Charlie Woods, the 15-year-old son of golf legend Tiger Woods, was harassed by disrespectful fans throughout his first appearance at a PGA qualifiers event, per The Palm Beach Post.
Charlie was in Florida for the Cognizant Classic pre-qualifiers at the Lost Lake Golf Club. By all accounts, he was having some difficulty with his game throughout the match. He repeatedly struggled to make shots, earning almost immediate ire from the crowds, who seemed by turns annoyed by and enthralled with Charlie. He ended the game having shot 16-over-86.
When his first out-of-bounds shot flew past the fifth hole, onlookers immediately rushed to try and retrieve the ball for themselves. As the game went on, the lack of guardrails separating spectators from the players encouraged fans of Charlie’s father to encroach on the teenager’s space.
They brazenly ignored pleas from officials to leave Charlie's space, with one irate spectator incredulously asking a security official, "Who are you? The fire marshal?"
As Charlie made his way through the course, more and more fans amassed until the crowd grew to over 50 people. One of them, according to the Post, was a grandmother who had pulled her young granddaughter out of school for the event in the hopes that she would draw Charlie’s attention.
Another fan approached Charlie on the 12th hole, demanding that he sign a copy of Tiger’s book How I Play Golf. “When an official told the fan it wasn't allowed, she made a commotion of shushes and yells, including 'I live here,' as Woods teed off on No. 13,” the outlet revealed.
Charlie got off to a slow start on Thursday, but lost any chance of victory on the seventh hole, which he finished in 12 strokes. As he neared the 18th green, Charlie reportedly joked to his caddie, "That was some round, huh?"
Tiger Woods was not in attendance for the event, but Charlie was accompanied by his mother, Elin Nordegren. Though the event obviously didn't go the way Charlie was hoping, he didn't seem too upset after the match. Many defended his performance, assuring the 15-year-old he has many more years to perfect his game.
A twirl at the first.
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 22, 2024
Charlie Woods is off and running @The_Cognizant pre-qualifier. pic.twitter.com/bB2pbbfcko
