The golf world has already witnessed the magic of Tiger Woods competing with his son Charlie, but the duo’s first joint post-round interview on NBC today topped it all.
Speaking from the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club after their first round at the PNC Championship, Tiger and Charlie recapped some of their highlights of the day and spilled some hilarious—and heart-warming—details about their close bond.
The pair carded a 13-under 59 for the day at the PGA Tour’s annual two-day family scramble despite both Tiger and Charlie battling some injuries.
Charlie was seen walking with a visible limp after he rolled his ankle prior to the tournament, and Tiger is dealing with plantar fasciitis in his right foot. But pushing through pain runs in the Woods family, and the team put together an impressive round nonetheless. They sit two strokes behind Justin Thomas and Mike Thomas, who lead at 15-under.
“This is not the game plan we originally planned out,” said Tiger. “His ankle is not exactly feeling the best, so I’ve had to hit a couple more drives than I normally would.”
“Yeah, you,” Tiger continued, smirking down at his 13-year-old son.
Although the timing of the pair’s injuries are certainly unfortunate, the 15-time major champion was able to joke about their setback.
“It’s perfect yin and yang,” said Tiger. “He got the left, I got the right. We’re perfectly balanced.”
Tiger and Charlie, then, ran through some of the best moments of their round, watching their shots replayed on a monitor. A highlight of Tiger hitting an excellent wedge shot from the pine straw on the 13th hole revealed an interesting detail that fans were unaware of: The pair had a squabble back on the tee box.
Charlie and Tiger couldn’t agree on a strategy for the hole, but the five-time Masters champion had the final word.
“We had a little argument there,” said Tiger. “He wanted to play his shot, but he also wanted me to hit a little 5-wood off the tee. I’m kind of overruled. Fathers can overrule. And then I hit a saucy little 60 [degree wedge] in there.”
Charlie may not have gotten his way this time, but the 13-year-old did give some insight as to how much he can challenge his father.
“I push him as much as I possibly can,” said Charlie. “Once he pushes back I know that I can push a little bit more and then I’m done. And then I know it’s going to get heated.”
“I don’t mind the umph, but there’s a line to it,” Tiger responded. “He knows.”
When asked about what it’s like to play with his father, Charlie delivered some special words about how much Tiger has persevered throughout the past year.
“It’s cool seeing how much he’s worked to get to where he is now. I wouldn’t say how bad it was—but how much he pushed through. It was just really cool to see.”
Tiger’s outward strength has had an effect on Charlie, but he explained that his son and his daughter, Sam, have had an even greater impact on him.
“Just to be able to see their faces and see their smiles and hear their words of encouragement,” Tiger said. “I’ve had some tough days, as he’s known, but just to have their support and their love—I’m not going to get teary eyed here but, it has meant so much to me to be able to get to this point in life. Forget the stage that we’re playing on, but just to be able to get to this point in life.”
Tiger and Charlie will play in the last pairing during the final round of the PNC Championship tomorrow, which will be broadcast from 12:30-1:30 pm ET on Golf Channel and 1:30-4:30 pm ET on NBC.
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