Tiger Woods at Pinehurst No. 2.
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Hello friends and happy Tuesday from the U.S. Open! I write to you all from a nice and cool media center after a 22,000 step day at Pinehurst No. 2. I took the 6:30 a.m. shuttle from the media hotel to the course this morning, partly so I could walk the course before it got too hot, but mostly to watch Max Homa and Tiger Woods play the front nine nice and early. After grabbing a quick breakfast in the media center, I headed out to the first hole where I was happy to learn that Min Woo Lee had joined the 7:29 tee time.
Tiger, Max Homa and Min Woo Lee
I’m no teaching pro, so I’m not qualified to comment on how Tiger’s swing looks. But as someone who has 29 years of walking experience, I do feel like I’m allowed to weigh in on how the 15-time major champion seemed to be moving today, and folks, he looked great. He looked comfortable getting from shot to shot and I didn’t notice any real limping.
Tiger and Charlie Woods matched in their light pink Sun Day Red shirts, and I realized that Charlie Woods is a massive exception when it comes to the matching-your-parent rule of thumb. For most kids, it’s cool to coordinate looks with a parent until you’re about 10. After that, you might get funny looks rolling into Easter mass or a beach day with a “mom and me” or “dad and me” outfit. That rule simply does not apply when the guy you are matching has 82 PGA Tour wins. It’s a massive flex that Charlie Woods can dress like his dad each day, and I hope it continues for a really long time.
This crew only played nine holes today, and my biggest takeaway wasn’t a specific conversation I heard or swing I saw, but rather a new friendship that I’m very excited about.
Charlie Woods stayed by Tiger’s side for the fist few holes, but soon he was walking and talking with Min Woo Lee. Lee is the Gen Z hero that a lot of teenagers love, so I’m not sure why I was surprised when he and Charlie Woods started hitting it off. Maybe because Lee is so different from Tiger. He leans into his stardom and is extremely active on social media while Tiger’s always been private. Either way, Min Woo Lee is the cool guy on the scene this week — kids were screaming “let him cook!” as he walked by the practice area earlier, and Charlie was beaming when Lee handed him his putter to check out.
Charlie Woods the coach?
I always love watching Tiger in “dad mode.” I’ve gone to the PNC Championship and watched the Woods boys tee it up together for the last two years, and it was fun to watch them bond again at Pinehurst today. But I also couldn’t help but wonder exactly what responsibilities Charlie has this week, other than being a great hang. I asked Tiger about his son’s duties as a member of the “player support” crew this week and was pretty blown away by his answer.
“I trust him with my swing and my game. He’s seen it more than anybody else in the world. He’s seen me hit more golf balls than anyone. I tell him what to look for, especially with putting. He gave me a couple little side bits today, which was great, because I get so entrenched in hitting certain putts to certain pins, I tend to forget some of the things I’m working on. I just want to see the balls rolling. He reminds me every now and again, which is great. We have a great relationship and rapport like that, and it’s a wonderful experience for both of us.“
Move over, Butch Harmon and Sean Foley. There’s a new world-famous swing coach in town, and he’s a freshman in high school. As much fun as the Woods guys are having this week, they have business to attend to. Charlie’s not here to hang out. He’s serving as a second set of eyes for the 15-time major champion this week, which is quite a resume builder for the 15-year-old! He’s got the whole golf world in his hands.
I also want to take a moment to give a shout out to the most “dad of a teenager” answer I’ve ever seen from Tiger Woods, where he admits he’s not quite sure “whatever the hell” TikTok is.
The scariest walk at Pinehurst
Intimidating greens this, intimidating greens that. You know what’s actually the scariest part of Pinehurst No. 2 this week? The line of dozens of kids screaming players’ names, begging them for autographs and photos while they walk by the practice area. I feel like I’m back in a middle school hallway being looked at while I pass through the autograph section, and I’m not even the one they want to talk to! But the requests go beyond the players. I heard some kids yelling for a security guard’s signature as well as autographs from caddies and agents. Basically, if you walk by this area, there will be a chant directed at you. The MVP of the autograph zone today was definitely Bryson DeChambeau, where kids were ecstatic to meet Bryson the golfer as well as Bryson the YouTuber.
Maybe these kids will have the autograph of a two-time U.S. Open champion come Sunday afternoon.
