Tiger Woods caddies 54 holes for son Charlie at national junior golf event

Tiger Woods caddied 54 holes for son Charlie at this week’s Notah Begay III Junior Golf National Championship – walking and carrying the bag. As speculation heats up around Woods’ potential competitive return after springtime ankle surgery, it’s another potential indicator that his next start could be imminent.

Based on video footage shared by the tournament social media accounts, Woods’ stride appeared comfortable and purposeful. He looped for Charlie as the younger Woods carded a final-round 68 to finish T17 (Boys 14-15 division) at the three-day event, contested at Louisiana’s Koasati Pines at Coushatta.

Woods’ appearance at the Notah Begay tournament marked the continuation of a busy stretch. Woods was on-site pre-tournament at last week’s World Wide Technology Championship in Mexico, contested at the Woods-designed El Cardonal at Diamante. While in Mexico, Woods visited with contemporaries including Stewart Cink – who revealed to Golf Channel’s George Savaricas that Woods said he had returned to practice, opining that Woods was in “go mode.”

It begs the question: What is Woods practicing for? The first and likeliest answer is the PNC Championship, Dec. 14-17, where competitors can use carts. Tiger and Charlie Woods have paired in the last three editions of the PNC Championship, a two-player best-ball event. Team Woods finished seventh in 2020, second in 2021 and eighth in 2022. The father-son duo has openly relished the event and the opportunity to compete together in this setting; six teams have already been announced for next month’s event, but not Team Woods.

There’s also an open spot yet to be announced at the Woods-hosted Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, Nov. 30-Dec. 3, another potential return spot.

Woods hasn’t competed since undergoing ankle surgery in late April, shortly after withdrawing from the Masters during the third round due to plantar fasciitis. The 82-time TOUR winner was seen chipping at Liberty National in September, and a video was captured of Woods hitting balls at The Hay, the short course Woods designed at Pebble Beach, during the TGR Jr. Invitational in October.

Woods has made five TOUR starts since a 2021 car accident in which he suffered multiple breaks in his right tibia and fibula and damaged his feet. He has made the cut four times but completed 72 holes just twice; walking has proven understandably difficult, particularly on uneven terrain.

He appeared to walk just fine, though, while looping for Charlie this week. The younger Woods earned a spot at the Notah Begay event via rounds of 71-66 at a September qualifier in Florida, with dad also caddying.

“It’s great. We just stay in our own little world,” Charlie said at the time. “We take it one shot at a time. He puts me in my place. I’ll talk about the next tee shot, and he’s like, ‘No. This is the shot we’re going to focus on. Focus up. This is what we’re gonna do.’”