Every December, the PNC Championship witnesses golfers and their families engage in the sport and celebrate their passion for it. The 2024 PNC Championship is expected to be the same. However, things might not be the same for Charlie and Tiger Woods. Remember how the father-son duo participated in the Championship in 2023? They shot 64 in the first round and eventually, tied for fifth.
But Tiger Woods went through a lumbar spine surgery in September 2024. The microdecompression surgery was performed by Dr. Sheeraz Qureshi of the Hospital for Special Surgery in order to treat Woods’s nerve impingement on his lower back. “The surgery went smoothly, and I’m hopeful this will help alleviate the back spasms and pain I was experiencing throughout most of the 2024 season. I look forward to tackling this rehab and preparing myself to get back to normal life activities, including golf.” Woods shared in a statement.
The golfer will need to take time to recover. While Tiger Woods did not share how long it would take for him to heal, medical websites suggest that such a surgery could take months to heal completely and one would also need physical therapy. So, Charlie and Tiger Woods participating in the 2024 PNC Championship doesn’t seem probable.
Well, on the other hand, Annika Sorenstam and her little one, Will McGee, garnered a lot of attention at the Championship last year. And in a new Instagram post, Sorenstam’s husband, Mike McGee, expressed his enthusiasm regarding his 13-year-old son who competed in the Lake Highland Prep golf match today. McGee doubled his last hole for a 39 at The Country Club of Orlando, marking his first double of the season.
“I enjoyed following @will_mcgee2 in his Lake Highlands golf match today. He doubled (1st of season) the last for a 39 at @thecountrycluboforlando. Before he started, we saw @jimthorpegolf who played with my dad, and I told him Will has grandpa’s short game, and he said, “Then my man is destined for success,” the caption read.
Last year, the Sorenstam duo was teary-eyed after their last hole. Will told his mom to take her time so that they could really soak it all in; “Slow down, Mommy, I don’t want this moment to end,” said little Will. He also described the PNC Championship as the “best week of my year and life I have,” and had so much fun playing with his mom.
Though Woods may not be able to make it to the PNC Championship this year, his words of wisdom for all the young golfers out there are surely precious.
What was Tiger Woods’s advice to his son and other young golfers?
Ahead of the 2023 PNC Championship, Tiger Woods shared some seeds of his wisdom with his son Charlie Woods, and other aspiring young golfers. He noted the importance of balance in their game and said that swinging big is fine as long as they keep it tidy. “I stress to him over and over again: You can hit it as hard as you want. All you have to do is two simple things: hit it in the middle of the face every single time and have a nice finish,” said Woods.
He also talked about Charlie’s physicality and how impressed he was by that. Charlie’s impressive lower body rotation has garnered attention since 2020 and continues to refine his swing as he grows. “He uses his lower body way better than I ever did,” Woods shared and also emphasized that he didn’t have the kind of speed that Charlie had at his age.
In fact, the speed and flexible lower body rotation that Charlie shows is quite common among junior golfers, as stated by golf expert Jonathan Yarwood in 2020. “Lots of juniors have very fast lower body rotation, which you’ll see later in the swing, so he uses a stronger grip to counteract that,” Yarwood stated.
Now that he is much older, Charlie’s upper body has filled out and his swing has changed. While he used to have a closed clubface due to his fast body rotation, it has now gotten less closed, but his swing is still aggressive.
Will you miss seeing Tiger Woods with his son on the greens this year if they don’t tee off? Let us know in the comment section below.
