Golf influencer Paige Spiranac says fans should be dialing back their expectations when it comes to Tiger Woods‘ 15-year-old son Charlie and his promising young golf career.
Charlie played in his first PGA Tour pre-qualifier on Thursday and struggled – carding an 86 and missing out on Monday’s qualifier for the Cognizant Classic.
‘How about we let Charlie Woods develop his game without constant media coverage,’ Sprianac wrote on Twitter.
Part of Charlie’s experience was blighted by a group of fans that were getting too-close-for-comfort as the 15-year-old tried to make his first PGA Tour event.
Charlie Woods went through some struggles in his first PGA Tour pre-qualifying event
After Charlie had to deal with a large crowd, Paige Spiranac advised people to give him time
Spiranac wrote on X that Woods needs time to hone his skills without any added pressure
That crowd may have gotten to Charlie, who shot an 86 in the event and failed to qualify
As documented by Emilee Smarr of the Palm Beach Post, up to 50 fans were following the young Woods.
That included his mother, Elin Nordegren, who watched on as Tiger was elsewhere.
Charlie struggled with his driver, including an early tee shot that went wide right toward the rough and sent fans rushing to try and grab the ball.
Eventually, they began to make their way onto the course – following him on the fairways after being told by officials to stick to the cart paths. One fan flippantly asked, ‘Who are you? The fire marshal?’
Among the fans included one grandmother, ‘who learned that [Charlie] was competing and pulled her granddaughter out of school in the hope of Woods noticing her.’
On hole No. 12, while Charlie was walking off, another fan approached him and demanded that he sign a copy of his father’s book ‘How I Play Golf’. Smarr writes that when the fan was told by officials that wasn’t allowed, ‘she made a commotion of shushes and yells, including “I live here” as Woods teed off on No. 13.’
Thankfully for Woods, things didn’t get worse thanks to a two-man security detail, including a local sheriff’s deputy.