Tiger Woods Ignores Body's Wishes To Fulfill Fatherly Duties, Commits To Parent-Child Tournament With Charlie

Tiger Woods admitted that he wasn't physically ready to compete in last week's Hero World Challenge, the annual event he hosts in The Bahamas, but he's chosen to give it a go at the PNC Championship alongside his son Charlie Woods later this month.

Tiger announced on Tuesday that he'll tee it up with 15-year-old Charlie in what will be their fifth appearance together in the parent-child event set for December 21-22 in Orlando, Florida.

"I’m very excited to head back to the PNC Championship next week with Charlie," Tiger said in a statement. "Playing together is something we look forward to and it’s always more special when you’re surrounded by friends and family."

While the PNC Championship is an exhibition where players are allowed to ride in carts, it will stand as Tigers' ‘unofficial’ return to the sport and his first start since undergoing what was his sixth back surgery in September. Tiger's last competitive round came in July when he missed the cut at The Open.

Tiger Woods will play in the PNC Championship alongside his son, Charlie Woods, for the fifth time later this month. Jack Gruber-Imagn Images

Speaking with media in The Bahamas on December 2, Tiger admitted that he didn't know when he could potentially return to the course.

"I didn’t think my back was going to go like it did this year," Woods said. "It was quite painful throughout the end of the year and hence I had another procedure done to it to alleviate the pain I had going down my leg. So whether my commitment going forward is once a month, yeah, I could say that all over again, but I truly don’t know."

READ: Tiger Woods Is Leaning On His Son, Charlie, For Putting Tips

Sure, Tiger may have been playing it coy as he often does, but based on his admission, it's rather clear that his body isn't ready to play golf at the highest of levels. 

Having said that, playing through some pain to tee it up with your son is a duty any father should be willing to sacrifice, which is exactly what the elder Woods appears to be doing. 

Charlie, now a high-school sophomore, has yet to find the winner's circle at the PNC Championship alongside his old man. The pair finished runner-up to John Daly and his son, John Daly II, in 2021 and tied for fifth in the event last year.