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Tiger Woods’ ex-wife Elin Nordegren was on Sunday pictured supporting the former couple’s son Charlie – a day after he set the PNC Championship alight with an eagle on the third hole.
The 11-year-old put on an impressive display over the weekend at Florida’s Ritz-Carlton Club at Grande Lakes in front of an audience that included his 15-time master champion dad and his mom. He is the youngest to play in this 36-hole event that began in 1995 for major champions and their sons, and now includes all family members.
Woods, 44, and his son dressed in his traditional Sunday red with black trousers. It was the first time Elin, who walked the final round, had been pictured at a golf tournament since the 2009 Presidents Cup at Harding Park.
Tiger and Swedish-born Elin, 40, split in 2010, six years after marrying after Woods’ numerous infidelities were revealed. Also pictured Sunday was the couple’s 13-year-old daughter Sam and Woods’ new girlfriend Erica Herman, 35.
She once worked as the general manager of Woods’ restaurant in Jupiter, Florida. Nordegren has since moved on with former NFL star Jordan Cameron, with whom she welcomed a child last year.
The father son duo played the final six holes in 6-under par but lost out to Justin Thomas and his father Mike.
‘Memories we’ll have for our entire lives,’ Woods said after he and Charlie posted another 62 to finish seventh. ‘He’s not going to appreciate this at 11 years old. I didn’t when I was with my dad. As the years go by, you start appreciating it more.’
Charlie’s mother Elin Nordegren watches her son hit his tee shot on the fourth hold during the final round on Sunday
Tiger Woods and his son Charlie wait to putt on the 12th green during the final round of the PNC Championship golf tournament, Sunday. Woods, 44, and his son dressed in his traditional Sunday red with black trousers
Elin Nordegren, right, and her daughter Sam Alexis Woods follow Tiger Woods and Charlie Woods on 18th hole Sunday
Tiger’s ex wife Elin Nordegren, left, daughter Sam Alexis Woods, center, and current girlfriend Erica Herman follow him and Charlie Woods on the 11th hole Sunday
Thomas, a former world No. 1 and PGA champion, has grown close to the Woods clan and talked in the days leading up to this event about how badly Charlie wants to beat him.
Mike Thomas said young Woods took $1 off him on the putting green Saturday afternoon and said with a laugh, ‘I’ll show him what I got here.’
Charlie delivered a great show, unfazed by the 250 spectators (mostly sponsor guests) or the national TV spotlight.
The tournament started as the Father-Son Challenge. It since has changed into major champions and Players Championship winners competing with a family member — son, daughter, father-in-law, grandson.
The idea was that golf fans would be curious to see the children of great players. Throw in the 11-year-old son of golf’s biggest star, and interest surged to new levels.
Woods and Nordegren were just shy of their sixth wedding anniversary at Thanksgiving 2009 when police were called to their Orlando home. Woods had smashed his car into a tree during what appeared to be a lover’s spat.
Within days, stories about Woods cheating on Nordegren with dozens of strippers, waitresses, porn stars, lounge hostesses and groupies were revealed, leading to their divorce in mid-2010.
Tiger and Swedish-born Elin, 40,left, split in 2010, six years after marrying after Woods’ numerous infidelities were revealed. Also pictured Sunday was the couple’s 13-year-old daughter Sam, center. Woods’ new girlfriend Erica Herman is right
Elin Nordegren, third from left, Sam Alexis Woods, second from right, and Erica Herman, third from right, follow Tiger Woods and Charlie Woods on the 12th hole Sunday. Erica had worked as the general manager of Woods’ restaurant in Jupiter, Florida
Nordegren, center with daughter Sam left and Herman right, has since moved on with former NFL star Jordan Cameron
The Woodses played the final six holes in 6-under par but lost out to Justin Thomas and his father Mike. ‘Memories we’ll have for our entire lives,’ Woods said after he and Charlie posted another 62 to finish seventh
Charlie Woods hugs dad Tiger and his girlfriend Erica Herman on Sunday. Woods’ son played from tee markers more than 100 yards ahead in some cases, and Woods often waited for Charlie to hit his drive. More times than not, Charlie would look back give him the thumbs-up and Woods didn’t even bother hitting his shot
Tiger’s friend Notah Begay III told the Golf Channel: ‘It’s been incredible. You never know how a parent separation is going to affect the kids and both Tiger and Elin have made it such a huge priority to protect the interests of their kids and their privacy.
‘Tiger talked about it yesterday in his post-round comments, making sure he takes the brunt of the media requests here, trying to make sure that both Sam and Charlie, from both Elin and Tiger, have a nice quality childhood like anybody else out there.
‘I talked about Tiger being at all those soccer games and youth activities — well, Elin’s right there and right next to them. Co-parenting is a difficult task, and they’ve really done a wonderful job for their kids,’ Begay added.
Woods was by his son’s side again for the final round on Sunday – both wearing his signature red polo shirts
Woods and his son line up a putt on the third green during the final round of the PNC Championship on Sunday
Charlie and his dad warm up on the course at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club on Sunday morning
Woods looks on as Charlie plays a shot on the third hole during the final round of the PNC Championship on Sunday
Sam Woods, daughter of Tiger, and her mother Elin Nordegren look on during the final round of the PNC Championship
The event marked the first time Elin had been pictured at a golf tournament since the 2009 Presidents Cup at Harding Park
Woods’ son played from tee markers more than 100 yards ahead in some cases, and Woods often waited for Charlie to hit his drive. More times than not, Charlie would look back give him the thumbs-up and Woods didn’t even bother hitting his shot.
‘I’m proud of how he handled everything,’ Woods said.
He said it was ‘without a doubt’ the most fun he’s had on the golf course this year. Woods played only nine times because of the COVID-19 pandemic and only once finished in the top 10. But he wasn’t about to rank the week with other big moments in his remarkable career.
He said the idea was to enjoy the experience together, ‘and we did that.’
On Saturday budding golf star Charlie was seen confidently twirling his club before shots, quickly picking up the tee on his drives and even pumping his fist on the par-5 third hole with a 3-wood into three feet for eagle.
‘I don’t really care about my game,’ Woods told reporters after the first round on Saturday. ‘I’m just making sure that Charlie has the time of his life. And he’s doing that.’
At one point it appeared Charlie may have been having a little too much fun, as he was filmed trash-talking a competing father-son duo after a botched swing.
Tiger Woods’ 11-year-old son Charlie showed the world that putting prowess runs in the family as he made his national TV debut at the PNC Championship on Saturday
Tiger Woods cheered on his 11-year-old son Charlie at the PNC Championship in Orlando, Florida, on Saturday
Woods fist-bumps with Charlie after walking up their ball on the 14th fairway during the first round of Saturday’s tournament
Woods (right) watches as Charlie tees off on the second hole during the first round of the PNC Championship tournament. ‘I’m just making sure that Charlie has the time of his life. And he’s doing that,’ Woods said of his son’s TV debut
A television camera was positioned some 15 feet away to the right of Charlie on the opening tee Saturday, and he was a little quick with his swing, pulling it to the left. They used his father’s tee shot and wedge into two feet – Charlie made the birdie putt.
That was the last time Team Woods used Tiger’s tee shot on a long hole until No. 15. It helped that the 11-year-old was able to use a forward tee, 100 yards ahead of the PGA Tour players on some holes.
Woods was not surprised from what he’s seen at home. This was different – a tournament with pros, a scorecard that had to be signed, a television audience. But it sure looked the same.
‘I’ve seen this all along. Probably not a lot of people have,’ Woods said. ‘A lot of the shots he hit, I’ve seen them back home at The Medalist this entire year. The junior events he played in, he hit a lot of these. It was a matter of stringing these out for 3 1/2 hours. It’s a totally different deal.’
The swing was smooth. The mannerisms were familiar. Charlie belted one on the par-5 fifth hole, bending over to grab his tee while the ball was still in flight.
Justin Thomas, playing in the group with his father Mike, smiled and said: ‘God, you are so much like your dad.’ Waiting for Thomas to putt, father and son stood side-by-side, right leg crossed over left ankle.
Charlie Woods, the son of Tiger and his ex-wife Elin Nordegren, is the youngest to play in this 36-hole event that began in 1995 for major champions and their sons, and now includes all family members. He is pictured Saturday
Tiger, pictured Saturday, said his son played just as well as he does at home during this weekend’s PNC Championship
Woods hugs his son Charlie at the end of the first round of the PNC Championship on Saturday
The kid had game in other ways, too.
During the pro-am, Charlie hit one through the fairway into the trees. Mike Thomas, a longtime club professional whose specialty is working with juniors, was in the group ahead and playfully left a note next to Charlie’s ball that said, ‘Draw Hole!’ On Saturday, Mike Thomas hit his drive into a bunker on the short par-4 13th.
Justin Thomas congratulates Charlie on the 18th hole after the 11-year-old engaged in light trash-talking on Sunday
‘In typical Woods’ fashion, he kept the paper,’ Justin Thomas said. ‘My dad hit in the bunker, and he took that exact paper and put it behind the ball. So a little karma there.’
Justin Thomas spends a lot of time with them at home, so he knew how the kid could play. Even so, Thomas said he a different kind of nerves – for his dad and for Charlie.
‘I knew he was going to wow a lot of people,’ Thomas said. ‘It was cool to see him shape the ball both ways and hit great shots. We feel probably what our parents felt growing up watching us play. You want them to do well, but you can’t do anything about it.
‘It was competitive, it was joyful, it was memorable and we had some banter.’
They finished with a birdie on the par-5 18th – across the water left of the fairway, a small group of people posted a banner on the bridge that said, ‘Charlie Woods Fan Club – and were tied for sixth.
‘The kid’s a gamer. He’s a grinder. He’s competitive. But he’s so young,’ Justin Thomas said. ‘I’m pulling for him. I want him to keep it fun, keep it light. It can get nasty out there with what people say. Expectations are going to be high, but I hope it remains manageable for himself. I hope he stays within himself.
‘There’s 11-, 12-, 13-year-olds sitting on their couch at home that can’t hit those shots on the range. And he’s doing it in front of a crowd and on national TV.’
Woods was by his son’s side again for the final round on Sunday – both wearing his signature red polo shirts to cap off the tournament.
Greg Norman (left) of Australia walks with his son Greg Norman Jr on the 18th fairway after hitting their tee shots during the first round of the PNC Championship golf tournament on Saturday
Annika Sorenstam (left) of Sweden watches as her father Tom Sorenstam sinks his putt on the 14th green during the first round of the PNC Championship golf tournament on Saturday
John Daly (left) watches as his son Little John Daly prepares to tee off on the first hole during the first round on Saturday
