He needs to enjoy the game. Hopefully we'll be able to help him enjoy it Saturday a little bit more." The PNC won't start until Saturday, but the word of the week, the E word, is already clear.
The second round of the U.S. Open takes place on Friday from iconic Pebble Beach. Here’s how to follow all the action. Round 2 leaderboard Round 2 tee times HOW TO FOLLOW TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 12:30-7:30 p.m. ET (FOX Sports 1), 7:30-10:30 p.m. (FOX). Saturday, noon-10 p.m. (FOX). Sunday, 2-10 p.m. (FOX). Click here for the USGA’s live stream (Featured Groups, Featured Holes, Range) PGA TOUR LIVE: None. RADIO: Thursday-Friday, 10 a.m. 11 p.m. ET. Saturday-Sunday, 1-10 p.m. (SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio and FOX Sports on SiriusXM). FEATURED GROUPS (All times ET) Jon Rahm, Marc Leishman, Rory McIlroy: 4:36 p.m. ET (No. 1) Justin Thomas, Kevin Kisner, Bryson DeChambeau: 4:47 p.m. ET (No. 1) Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Graeme McDowell: 4:58 p.m. ET (No. 1) Webb Simpson, Adam Scott, Matt Kuchar: 11:02 a.m. ET (No. 1) Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose, Tiger Woods: 11:24 a.m. ET (No. 10) MUST READS Rose takes lead with 6-under 65 Hot putter keeps Tiger in mix Fowler’s impressive 66 Calm conditions lead to low scores Schauffele, Oosthuizen use eagles to start strong Koepka ‘pretty pleased’ after Round 1 Tiger’s Jedi mind tricks from 2000 U.S. Open win Writer’s roundtable: Bold predictions Tables have turned between Johnson, Koepka Day hires Williams as caddie
LAS VEGAS — Tied for the lead going into the weekend, Patrick Cantlay already was four shots behind before he hit his opening tee shot Saturday in the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. That didn’t bother him in the least. He knows what to expect at the TPC Summerlin. RELATED: Full leaderboard | Wolff holes 3 eagles, cards 61 | DeChambeau stumbles on Saturday A tee shot so far left on the 10th hole that he had to hit a provisional? That made him a little anxious, but only until he found his original, hit wedge to 4 feet for birdie and began his climb back to where he started. When the third round ended, Cantlay and Martin Laird each had a 6-under 65 without making it look terribly special and were tied for the lead. Both got their first PGA TOUR victory at this tournament. Both have lost in a playoff. Both have played it enough times to realize birdie opportunities are there for everyone. U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau was among the exceptions. He had a pair of double bogeys and back-to-back bogeys, all before he reached the seventh hole. At that point he was 5 over in a five-hole stretch, which he said felt more like 12 over on a course like the TPC Sumerlin. He rallied enough for a 71, though he was seven shots behind and had 30 players in front of him. "Yeah, it was really weird," he said. "I don't know. It's golf, right?" Those 30 players ahead of him starts with Cantlay and Laird at 20-under 193. "I'm sure by the time I get to the golf course the lead will already be more than 20 under, which is what it's going to be around here," Cantlay said. "I think my strategy out here is to stay patient because I know there are so many birdie opportunities instead of pressing or feeling like I'm trailing, and realize that they're out there if I hit good shots." Laird had one exciting moment when he holed a 50-foot eagle putt on No. 9. Otherwise, it was attacking flags when he could and playing for the fat of the green when it was too risky. Some wind late in the day made it a little tougher, but the scoring average still was 67.5. "I have had good rounds every day, so I'm not going to change anything," Laird said. "It’s been working and I’m in a good spot, so just keep going." Matthew Wolff got it started early. After making the cut with one shot to spare, Wolff had three eagles in a five-hole stretch and had to settle for pars on his final two holes for a 61. Making three eagles at Summerlin is not unusual with a few short par 4s and all the par 5s easily reachable. Wolff, however, holed out on No. 11 from 116 yards. He drove the green on the 301-yard 15th hole to 15 feet and holed an 18-foot eagle putt on the par-5 13th. He never really considered 59 because he was only 2 under on the front. He played the back in 8-under 28. "If you only shoot 2 under on the front you feel like you never have a chance to shoot 59," he said. Wolff posted his 18-under 195 right as the last group was starting the third round, and it held until Laird was the first to get to 19 under with a birdie on the 13th. Wyndham Clark (65), Brian Harman (67) and Austin Cool (67) also were at 195. Na had a 64 and was three shots behind along with Will Zalatoris, who has a chance to earn special temporary membership with a strong finish Sunday. He already is leading the Korn Ferry Tour points list. Cantlay picked up birdies where he expects to except on the short par-4 seventh, where his drive was hung out to the right and found a bunker, leaving a 70-yard sand shot that he did well to get within 12 feet for a two-putt par. He expects to birdie the 10th, but not after hitting a provisional off the tee. "I was hoping that it would be somewhat OK over there and I could make a par," he said of his original tee shot. "Fortunately, it wasn't that bad and I was able to hit a great shot, so that was a bonus." DeChambeau, playing for the last time before the Masters on Nov. 12-15, did too much damage early on to recover. A wild tee shot on No. 2 led to double bogey, and while he missed the fairway badly on No. 6, what led to the double bogey was a three-putt from 12 feet. Four straight birdies on No. 8 steadied him — he nearly drove the 419-yard 10th — but not enough. He failed to convert on the short par-4 15th and dropped another shot coming in. "Didn't really hit bad shots, just didn't go where I wanted to," DeChambeau said. "Went into some really bad places and unfortunately didn't save par from them. Just stuff didn't go my way today, and it's OK. Not a big deal."
