Paige Spiranac, one of the biggest golf influencers in the sport, came to the defense of Charlie Woods on Thursday after the 15-year-old missed out on qualifying for a PGA Tour event.
Tiger Woods’ son participated in a pre-qualifier for the Cognizant Classic. He shot an 86 and finished 110th among 112 competitors at Lost Lake Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Florida.
While expectations are high for the son of one of the greatest golfers to ever play the sport, Spiranac encouraged fans of the sport to tamp down on trying to build up Charlie Woods and just let him play his game.
“How about we let Charlie Woods develop his game without constant media coverage,” she wrote in a post on X. “Golf is mentally challenging enough without all the added eyeballs on him and pressure.”
Charlie Woods has participated with his father in two-some events like the PNC Championship, but trying to qualify for a PGA Tour event is an entirely different beast, especially for a kid of high school age.
He played with Olin Browne Jr., who qualified for the U.S. Open last summer in Los Angeles. Browne, the son of a three-time PGA Tour winner, shot a 72.
Woods has a lot to live up to and being in the social media age probably does not help a bit either. His father was 16 and had won the first of three straight U.S. Junior Amateur titles when he received a sponsor exemption to play his first PGA Tour event – the Nissan Open at Riviera.
Paige Spiranac watches her teammates putt on the No. 6 green during the 2023 Kaulig Companies Championship Pro-Am at Firestone Country Club, Wednesday, July 12, 2023, in Akron, Ohio.
