Tiger and son Charlie to play in parent-child event

MIAMI: Tiger Woods, set to make his return to competition next week following ankle surgery in April, said on Wednesday he will partner with son Charlie in a parent-child tournament next month.

Woods will make his comeback at the Hero World Challenge invitational event he hosts in the Bahamas on November 30-December 3, then pair with 14-year-old Charlie at the PNC Championship on December 16-17 at Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando, Florida.

“It´s an amazing gift to be able to share my love of golf with Charlie and we genuinely do look forward to playing in the PNC Championship all year,” Woods said. “Competing together against a field of so many golfing greats and their families is so special.”

The 15-time major winner has not played since the Masters last April. He withdrew in the third round due to plantar fasciitis and had the surgery shortly thereafter on an ankle that suffered severe injuries in a 2021 car crash.

Woods, who turns 48 on December 30, and his son will compete in the parent-child event for the fourth consecutive year. While Woods will have to walk 72 holes in the Bahamas, carts are permitted in the 36-hole PNC event.

Woods caddied for his son at a junior event earlier this month and Charlie´s high school team won a Florida state title earlier this month. Tiger and Charlie Woods, who finished second in 2021, are among 20 pairs who will compete in a scramble format handicapped by tees based on age.

Woods played at about 7,100 yards last year, the distance set from professionals 54 and younger, while Charlie graduated in 2022 from 6,000 yards to the 6,500-yard range when he first played as a teen. Fiji´s Vijay Singh and his son Qass Singh will return to defend their title.